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The discovery call is one of the most important conversations a salesperson can have with a potential customer.

It's a proverbial fork in the road for you and your prospect — they’re a good enough fit for your product or service to warrant discussing next steps, or it’s time to part ways.

But making that call is easier said than done. That’s where sales qualification comes in.

By asking the right questions, you’ll be able to determine whether the relationship should continue and the appropriate next steps to take if a deal is ultimately viable. This guide will walk you through the fundamentals of sales qualification, present the different frameworks you can use, and provide pointers on disqualification and conversational tip-offs to listen for.

免费下载:101个销售资格问题[立即访问]

如果没有销售资格,您可能每天都会与数百个潜在客户交谈 - 只需获得一两个封闭式优惠即可为您提供所有的努力。这是任何成功的销售流程的重要组成部分,但是为什么如此关键?让我们来看看。

Why is sales qualification important?

简而言之,销售资格对销售组织很重要,因为它大大提高了近比。没有销售资格,您冒着追求潜在客户的风险,这些潜在客户由于预算限制,组织挑战或其他因素而不适合该产品。

Sales qualification is simply a better way to do sales. It allows you to pursue the leads who are most likely to purchase the product, saving you time and energy.

Here are more reasons sales qualification is so important:

  • You can move on when the lead isn’t qualified and spend more time on the prospects who are more likely to buy.
  • You can focus on a smaller, specific segment of buyers, which can help you deliver a more personalized selling experience.
  • You can learn the ins and outs of the buyer’s challenges and deliver a better solution as a result.
  • You can guarantee that most of your activities lead to a positive impact in revenue.
  • You can create different sales qualification processes for different verticals and keep a list of pitches that still feel personalized.

假设您尝试将产品出售给您尚未获得资格的潜在客户。如果产品合适不佳,则客户可能会退还产品以退款或进行社交媒体TIRADE。

By intentionally qualifying prospects through adiscovery call,您可以提供高度量身定制的解决方案,以提高购买后满意度。

What does the sales qualification process look like as a whole? Let’s walk through that below.

Lead Qualification Process

领先资格过程始于您的营销,销售,收购和产品团队所产生的一系列潜在客户。如果您在一个较小的团队中工作,那么这群潜在客户可能来自网站表格提交,并且可能没有特定的名称。

Lead Qualification Process

In a sales organization, there are several types of leads:

  • Unqualified Leads:未合格的潜在客户在flywheelto be forwarded to a sales team.
  • 营销Qualified Leads (MQLs): mql领导是谁适合接收营销communications such as email campaigns, content offers, and more.
  • Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs):SQLS是准备与销售代表建立联系并开始销售过程的潜在客户。
  • 产品合格的线索(PQL): PQLs have indicated a strong interest in the product by either starting a freemium subscription or signing up for a free trial.
  • Conversion Qualified Leads (CQLs): A CQL is any lead who has converted on your website, either by submitting a form or by pressing a click-to-call button.

These leads are then fed into a lead qualification framework, where you can then ask a series ofqualifying questions发现他们是否好或糟糕的产品-fit.

从那里,线索分为合格和取消资格的潜在客户。然后,合格的潜在客户将被送入销售过程。取消资格的线索被喂入一个养育序列,在那里他们将在其中预热到产品并稍后进行购买。

Let's take a look at three of the most crucial aspects of the lead qualification process: qualifying questions, qualified prospects, and frameworks you can use to qualify leads.

What is a qualifying question?

A qualifying question helps the salesperson determine their prospect's fit for one criteria. That might be need, budget, authority, sense of urgency, or another factor.

A good qualifying question is typically open-ended. Asking a close-ended question, like"Is this a priority right now?"将买家的答案盒子盒子。更好的版本将是”这将落在您的业务优先级列表中?”Because you're not leading the prospect to an answer, the response will usually be more honest and revealing.

