Early Warning Signs Of Bad Business

It’s been almost impossible to miss across your social media feeds this past week.

A visitor to the US Holocaust Museum tweeted the poster on display there above. With a cascade of retweets and inevitable trad media pick up.

“The list was originally written by political scientist Laurence W. Britt in 2003.”

Whatever this thirteen’s present day prescience or otherwise, there smells like a selling meme to mine here. One thankfully not as destructive as the scourge of fascism. Nonetheless something that can spell commercial devastation.

Early Warning Signs Of Bad Business.

Seeing pics of this list, I was reminded of a sibling affliction I blogged on last year, about broken client relationships.

In the case of writing business that’s ultimately bad for you – and yes, for the superstar salesperson there truly is such a thing as a bad deal – anything that diverges away from your perfect deal profile is a no-no.

Bad business leads to selling time being eaten away through avoidable account management, energy sapped by needless firefighting and fruitless distraction away from deals elsewhere. Bad business means less business. Less commission. Less success.

Desperate sellers chase desperate deals. And end up desperate.

So, any of these states occur, and you seriously need to run a mile. Qualify out. Pursue only the win-winners.

opportunity fails to match stated direction of client/development travel

competitors you ought avoid/never normally clash are all over it

you (or your boss) are all hunch, no demonstrable fact

on-going maintenance/investment scoffed at

no connection with their post-buy personnel

access to big picture execs shut off

prospect decision making opacity

appreciably non-standard spec

you sense no kindred spirit

venal approaches received

prospect displays hubris

buyer fixated on price

no twin reference