Article 101

What Is a Qualified Prospect and How Do You Determine This Without Scaring Them Away?

Qualifying.

There are steps you take before you call, during the call, and after they have committed to an appointment... to "qualify" them as someone worthy of your sales time and marketing money.

Let me share them with you, but first, a rant.

There are many who believe that a prospect is qualified only if they greet you at the door with a big smile and the words "Where do I sign?" Others, equally ignorant, think qualifying means (before you go to meet them) having a prospect answer 20 detailed questions about budgets, future plans, features desired and their favorite movies. Why not just throw rocks at them?

Those who think that way are chasing away many great opportunities that could be sold cost-effectively and driving up their costs per appointment and costs per sale.

Where is the line between a reasonably qualified prospect worth your time to meet now and someone worth less?

Maybe the problem is that you, or your salesteam just plain don't know how to sell and only close business when it is gift-wrapped for you. If so, face reality and focus on those issues.

What can you do to improve the "quality" of those you meet with, avoid wasting your meeting time, yet, not chase away potentially great accounts with a stick?

WHERE IT STARTS

It starts before you even pick up the phone.

In fact, this is the most important step in the qualification process. You qualify before you even pick up the phone and this is where most companies and salespeople lose it.

Most of your good business, your great accounts, your profitable clients... fit a certain profile. If you do some simple research, easily obtained, you should know that most of your business comes from accounts that share certain common characteristics. Sic codes, revenue ranges, employee size and other characteristics are shared by your typical solid account.

The first step to having qualified appointments is to only call within that profile. My experience is that almost always, there are far more suspects to call within your target profile, than you have time or resources to call. To maximize "qualification," only call suspects within that profile.

Now, if your first thought is "Wait a minute Channell, I've got some great clients who don't fit that profile." Or, "I don't want to miss anyone, so I am not going to limit myself," please reply to this message and I will send you your membership card to the Certified Sales Moron Club.

To have more qualified meetings, call only those who fit the profile of your current good accounts. Period.

IT CONTINUES WITHIN 30 SECONDS OF "HELLO."

The 2nd key to meeting with qualified prospects is to clearly tell them what you do, who you typically do it for and relate 3 specific benefits or results typically experienced by those who use your services. That means you must communicate with absolute clarity those points, right up front.

My experience is that if you call within a solid target profile and deliver a clear "set the appointment" pitch to someone who has previously been confirmed to be a decision maker, that the odds of you meeting with a "qualified" prospect shoot up again. Why? Because high-level people who grasp your offer don't agree to meetings that are a waste of time.

During that typically 2 or 2 ½ minute set the appointment call, the objections they raise and how your respond will also reveal the qualified and flush out the undesirables. You need to think out and plan how to conduct these conversations to eliminate those who are a waste of time without chasing away great solid prospects.

AFTER THEY AGREE TO MEET, DO 2 THINGS TO FLUSH OUT THE TIME WASTERS

After someone has been on the receiving end of your eloquence and agreed to meet, there are 2 things you can do to further qualify.

First, as side conversation, as you solidify time and date and relate name and phone number, let drop that the meeting is typically 30... 45 minutes and you might very lightly relate typical topics. If people are expecting a drive-by or card drop off, you cut that off right at the pass. High-level people have no difficulty telling you that won't work for them.

Secondly, and finally, there is the Columbo question... the question you ask when everything is done, agreed upon, secured.. maybe
good-byes are even said...you say to your prospect...

Peter Prospect...................................................... one last thing, just so that
SalesRep Sally can be better prepared. (You ask only one of the
following type questions.)

How much do you buy each year?
How many do you use each quarter?
How many people...?

The idea is that you ask a question calculated to determine if they would buy enough to make it worthwhile for you to go out and meet with them. You don't ask these questions BEFORE people agree to meet. They don't know you, what you do, why you are credible... why should they tell you anything... why would you believe anything they
told you at this point? Ask them after they have determined you are worthwhile.

If their volume is too low to make it worthwhile to meet, say so. No problem.

Another way to get to the same point is to say something like this at the very end.

"Peter, our typical engagement ranges from $50,000 - $200,000. Assuming you were satisfied with everything, would you be comfortable in this range?" If they are not, they tell you and you don't go to the meeting.

THINK GROUPS, NOT INDIVIDUALS

Qualifying does not mean that every single one of your appointments will be worthwhile. Yours truly once put a salesrep on a plane to meet someone who had only one part-time employee, when the target profile was companies with 1,000+ employees. The idea is to have the greatest percentage of your appointments be highly qualified, not to guarantee that every single one of your appointments be
qualified.

Not understanding the process of qualification, where you draw the line and when you are chasing away solid opportunities with the wrong approach, too many questions or questions asked at the wrong time, and when you are doing more to chase away solid opportunities than setting qualified appointments is key to having a solid pipeline and an acceptable cost-per-appointment and sales-cost-per-sale.

Best wishes for sales success,
Scott Channell

copyright 2006-2009 scott channell

Article 95	How to Qualify Prospects. Before, during & after…
	by Scott Channell