Seven Critical Qualifying Questions

Training your salespeople to not waste time working unqualified accounts, or building relationships with the wrong people in qualified companies is imperative to the long the term success of our sales team and your company.

By understanding your salespeople's natural fear of qualifying, you can better coach them to ask the seven critical qualifying questions early in the sales cycle. Their productivity will improve, and you will acheive more sales in less time.

Why Don't They Qalify?

There are two reasons why even veteran sales pros lapse into working unqulaified accounts. The first is tactical. Salespeople, who typically have a highly political style, don't want to offend a prospect by asking questions about decision making, spending authority, and budgets too early in the sales process. They want to make friends first.

The second and primary reason is psychological. It is part of the typical salesperson's pshychological makeup to want to be liked. And most salespeople are very likeable. Unfortunately, it is more comfortable in the short run for the salesperson to build a relationship with the wrong person than to ask questions that may alienate the prospect.

Succumbing to Temptation

The nature of the sales job reinforces this fear of early qualification. Because salespeople face a lot of rejection, they are vulnerable to the song of praise and positive feedback from their prospects.

For the prospect, it can be almost like having a congenial (and free!) employee doing problem analysis and preparing the way for the prospect's solution. For the salesperson, it provides frequent strokes. And because the relationship is good, it is natural for the salesperson to assume that he or she will eventually make the sale.

Of course, if the prospect is not legitimately qualified, it is only a matter of time before both parties realize that the salesperson's solution is not a fit. But by then the salesperson has wasted valuable time. Even worse, he or she may have wasted aditional valuable resources such as sales and technical support.

Teach Early Qualification

It is reasonable, therfore, for the sales manager to require and verify that the seven critical qualifying questions are answered early in every sales cycle.

By all means, this should be done before your company commits sales support or technical personnel to the sales effort. This is especially important in longer sales cycles or more expensive products.

A good time to do this is during the forecast and review sessions that most managers schedule on a regular basis.

During these meetings, confirm that each salesperson is asking the "W" questions (what, why, when, and who) to qualify both the prospect company and the individuals within that company.

What Will They Do and Why?

1. What need(s) does the prospect have that can be met by your solution? Can your salesperson clearly articulate those needs?

2. Why would the prospect be willing to spend x dollars for your product or service? Has it been budgeted?

When Will They Do It?

3. When does the prospect plan to implement your product or service? For many products and services, implementation - not the close date - is the key because it is the purpose of the buying decision. It also focuses on the customer's perceived benefits, not the salesperson's sales forecast.

Who Are The Decision Makers?

4. Who will make the decision to buy the product or service?

5. Who are the decision influencers who can bring pressure to bear (positive or negative) on the person who will make the final decision?

6. Who has the budget or spending authority to implement the decision? Don't confuse decision and spending authority. They may not be vested in the same person.

7. Which decision makers have your salespeople called on? It should be all of them!

Bold, Direct Questions

Given these quesions, there are really only two skills that your salespeople need to qualify properly. The first is confidence. The second is questioning skills. Good questioning skills can create confidence.

Prior to making a call on a prospect, you want your salesperson to get the answers to as many of these seven critical questions as possible. Resources could be the propect company web site or past sales reps who have contacted the prospect company, etc.

The amount of information that can be collected in advance will vary for each prospect. But without fail, once your salesperson is in front of someone in the propect company, he or she should ask bold, direct questions:

"Do you have the authority to implement this decision?"

"Has this item been budgeted? Does it need to be? Do you have the funds available?"

Your salesperson will not get the answers that qualify the lead every time, but it is better to walk away from a sales cycle that will lead nowhere.

Geting to the Decision Maker

Teach your salespeople to convince the influencers to take them to the decision makers. That retains the relationship with the influencer, while opening an opportunity to the decision maker.

If they must, they should go over the influencer's head without permission. This will almost certainly alienate the influencer. But if the sale is going nowhere, your salespeople may have to take that risk.

Ask yourself: Can our sales strategy overcome the loss of this influencer? If the answer is yes, it's a reasonable risk.

Rob has been a sales manager and trainer in the sales and marketing industry for over 20 years. Based in Houston, Texas, Rob is the creator of Sales Careers Online, a career web site dedicated exclusively to the sales and marketing industry. If you are seeking a new job in the sales and marketing industry, please visit http://salescareersonline.com

---

9 TIPS: Dont Sell Me - Persuade Me

We all have something in our past we believe someone... Read More

How to Use Humor to Increase Sales

Using cartoons can help brand your marketing and drive home... Read More

Sales Closing: Dont Close Sales - Open Relationships to Achieve Multiple Sales

A lot is written and talked about in regard to... Read More

Putting Benefits Before Features

Having spent so many years in retail, I always enjoy... Read More

Theres a Referral for Everyone

I worked for years as a mortgage loan officer. During... Read More

Do You Know the Emotion Behind the Objection?

Prospects have many reasons (you might think excuses) for not... Read More

Emotions That Sell, Part 2

In the last article, we looked at three emotions (besides... Read More

Make Your Referrals Count

Just because we receive a referral, it doesn't mean that... Read More

Sales Training - What Is a Disguised Implied Need?

Have you ever been in the position where you are... Read More

Follow-Up Marketing: How to Win More Sales with Less Effort

A study done by the Association of Sales Executives revealed... Read More

The Reason Why They Buy

If you're a business person you want to sell your... Read More

Say What?!? Sales is a Profession?

What exactly is the sales profession? Without a common dialogue... Read More

How To Go Perpendicular In Your Sales Territory

First and foremost are you thinking Strategically? "Do you have... Read More

Really WINNING Over Customers

Three qualities are needed to sell anything in life. They... Read More

How To Give Your Sales Job A Strategic Tune-up

In happens every year in June.Six months down and six... Read More

The Choice between Yes and Yes: A Psychological Revelation

Three year old Kara was throwing a tantrum. She didn't... Read More

What Does It Take To WIN A Sale?

What to do when you win or lose.You have given... Read More

How to Maximize Sales by Minimizing Windshield Time

During the late 1980's I was a field sales representative... Read More

Increase Your Sales With an Incredible Offer

What are you selling?Coaching? Consulting? Professional services? A product? Information?To... Read More

Customers Want You to Ask for the Money

Many years ago, I was the one starting a small... Read More

The Canned Sales Pitch Myth

Canned or scripted sales approaches are rarely successful, because one... Read More

Sales Success ? The 5 Steps

It's a common question we come across everyday: why is... Read More

Turning Sales Techniques Into Sales Success!

The goal of all sales training is not just to... Read More

Do You Want Fries With That? - Using Suggestive Selling to Increase Your Sales

Suggestive selling is a powerful tool that can increase your... Read More

How to Make Training and Development a Power Agent for Change

Does this sound familiar? With high expectations, you sent your... Read More

How A Dancing Horse Can Increase Your Sales

"Yeah right!" I thought to myself as I started to... Read More

How to Sell to the Devils Advocate

There is a car commercial running were a husband is... Read More

Youre Hired... I Think

I'm not a fan of "The Donald" and I had... Read More

Jump Start Your Sales In 10 Quick Steps

1. Combine a product and service together in a package... Read More

10 High Powered Ways To Magnify Your Sales

1. Give your prospects a f~ree trial of your software... Read More

How To Improve Your Sales Skills

One of the biggest problems for many business owners is... Read More

Top 10 Secrets to Fully Embrace Sales and Exceed Your Goals Forever!

1.- REMAIN VERY CLIENT FOCUSED! Not Company focused. Your clients... Read More

Marketing Vs. Sales

Marketing and sales co-exist and work in tandem beautifully if... Read More