This particular insight has two parts. The first part is about you, as a professional. The second is about your prospect.

In an earlier insight we shared that only decision makers can get other people to make decisions. This second insight builds upon the first, raising the stakes to a higher level within your Business Development process. If you are not a decision maker … haven’t made decisions about your own personal and professional goals, how you’re going to achieve them, and the price you’re willing to pay … you will have a hard time bringing up and discussing money. Only you as a decision maker will be comfortable bringing up and expecting to discuss financial issues. This stumbling block can be either mechanical, or more frequently, conceptual. Injecting your own personal thinking and feeling about money into your process for developing business is deadly.

The second part of this insight relates to your prospects. You can quickly determine the level of thinking and decision making ability of individuals you are engaged with, by asking questions about money. Decision makers within an organization have knowledge of budgets, access to funds, and authority to spend. By discussing the money step early and learning to be comfortable asking forthright questions about money, you can quickly determine whether or not your prospects are significant decision makers.