Here are some good qualifying questions:

  • 该产品可以帮助您解决什么业务挑战?
  • What has prevented you from trying to solve the problem until now?
  • 这个项目的预算是什么样的?
  • 您是否使用任何解决方案来解决此问题?如果是这样,为什么要切换?
  • 在解决此问题方面,您的主要优先事项是什么?哪种功能最重要?
  • 使用此产品后,您的公司的成功是什么样的?bob全站app
  • 您会成为产品的日常用户吗?您团队中的谁每天都会使用此产品?
  • 您每天的摩擦点有什么点,您认为该产品可以帮助您简化?
  • 哪些决策者将参与购买该产品?
  • 如果我跟进mm/dd/yyyy,会没事吗?

这些问题的答案将导致您有资格或取消资格的潜在客户资格。

What is a qualified prospect?

合格的潜在客户已经完成了领先的资格过程,现在准备进入sales pipeline.

You’ll typically do the bulk of your qualification during a discovery call, but it certainly isn’t where qualification starts or ends. At every step of the sales process, you’ll continuously evaluate prospects for more and more specific characteristics.

Sales reps must qualify prospects at three different levels — "organization-level," "opportunity-level," and "stakeholder-level" qualification.

Organization-Level Prospect Qualification

This is the most basic level of qualification, and doesn’t tell you much other than whether you should do more research. If your company has buyer personas, reference them when qualifying a prospect. Does the buyer match the demographics of a given persona?

Questions you should ask at this stage include:

  • Is the prospect in your territory?
  • Do you sell to their industry?
  • What’s the company size?
  • 该帐户适合您公司的买方角色吗?bob全站app

Opportunity-Level Prospect Qualification

当您阅读本文标题时,这种资格的形式可能是您的想法。机会级别的销售资格是您确定您的潜在客户是否有特定的需求或挑战,以及他们实施特定产品或服务是否可行。优秀买方角色的另一半,机会级特征使您可以深入了解潜在客户是否可以从您的产品中受益。

To determine whether your prospect is qualified on an opportunity level, ask the following:

  • 潜在客户是否熟悉您出售的产品类型?
  • Do they have a challenge that your product can help them solve?
  • Do they have a team or a person who’ll be using the product?

Stakeholder-Level Prospect Qualification

Let’s say you’ve determined that your prospect’s company is a good match for your solution and fits your ideal buyer persona. It’s time to get into the nitty-gritty — can your point of contact actually pull the trigger on a purchase decision?

To determine this, ask your prospect the following questions:

  • 这将会购买你的预算出来的吗?
  • Who else is involved in the decision?
  • Do you have criteria for this purchase decision? Who defined them?

何时取消前景资格

这三个级别以您应该使用它们取消资格的顺序列出。

For instance, if your prospect is a complete departure from your company’s buyer persona, it’s safe to disqualify them right then and there on an organizational level. Maybe one day, you’ll serve their type of buyer, but right now you don’t — so don’t waste time trying to shoehorn your offering into their business.

Similarly, you could be speaking with the CEO of an organization with complete budget authority who passes stakeholder-level qualification with flying colors. But if there’s no problem, there’s no need for your solution. Qualify for business pain first.

Also, keep in mind that unless a prospect can be qualified on all three levels, you shouldn’t advance them in the sales process. For example, if you ask your prospect about the company’s strategic goals and they’re unable to answer, it’s a good sign they’re not close enough to the decision process and lack influence.

You should disqualify this contact at the stakeholder level, even though they pass at the opportunity level.

为什么取消资格并不是一件坏事

Many salespeople are loath to disqualify prospects and shrink their pipelines.

他们的自然本能正在尝试尽可能多地工作,但这不是最好的方法。线索的质量比数量更重要。

作为销售人员,您最宝贵的资产是您的时光,而花在少数最佳前景上要比在数十个线索中稀薄地摊开自己要好得多。试图完成每笔交易只会导致死亡目的,而您的合适前景差,而您忽略了可能购买的前景。

了until now, we’ve discussed qualifying questions and what a qualified prospect looks like. You can organize all of the processes we’ve discussed thus far usinglead qualification frameworks.

