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Sep 15, 2020
Brenda R. Smyth, Supervisor of Content Creation
Does your prospect need your product?
Can they afford it?
Do they have the authority to purchase it?
And when are they looking to buy?
Qualifying sales leads and prospects by getting the answers to these questions up front can help you close more sales and keep you from wasting valuable time.
How many of us have looked at vacations we can’t afford, ogled over cars we’ll never buy or tried on the expensive Louboutin pumps just because we’re curious?
We all do it. Window shopping is fun.
But if you’re the salesperson, it’s easy to get excited when someone “shows interest” … only to be disappointed later when you find out you’ve spent a lot of time “selling” someone who either doesn’t have the authority, isn’t really interested (at least not anytime soon), or can’t afford your product or service.
The process of qualifying your sales leads can feel awkward if you’re new to the sales game. But it’s critical in helping you decide where to spend your time and effort.
For your specific product or service, there may be other information to gather that will help you determine a quality prospect. Number of employees, location, turnover figure, annual revenue, etc., could be factors in whether your product is a good fit. You’ll need to ask a few questions in a curious kind of way. It’s not an interrogation. So simply frame these questions as fact finding, so you can come to a meeting prepared. Save the full needs assessment for that meeting.
Brenda R. Smyth
Supervisor of Content Creation
Brenda Smyth is supervisor of content creation at SkillPath. Drawing from 20-plus years of business and management experience, her writings have appeared on Forbes.com, Entrepreneur.com and Training Industry Magazine.
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