As salespeople, we are always looking to increase our chances of closing sales. And often we over-focus on the close and under-focus on the groundwork that leads to a successful close.
As a salesperson, you are looking for prospects that fit into your ideal customer profile. If a prospect is not a good fit, it may be time to walk away.
Effective salespeople are excellent at sales qualification. They take the time to ask the right questions and understand the prospects answers and how they fit against their buyer persona. And it shows in their win rate.
Here are 5 things that you can start doing to improve your sales qualification:
1. Research
All good salespeople research their prospects before the discovery call. Use this research to guide your questions. For example, you might note that they’ve launched a new product or service recently, ask questions that point in the direction of how your solution may or may not help. Use your research to create questions that will steer the conversation in the right direction.
2. Open-ended questions
During sales qualification, a sales rep focuses on asking questions that address the buyers need, budget and timeframes, taking the first step in establishing if they are a good fit for your solution. Don’t waste time asking yes/no questions. Open-ended questions will give you more insight into the business and their needs or requirements.
3. Two ears, one mouth
I am sure you’ve heard that expression before, the best salespeople live by it. You need to listen to what the prospect is saying more than you talk, especially on the discovery call. The more you allow your prospect to speak, the more you will find out and the more you can tailor your sale to that specific prospect.
4. Dig deeper
Surface level information will only get you so far. Dig deeper until you feel like you have the whole picture. If you don’t fully understand what a prospect just said, ask them to clarify. They will respect you more for asking for the clarification than pretending you know everything. Ask why things are the way they are, how they got that way and is it worth changing. Put yourself in their shoes so you can see how your solution can help them.
5. Don’t force it
If you have done the four previous steps correctly, you will know whether a prospect is a good fit for you or not. Don’t force it or drag it out longer than needs be. Remember your time is your best asset, so don’t waste it on someone who isn’t right for your solution. As much as we would love every prospect to be an excellent opportunity, sometimes walking away is the best option.
We understand the demand for quality leads and the need for your team to meet those demands. We are here to help and add value by finding tangible, highly qualified leads where we have secured a date and a time for an appointment. These individuals are in your target audience, at the right decision-making level and have an interest in your solution. Taking away this pressure from your Sales team allows them to focus their time on closing deals and generating revenue.
If you are considering outsourcing your appointment setting, contact us by email info@integrileads.com or phone (+353) 00353 87 3932630. Follow us on LinkedIn for all of our latest updates.
