There are 3 basic types of prospects when it comes to prospecting.

There is your standard prospect who may or may not have a "need", or an expectation or need for your products and services. Your goal is to qualify these prospects and know that they are truly qualified and have a need. When it comes to selling you want to sell only what is wanted and not what you think it would help with. You do not sell anything to someone who doesn't really need it. Once you've proven to them that they have a need and an expectation then it's time to move on to the next category.

This is the second basic type of prospect. A qualified lead is the term used for those who are truly qualified and have a need or expectation based on information you provide. You can be salesy and you can try to sell it to them, but your focus should be on getting them to sign up and give you their information. Now the term lead can refer to just about any type of prospect that you are presenting to. But generally it refers to the term prospect that is also used to refer to a lead from whom you are receiving payment.

The third basic prospect is the dreaded spam. This is the term used for those that are not real qualified or wants information about your opportunity. You should remove this person from your list as soon as you recognize them. The best thing to do is contact the person directly and politely let them know you regret any inconvenience as they may have an expectation or need that you are trying to fulfill, but that you are not able to right now. It is important to remember to take your time in this process and to take some time to prepare yourself by reviewing your marketing materials in detail so that you will not start to feel pressured or rushed in your actions. This final category is the dreaded MLM "SCAM" who just wants to get rich quick. This person is also a bad candidate for your business as they are not serious about being in business and their actions usually betray this fact.

When you are prospecting you should be using all three categories. It will help to know if they qualify before you even speak to them. Once they are qualified and have received the value and the information you want from them you can then move to introduce them to the next category. The three basic types of prospects will help you when you are prospecting to avoid confusion and discourage your actions from being misconstrued. When you are prospecting remember to take some time to prepare yourself by reviewing your marketing materials in detail and then get to work prospecting!