What is a tire kicker?

A tire kicker is a term used to describe people who seem to fit your ideal customer profile but are in fact, red herrings. As a sales professional, you might have come across a tire kicker without realising it. They tend to appear to show interest in your product or service, only to take up space in your sales funnel and waste your sales teams' precious time. In this blog post, we explore what the term tire kickers mean, how to identify one (including common red flags) and ways you can avoid them.

What is a tire kicker?

A tire kicker is a prospect who expresses interest in a product or service but has no real intention of making a purchase. The term comes from the car dealerships industry, where potential buyers would kick the tires of a car to show interest without any commitment to buy. To SDRs or BDMs, tire kickers can appear in various forms, draining time and resources without moving forward in the sales cycle.

Common characteristics of a tire kicker

Recognizing tire kickers early can save you from unnecessary follow-ups and wasted effort. Here are some common signs to watch out for.

• Avoidance of commitment: Ever noticed how a prospective client often avoids making any form of commitment, such as scheduling follow-up meetings, agreeing to demos, or discussing payment terms? Someone who always appears interested but never actually commits is a classic trait of a tire kicker.
• Indecisiveness: A prospective client who frequently changes their requirements or show interest in multiple, vastly different options without narrowing down their preferences is also another trait you can observe to spot a tire kicker. These potential customer might compare your services or products frequently with competitors
• Excessive questions with little depth: Tire kickers often bombard you with questions, but these are usually surface-level and repetitive. They rarely dive into specifics that indicate a genuine purchasing interest.
• Focus on price: Tire kickers tend to be unclear about their budget, or use budget constraints as a reason to delay or avoid commitment all together.

How to spot a tire kicker

There are various types of tire kickers out there, from perpetual researchers to someone who might be a spy from a competitor and time wasters. Below are two scenarios to help you spot a tire kicker in context.

Scenario 1: The researcher

Imagine you're an SDR at a software company. A prospect reaches out, showing interest in your solution. Over multiple interactions, they ask detailed questions about features, pricing, and implementation but never proceed to a trial or purchase. Each time you suggest a demo, they request more information or additional time to "research" other options. This is a classic tire kicker—a prospect consuming your resources without any real intent to buy.

Scenario 2: The window shopper

As a SDR at a software company, you often get various enquiries about financing options and ideas about affiliate partnerships. However, your potential customers often find reasons to decline every chance they get to move forward with a purchase decision. This behavior highlights tire kickers who are more interested in browsing than making a decision.

Scenario 3: The spy

Sometimes spiess from competitors may pose as a potential customer who maybe a good fit. But they're really there to gather information either about your sales process.

How can you avoid having a tire kicker in your sales pipeline?

It is possible to prevent or limit the number of tire kickers in your sales cycle. This starts with a strong sales strategy that involves qualifying leads early, being clear about your sales process and limiting information.

1. Qualify leads early

Develop a strong qualification process to assess the seriousness of your leads. Ask direct questions about their timeline, budget, and decision-making process to gauge their intent. Use the initial conversation to set clear expectations about the sales process. Make it known that your time is valuable and that you expect a certain level of commitment from potential buyers.

2. Limit information

Provide enough information to pique their interest but avoid giving away too much before confirming their genuine interest. This can help filter out those who are just browsing.

3. Follow-up

Establish follow-up strategies that include firm deadlines and next steps. This can help move serious buyers through the pipeline while filtering out those who are not ready to commit.

Is it possible to engage tire kickers?

By carefully qualifying leads, understanding their needs, addressing their concerns, and demonstrating clear value, you can sometimes turn tire kickers into genuine buyers. However, it's essential to deperiotize them in your sales cycle so that you can focus on the right leads. Below are a few ways you can do this.

1. Address concerns

Tire kickers often have reservations or need more information before making a decision. Identify and address these concerns directly, providing detailed answers and additional resources to build their confidence in your product or service.

2. Personalize your messaging

Spend time listening to the tire kicker's specific needs and concerns and use this insight to personalize your messaging. This not only builds rapport but also helps you tailor your pitch to address their unique pain points.

3. Leverage content to build rapport and trust

Provide valuable content such as whitepapers, webinars, or industry reports that can help educate the prospect and reinforce the value of your product.

Conclusion

It's no secret that a tire kicker is a sales professional's nightmare. But there are some potential customers who seem to be tire kickers that have genuine reasons to delay a buying decision. That's why it's crucial to be able to identify who a tire kicker is, and use the right strategy to deprioritize them and, when the time is right, effectively engage them and address their hesitations to guide them towards a purchasing decision. While not every tire kicker will convert, a thoughtful and persistent approach can turn some into valuable customers. So it's important to keep your sales cycle healthy and know who to prioritize first.

More resources

• MEDDPICC sales methodology 101
• How to build an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) to drive sales

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