A big part of a salespersons’ job is qualifying prospective customers. There is nothing worst than spending time and effort persuading a person to buy from you who doesn’t have the ability to do so. This is why qualifying is such an important aspect of the sales process. Pursuing unqualified prospects can waste both time and money for you and your employer.
But don’t fret, we came to help. Qualifying is actually quite simple and can be done during your initial sales call with your prospect. Below we organized 4 questions that will get the information you need to qualify without the prospect know what you are doing. The next time you call a prospect ask these 4 questions and you will have your prospect either qualified or not in just a matter of minutes.
“So what do you do with ABC company?”
To start you want to know who you are dealing with and what they do for their company. If you’re talking to the company accountant about installing their new wireless network , you’re probably talking to the wrong person.
“When are you looking to begin this project?”
You need to establish a time frame for the project. Are they trying to get this done right away? Are they pushing it back to the end of the year? By knowing this you can strategize your sales approach so you can provide the best service to this prospect and help them accomplish their goal according to their schedule.
“How much do you think you will be spending on this?”
You need to know if the prospect can afford what you are selling to them. With the economy today, money is tight. Some prospects just simply won’t be able to buy your product or service. There is nothing wrong with this, but if you are putting in the effort to get this person as a customer, you want them to be able to buy from you.
“Who is heading this project up for you?”
The last thing you need to know is who is the decision maker. There is always one person that has the final say on purchases for a company. You might not begin with them, but your end goal is to satisfy this person.
Qualifying is sales 101, yet is something that gets forgotten every now and then. Just remember these 4 questions during each first call and you will be able to qualify potential customers with ease.
Begin with qualification and make the most out of your efforts.
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