QUALIFYING

“Though this is one of the most important parts of a sales rep's job, it's also one of the most difficult. In fact, 22% of sales reps say that qualifying is the most challenging part of the sales process (ZoomInfo)."

Qualifying is the actual human interaction with prospects you have researched. Prospecting is a hypothesis of what targets you can convert to customers. The qualifying process is the action of communication and measuring your prospects on your prospect list. This is the step where you can eliminate a target off your prospecting list or confirm that your product can fill their needs as a customer. If done correctly, this will allow you improve time management and improve your close percentage. Be sure not to eliminate prospects off the list prematurely. Do not take lack of communication or openness as a sign that the prospects company cannot benefit from purchasing your product. As a salesperson it is your job to build the rapport needed for the customer to trust you with open communication. Building trust takes time!

Pre call approach before live contact.

What are three goals you want to accomplish on the qualifying call?

These three call goals should be moving you closer to your goal or quota. Start with small goals and build more advanced initiatives after gaining confidence on the small goals. Always document your progress in your CRM software for future strategic actions. Documentation allows you to eliminate duplicating call goals that have already been accomplished. Always move forward.

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What is going to be your opening approach?

Make sure that you create an energetic introduction that is a targeted approach. This will generate an interest in exchanging ideas with your perspective buyer. Keep in mind, decision makers constantly get sales call. Decision makers hire folks to tell salespeople no, gatekeepers. Take your prospecting research seriously and find a way to differentiate yourself on the first contact.

It is your job as a salesperson to ignite the decision makers conversation. If you have great questions, you will find prospects will give you information openly without much effort exhausted. That is the goal and a sign of a great qualifying approach. First gain the trust, then ask intriguing questions that jumpstart the discovery process. The best-case scenario is when the salesperson is the listener. If the prospect is talking most of the conversation, you will find a plethora of valuable information about the company, processes, and decision influencers. People love talking about their responsibilities and accomplishments, do not get in their way. You can control the conversation and complete your goals with without saying much at all, if you have the correct open-ended questions.

What are your prepared, educated, targeted, open – ended questions?

- If a prospect calls you:

-How did they find your product or company?

Always ask this question to understand where your new business is coming from. Is it from a referral, an e mail blast, a new website design?

-What are you looking for our product to solve?

Find pain points early and as often as you can to incorporate them in your pitch further down the sales process. Also pay attention to names, these will be your purchasing influencers.

-What do they dislike about their current product or service?

This is a similar question to the one above. You are building your bullet points for your presentation in your value proposition and close. Decision makers look for other products because of product performance or customer service. If the current supplier representative struggles to service the account during adversity, the business will look elsewhere. You could have the best product on the market, but you will always have to deal with adversity. Let the prospect vent about your competitor’s staff or product performance. It is just reinforcing the concept of hiring you and leaving their current supplier.

- If you could wave your magical wand, what pain points would the product solve in your work process?

This a great question to understand what the prospect desired top features are. This will also give you an idea on how realistic they are in solving their current pain points. If they are unrealistic, you know you will have to do a great job defining what your products limitation and expectations are during the sales process. In sales, managing a customer’s expectation will improve customer service and increase your referral output to maximize growth.

- If you call the prospect:

-What products are they currently using?

Finding out what product the prospects currently use allows you to customize your pitch based on known obstructive features. If you have a talkative decision maker on the phone, they will identify pain points of their current product. Gather information, you are building your case for your presentation further along the sales process.

- What do they like /dislike about their current product or service?

Identify features that they like with their current product will allow you confirm that your product has the same feature. If your product can not match what they like about their current product, make sure you do not bring the subject up further in the sale process. Find pain points early and as often as you can to incorporate them in your pitch. Also pay attention to names, these will be you purchasing influencers.

-What improvements would you like to see in the current product you use?

Asking this question identifies what value propositions would work instantly. If your product can fill one of the suggested improvements, then the prospect has a reason to take you seriously. You will reinforce these points in your value proposition or close. If the prospects mention a long list of improved features, then they are most likely unhappy with their current situation.

- How often do you meet to decide on product or process improvements?

Decision makers at large business make a lot of decision. They deal with a lot of people. You can make a great impression and still be forgotten. Always ask if there are defined time frames for making purchasing or capital purchasing decision. Some decision makers gather production information a week for two before their meeting to present to the group. You want to make sure that your product and name are always being considered during decision time. Use your CRM software if there are certain dates decision are made. You can offer an evolved value propositions based on knowledge gained in qualifying at the defined dates.

Presentation Practice

Role play scenarios are awkward for everyone but are necessary. If you have a coworker, practice these techniques to perfect your performance. If you are by yourself, rehearse these out loud. Try rehearsing the scripts with the tv or music on in the background. You are training your brain to think, to know how to response to certain statements in adversity. Make mistakes, repeatedly. It is better to make mistakes with a co work or by yourself than in front of the biggest prospect of you career. No matter how seasoned we become as salespeople, we still make mistakes. Once you comprehend that you make mistakes you can limit them, so role play before incorporating this in your repertoire.

Role plays 1 – Practice your approach and anticipated responses:

1. Opening approach.

2. Open ended questions.

3. Know your call goals!

Preparing Yourself –

Always be mentally and physically sharp during the qualifying process. Diet, exercise, and sleep need to be closely monitored. These inputs will make or break your efforts on achieving your long-term growth.

This blueprint should be used simply as a foundation and should forever be evolving. Modify your approach based on successful results. Documenting approaches, results, and identifying successful patterns will determine how well you do in qualifying. Qualifying correctly will increase your close percentage and improve your ROI in effort.