Questions to Know if Your Prospects is Worth Pursuing
No matter what you think of a prospect, not every prospect you chase needs to be a right fit for your product or service. Your priceless time and effort are not something that solely decides the worth of your prospects.
When a product or service is purchased, a need, a deadline, and money are not the only reason behind it. It can be the mix of all three or something else than these three.
So a salesperson should never establish a fit based on these factors during the sales process. By asking a sequence of questions, you will know if your prospects qualify for the pursuit or not. We call this sales qualification process.
So before heading to the questions, what is Sales Qualification?
Sales Qualification:
Sales Qualification is an integral part of the sales process. Here a salesperson determines whether or not a prospect will be the right audience for a product or service they are offering.
To get the idea, a salesperson compares the profile of their prospects with an ideal customer profile. If it fits, the pursuit begins, and if not, the salesperson will not try to sell goods to that prospect.
So what are the questions that help you determine the ideal customer?
What problem will you take care of if they buy your product?
Bringing a change to an organization or business is not an easy task. They usually do not accept big changes like adopting a new service or product. But they can, only if your product or service offers a solution to any existing or unknown problem. So trigger the pain to know if the target is worth pursuing or not.
Why do you want those changes now?
A prospect will only adopt this new change if it has experienced any trigger event. It can be anything like change in upper management, leadership, shifts in the market, legal problems, or major development in the company. When things happen like this, prospects are more likely to be prompt to do something about it without wasting any time.
What was stopping you from solving this problem until now?
If a business is having problems that should have been fixed a long time ago, you must start digging it. Asking them about what stopped them from solving their problems will help you understand your prospects better.
If they have tried, why is it not solved yet?
It may be possible that your prospect has already tried it, then the real question is why it didn’t work? Digging into the past of your prospect will clear two things? Whether it will reveal why the prospect is not a perfect fit or why you need to sell your services to them ASAP.
What if the problem is attended by the prospect intentionally?
Well, it sounds weird, but sometimes it happens. Businesses do leave some problems unattended. On this point, as a salesperson, you either quit the chase or convince the prospect by explaining the danger if left unattended. You need to make them believe you if you really want to give it a shot. Remember, do not try to force it, or they will lose interest in your service and brand.
What is your budget? If not decided, when can I expect the numbers?
Why are we all doing the best we can? One answer to that is Money. No matter how much you deny it. This same thing can affect your reasoning to pursue a prospect or not. So clearing this question at its earliest is necessary. Don’t worry if your prospect is unable to give you the exact number here. You only need to make sure that your offering and the prospect’s ability to pay are on the same page.
What’s your current spending on the issue?
In case the prospect already has a solution for the problem, ask them about how much they are spending on the solution. If your solution is somehow less expensive than their current solution, it is good. This will give you an edge over your competition. But if your solution is more expensive than the current solution, then you need to justify the extra money you are going to take from your prospect.
Judging by quality and quantity, What is success for you?
The definition of success for your prospect and what your offering is providing must line up with each other. If not, you might want to disqualify the lead here.
So these are the questions that you can ask to know if the lead is worth your time or not. Make sure you ask these questions. Also, make sure you have a full report on your lead before jumping into a conversation.
No matter what you think of a prospect, not every prospect you chase needs to be a right fit for your product or service. Your priceless time and effort are not something that solely decides the worth of your prospects.
When a product or service is purchased, a need, a deadline, and money are not the only reason behind it. It can be the mix of all three or something else than these three.
So a salesperson should never establish a fit based on these factors during the sales process. By asking a sequence of questions, you will know if your prospects qualify for the pursuit or not. We call this sales qualification process.
So before heading to the questions, what is Sales Qualification?
Sales Qualification:
Sales Qualification is an integral part of the sales process. Here a salesperson determines whether or not a prospect will be the right audience for a product or service they are offering.
To get the idea, a salesperson compares the profile of their prospects with an ideal customer profile. If it fits, the pursuit begins, and if not, the salesperson will not try to sell goods to that prospect.
So what are the questions that help you determine the ideal customer?
What problem will you take care of if they buy your product?
Bringing a change to an organization or business is not an easy task. They usually do not accept big changes like adopting a new service or product. But they can, only if your product or service offers a solution to any existing or unknown problem. So trigger the pain to know if the target is worth pursuing or not.
Why do you want those changes now?
A prospect will only adopt this new change if it has experienced any trigger event. It can be anything like change in upper management, leadership, shifts in the market, legal problems, or major development in the company. When things happen like this, prospects are more likely to be prompt to do something about it without wasting any time.
What was stopping you from solving this problem until now?
If a business is having problems that should have been fixed a long time ago, you must start digging it. Asking them about what stopped them from solving their problems will help you understand your prospects better.
If they have tried, why is it not solved yet?
It may be possible that your prospect has already tried it, then the real question is why it didn’t work? Digging into the past of your prospect will clear two things? Whether it will reveal why the prospect is not a perfect fit or why you need to sell your services to them ASAP.
What if the problem is attended by the prospect intentionally?
Well, it sounds weird, but sometimes it happens. Businesses do leave some problems unattended. On this point, as a salesperson, you either quit the chase or convince the prospect by explaining the danger if left unattended. You need to make them believe you if you really want to give it a shot. Remember, do not try to force it, or they will lose interest in your service and brand.
What is your budget? If not decided, when can I expect the numbers?
Why are we all doing the best we can? One answer to that is Money. No matter how much you deny it. This same thing can affect your reasoning to pursue a prospect or not. So clearing this question at its earliest is necessary. Don’t worry if your prospect is unable to give you the exact number here. You only need to make sure that your offering and the prospect’s ability to pay are on the same page.
What’s your current spending on the issue?
In case the prospect already has a solution for the problem, ask them about how much they are spending on the solution. If your solution is somehow less expensive than their current solution, it is good. This will give you an edge over your competition. But if your solution is more expensive than the current solution, then you need to justify the extra money you are going to take from your prospect.
Judging by quality and quantity, What is success for you?
The definition of success for your prospect and what your offering is providing must line up with each other. If not, you might want to disqualify the lead here.
So these are the questions that you can ask to know if the lead is worth your time or not. Make sure you ask these questions. Also, make sure you have a full report on your lead before jumping into a conversation.