如何使用潜在客户资格框架获得铅的资格

A qualification framework is essentially a rubric that salespeople can use to determine whether a prospect is likely to become a successful customer.

Every customer and every sale is different, but all closed-won deals share commonalities. Sales qualification frameworks distill those shared characteristics into general traits reps can look for when qualifying.

The BANT Qualification Framework

The Old Faithful of sales qualification frameworks, BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline) is used at a variety of companies and in a variety of markets.

Bant最初由IBM开发,涵盖了机会和利益相关者级别的资格。

Bant试图发现以下四个信息:

  • Budget: Is the prospect capable of buying?
  • Authority: Does your contact have adequate authority to sign off on a purchase?
  • 需要: Does the prospect have a business pain you can solve?
  • Timeline: When is the prospect planning to buy?

Here are a few examples of BANT questions in the context of a prospect conversation:

Information to uncover questions to ask
Budget
  • 您是否有预算用于此购买?它是什么?
  • Is this an important enough priority to allocate funds toward?
  • What other initiatives are you spending money on?
  • 季节性会影响您的资金吗?
Authority
  • 这笔购买的预算来自谁?
  • Who else will be involved in the purchasing decision?
  • How have you made purchasing decisions for products similar to ours in the past?
  • What objections to this purchase do you anticipate encountering? How do you think we can best handle them?
需要
  • 您遇到什么挑战?
  • What’s the source of that pain, and why do you feel it’s worth spending time on?
  • Why hasn’t it been addressed before?
  • What do you think could solve this problem? Why?
Timeline
  • 您需要多快解决问题?
  • 您还优先考虑什么?
  • Are you evaluating any other similar products or services?
  • Do you have the capacity to implement this product right now?

While BANT addresses many opportunity-level requirements, it misses the mark on others.

The “ultimate” buying authority could be more than one person. Make sure you engage all relevant stakeholders early on in the process and secure each individual’s buy-in.

“Timeline” is another area where BANT falls short today. A strict BANT qualification might tell you to cycle a lead who won’t be ready to buy until next year into a closed-lost queue.

But you might be acting prematurely — send over educational resources and offer to help until they’re ready to buy, if you can.

MEDDIC

MEDDIC (Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identify Pain, Champion)was pioneered by Jack Napoli when he was at technology company PTC. MEDDIC requires sales reps to understand every aspect of a target company's purchase process, down to whether you have an internal champion — an employee at a prospective company who will internally sell your product.

MEDDIC was incredibly valuable for increasing forecasting accuracy, something that's crucial for companies that sell to enterprise companies — after all, losing just one deal can be debilitating when each is worth several million dollars.

HubSpot首席执行官Brian Halligan说:“从0美元到1亿美元,[PTC]成功,因为我们售出了一个更好的小部件。”“从1亿美元到10亿美元,我们出售了技术的转变。Meddic变得很重要,因为它不仅是任何旧购买,而且是业务的转变。”

You should consider using MEDDIC as a qualification framework if your company sells a product that requires a transformation in behavior or average sales price is incredibly high, as understanding exactly how a prospect buys, why they would buy, and who's championing you internally is crucial to maintaining an accurate pipeline.

CHAMP Sales

CHAMP (Challenges, Authority, Money, and Prioritization) is similar to ANUM but places Challenges ahead of Authority.

CHAMP also defines authority as a “call-to-action,” not a roadblock. If your initial contact is a low-level employee, you can safely assume they won’t be the decision-maker. That doesn’t mean you should hang up the phone. Instead, ask questions that help you map the company’s organizational hierarchy to determine who to reach out to next.

gpctba/c&i

Yes, it’s a long acronym, but a useful one. Developed at HubSpot, the qualification framework GPCTBA/C&I (Goals, Plans, Challenges, Timeline, Budget, Authority/Negative Consequences and Positive Implications) is a response to changes in buyer behavior. Buyers come to the sales process increasingly informed, so salespeople need to add value on top of product knowledge.

