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Prospects aren't statistical figures or dollar amounts. Prospects are people, with strengths and faults and plenty of their own concerns both inside and outside the realm of business. To successfully interact with your prospects, and to keep them coming back to you, you must understand them. You must understand people in general.

The first thing to remember is that people are busy, now more than ever. They have paperwork to do, bills to pay, calls to make, emails to answer, groceries to buy. They have kids to pick up from school, take to practice and drop off at the mall. They have to wash the dishes and do the laundry and vacuum. And somewhere in all this they, like you, need to find time to relax, practice a hobby, and socialize. So when your prospects don't call you back or are late to meetings, don't get upset or discouraged. Think about all you have going on in your own life and realize that they've probably got a very good reason. When they say they need more time to make a decision, give it to them, but keep in touch as well, as they might forget or lose track of you. Most of all work with them and make things as easy on them as possible. Lord knows their lives are difficult enough as it is.

Due to all this, people are also impatient. Don't ever make your prospects wait on you if you truly value their business. Get them the information they request immediately. Call or write them back as soon as humanly possible. Meet with them at their earliest convenience, not yours. And if you should make a sale, follow through on your end without delay.

People are also lazy. There's little room for this in business (and it's a poor compliment to busyness and lack of patience), but business does not dictate human nature. This is all the more reason to make things as easy on your prospects as possible. Help them find you, help them communicate with you and help them make their decisions. The more of the work that you can do, the more they will appreciate you and the higher the chance they'll come back to you. By going an extra step or two to make up for your prospect's laziness, you're also making them feel special, and people want to feel special. Never underestimate this desire.

People are impulsive, too. This can work for or against you, depending on the nature of your product or service and on the nature of your particular prospect. Catch their interest and you could sell something extra. Conversely, a prospect might make an inquiry based on an impulse, but have no real intention of going through with the deal, so before you try too hard to make a prospect feel special or go too far in making things easy on them, try to discern their seriousness. It can't be taken for granted.

These are only a few things to keep in mind when dealing with your prospects. Above all, just remember that your prospects are people, just like you. Understand human nature and you'll understand your prospects. Understand your prospects, and you'll get the most out of them.