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Shifting From Prospect to Customer
February 21, 2024 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 1 minute

All art is process-oriented or procedural—a bold claim that many artists might take issue with. Still, painting with oil on canvas follows a process of building colors from bottom to top; watercolor on paper follows a different process. Learning a musical instrument follows a process, and building the skills to play music with others requires precise communication and a mastery of the song to be played. These are all procedural things.
Contrary to popular belief, selling is also more a process than a magic-filled art, and one part of the process that seems artful (but is actually procedural) is qualifying your prospect. Qualification answers this fundamental question: “Is this lead a good fit as a customer or not?”
The Process
Start with your business plan, a working business model, and a strategy. Know who you want to go after, and with what product or service. Now, how do you determine whether a prospect is right for you?
The old saw in sales is, "If you're going to get a ‘no’ from the customer, get it as soon as possible." Don't waste your time on someone whose mind is made up. This sounds reasonable, but successful salespeople will tell you to be persistent and that "no" means "not at this time." So, how do you tell the difference?
The Miller Heiman Strategic Selling method is one of the most authoritative sources on the concept of selling as a strategic partnership between the buyer and seller. In their book, The New Strategic Selling, Robert Miller and Stephen Heiman outline archetypes that help with qualifying.
The idea is not necessarily to disqualify a prospect but rather to learn what motivates the buyer so you can reach a mutually beneficial solution.
B2B transactions can be rather large and complex. The authors define it as having one or more of the following elements in place:
- The buying organization has multiple options
- The selling organization has multiple options
- In both organizations, numerous levels of responsibility are involved
- The buying organization’s decision-making process is complex, meaning that it is seldom self-evident to an outsider
The next set of categories zeroes in on the roles and motivations of the multiple decision-makers in your prospective customer’s organization.
Continue reading this article in the February 2024 issue of SMT007 Magazine.
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Digital Twin Concept in Copper Electroplating Process Performance
07/11/2025 | Aga Franczak, Robrecht Belis, Elsyca N.V.PCB manufacturing involves transforming a design into a physical board while meeting specific requirements. Understanding these design specifications is crucial, as they directly impact the PCB's fabrication process, performance, and yield rate. One key design specification is copper thieving—the addition of “dummy” pads across the surface that are plated along with the features designed on the outer layers. The purpose of the process is to provide a uniform distribution of copper across the outer layers to make the plating current density and plating in the holes more uniform.
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SMT007 Magazine July—What’s Your Competitive Sweet Spot?
07/01/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamAre you in a niche that’s growing or shrinking? Is it time to reassess and refocus? We spotlight companies thriving by redefining or reinforcing their niche—what are their insights? In the July 2025 issue of SMT007 Magazine, we spotlight companies thriving by redefining or reinforcing their niche and offer insights to help you evaluate your own.
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Magnalytix and Foresite to Host Technical Webinar on SIR Testing and Functional Reliability
06/26/2025 | MAGNALYTIXMagnalytix, in collaboration with Foresite Inc., is pleased to announce an upcoming one-hour Webinar Workshop titled “Comparing SIR IPC B-52 to Umpire 41 Functional & SIR Test Method.” This session will be held on July 24, 2025, and is open to professionals in electronics manufacturing, reliability engineering, and process development seeking insights into new testing standards for climatic reliability.