But value isn’t something sales reps can just "add" — to truly act as an advisor, you must explore beyond the scope of the discrete problem that your product or service could solve. This means understanding a prospect’s strategic goals, their company’s business model, and how the specific issue you’re discussing fits into the larger picture of their professional life.

Here are some of the questions you should ask at each step:

目标

以下问题的目的是找出潜在客户的定量目标。如果他们的响应不明确,您可以帮助澄清或设定目标。

  • What is your top priority this year?
  • 您有特定的公司目标吗?bob全站app
  • Do you have published revenue goals for this quarter/year?

计划

Once you understand your prospect’s goals, find out what work they’ve already done to achieve them. Determine what’s worked and what hasn’t, and make suggestions for improvement.

  • What are you planning to do to achieve your goals?
  • 你去年做了什么?什么有效,什么无效?您今年打算做什么?
  • Do you think XYZ might make it hard to implement your plan?
  • Do you have the right resources available to implement this plan?

Challenges

Defining your prospect’s challenges — and reinforcing that what they’ve already tried isn’t working — is crucial. Unless they understand that they need help, a prospect won’t become a customer.

  • Why do you think you’ll be able to eliminate this challenge now, even though you’ve tried in the past and you’re still dealing with it?
  • Do you think you have the internal expertise to deal with these challenges?
  • 如果您在一年中足够早就意识到该计划没有解决这一挑战,那么您将如何换档?

Timeline

您最重要的资产是您的时间。因此,尽管不想现在或在不久的将来购买的潜在客户不一定是一个丢失的原因,但他们应该从您的优先列表中移动。

  • 您什么时候开始实施此计划?
  • Do you have bandwidth and resources to implement this plan now?
  • Would you like help thinking through the steps involved in executing this plan, so you can figure out when you should implement each piece?

Budget

Just asking"What’s your budget?", isn’t a question likely to get you valuable insight, according to HubSpot sales director Dan Tyre.

Instead, try asking:

  • Are we in agreement on the potential ROI of [product or service]?
  • Are you spending money on another product to solve the problem we’ve discussed?

Then, go in for the kill. Databox CEO and former HubSpot VP of Sales Pete Caputa suggests phrasing the budget question this way:

“我们已经确定您的目标是X,您现在花了Y来尝试实现X。但是它不起作用。为了雇用我们,您需要投资Z。由于Z与Y和您更有信心我们的解决方案将使您达到目标,您认为投资Z雇用我们是有意义的吗?”

Authority

与Bant不同,根据此框架获得权限的资格不一定试图确定您的联系是否是决策者。您的联系可能是有影响力的人或教练,两种类型的内部冠军可以让您深入了解决策者的思维过程。

如果您的联系不是经济买家,请问他们:

  • Are the goals we’ve discussed important to the economic buyer?
  • 在他们的优先事项中,今年秋天在哪里?
  • 您期望他们会提出哪些担忧?
  • How should we go about getting the economic buyer on board?

负面后果和积极影响

在资格学过程的这一部分中,您会发现如果您的潜在客户能够或未实现其目标,会发生什么。

“If your product can significantly help them avoid consequences and further aid in achieving even bigger follow-up goals, you’ve got a very strong value proposition,” Caputa says.

Here are some C&I questions to ask prospects:

  • 如果您达到目标,会发生什么?结果会在个人层面上影响您吗?
  • When you overcome this challenge, what will you do next?
  • Do you stand to get promoted or get more resources if you can hit your goal? Would you lose responsibility or be demoted if you don’t?

The benefit of GPCTBA/C&I is that it allows salespeople to gather a huge amount of information. If your product is complex, highly differentiated, and stands to become an integral part of your prospect’s business strategy, having these insights is incredibly valuable. Sales reps selling these kinds of products need to step into their prospects’ world to be effective advisors and business partners.

However, GPCTBA/C&I might not be right for every sales force. Depending on what you sell, such thorough qualification may not be necessary.

肛门

阿努姆(权威,需求,紧迫性,金钱)是班特的另一种旋转。在使用ANUM资格时,销售代表的首要任务应该是确定他们是否正在与决策者交谈。

需要functions the same way as it does in BANT, but has been moved up in priority. Urgency correlates with Timing, while Money replaces Budget.

头晕的

TheRAIN Group提倡使用微弱的(资金,权威,利息,需求,时机)来合格销售线索的拥护者。淡淡的旨在反映以下事实:许多购买决策都计划外,因此与设定的预算无关。

Like ANUM, reps using FAINT should look for organizations with the capacity to buy, regardless of whether a discrete budget has been set aside. FAINT also adds Interest into the mix.

根据Rain Group的John Doerr和Mike Schultz的说法,兴趣被定义为“从买家那里学习可能的东西,以及如何实现与今天的现实相比,如何实现新的和更好的现实”。

Sales Qualifying: Good Signs and Red Flags

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: "It’s not what you said, it’s how you said it."

这个短语是无数争论的根源,但在销售资格方面和黄金一样好。您的前景将通过他们的语气和交付方式为您提供尽可能多的信息,就像他们实际说的话一样。

Here are some tip-offs (both good and bad) to listen for when qualifying a prospect that can help you determine whether to advance the sales process or disqualify ASAP.

好兆头,向前推进前景

借口

Wait. How can excuses be a good thing?

借口help resolve our actions with who we want to be. During a sales conversation, your ears should perk up if your prospect tries to explain away previous inaction regarding business pain. This indicates one of two things: either the excuse is legitimate, or your prospect wishes they had done something about it earlier and is trying to rationalize why they didn’t. Either way, it confirms their pain is real.

Specificity

可以为问题提供具体答案的潜在客户“你的目标是什么?”and"When do you need to see results?"仔细考虑他们的问题。聆听顺序计划,思考解释和统计数据。细节还表明您的前景会感到真正的痛苦。毕竟,没有真正问题的人不会花时间思考自己为什么存在以及如何解决问题。

Of course, the caveat is that specifics must be accompanied by reality. A prospect who says,“我想在接下来的两周内获得四倍的收入,”is using specifics to demonstrate that they don’t have strong business acumen.

Knowledge

特殊性的伴侣是知识。知识检查是您在利益相关者层面上排位赛的最佳选择。真正的决策者将对公司目标,挑战和需求有深入的了解。bob全站app无法访问此信息的联系人在销售过程中可能不会有价值。

Red Flags in the Sales Process

Inconsistency

A prospect whose answers contradict each other is likely one who wants to be helpful, but can’t because they don’t possess adequate knowledge. However, this isn’t a dealbreaker — prod them to tell you who does know the answers, and continue qualifying the opportunity with another contact.

简短的答案

True business pain permeates an organization — executives lose sleep over it and employees have to deal with it on a day-to-day basis. If you give the impression that you can help alleviate the pain, prospects will want to talk to you.

给您一个单词答案的潜在客户不是一个觉得有对话的基础的人。问题可能是一个没有问题的问题,或者联系不足以感觉到其严重性。取决于您认为正在发生的事情,取消资格或尝试与组织的另一成员接触。

Over to You

Sales success rests on effective qualification. Your ability to find good fit prospects will make or break your business. Prospects who turn into happy customers mean not only revenue, but increased word-of-mouth, referrals, and the possibility of cross- or upselling. So it’s imperative that you get it right.

编者按:这篇文章最初发表in September 2015 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

sales qualification

sales qualification

Originally published Apr 22, 2021 1:45:00 PM, updated April 22 2021

Topics:

销售资格