How do you qualify leads?

Qualifying leads is like online dating. You sift through many profiles (leads), trying to find a match. You look for those showing interest in your brand, the ones who've been liking your posts or downloading your content - those are your 'right swipes'. Then, you engage in conversation to see if your business goals align with their needs - a sort of first date. If the chemistry is right and they seem ready for a long-term commitment (read: purchase), congratulations, you've got a qualified lead! Remember, it's all about finding 'the one'. Happy dating, er... lead qualifying!

I agree with the basic explanation of lead qualification. To build on the last statement of focusing on leads that have the highest potential and lowest acquisition cost: 1) no one has a crystal ball. 2) don't eliminate leads based on short term potential value because long term prospects may yield good results- they may trickle new business in at first and later become major accounts.

Qualify Leads With?Lead Scoring. One of the most commonly used methods for lead qualification is called lead scoring. Lead scoring quantifies the qualification process by assigning a point value to each prospect. This tends to occur early in the sales pipeline before too much time's been invested in the prospect.

Get pre-qualified leads by ASKING them specific questions that tells you if they are ready, willing and able to use your services. Do this and you'll save a lot of your time by only talking to people that book and appointment AFTER they pre-qualify themselves. Instead of sending your leads to a general website, send them to a specific form or a branded landing page that will motivate them to answer some specific questions and gets them to share their information. This is the perfect time and money saving strategy our clients use to get them the perfect leads that need and can use their services.

Time is also a critical component. Balancing the strategic value, cost of sale and lifetime value must be considered. Pointing to the dating analogy, if you meet the right person regardless of where you are you will put in the effort to win the relationship.

Lead gen is critical to building a healthy pipeline, but can not be the sole source. This process allows for more time hunting for the next criteria of potential leads. Expanding market size is essential

All of this can be accomplished by leveraging a system that Asks them specific questions, then Scores their answers based on their needs, pre-Qualifies those that are ready, willing and able, and then takes them to book an appointment. No more time wasted on unqualified leads or leads that don't need the service right now (those can be added to your CRM for further follow-up until they are ready to use your services).

I've worked with many companies on optimizing their lead generation through SEO tactics during my career, and this statement could not be more true: "there is no 'one-size-fits-all' approach" to qualifying leads. I often find myself with different companies at similar ages of maturity working in the same industry that use different frameworks. From my experience, the BANT method is the most efficient approach for qualifying leads if your business currently has no framework. Once you have spent a year or more qualifying your leads that way, re-evaluate. Too many unqualified deals moving through the pipeline? Consider a different method like CHAMP. Finding the best framework may take trial and error, but you won't know until you get started.

Leads are a numbers game, and the goal is to cast as wide a net as possible and manage a pipeline that is a minimum of three times the amount of quota revenue in order to hit or exceed the target/ quota. By keeping your eye on consistently building a pipeline, you will be in the right frame of mind for success. It doesn't help to pressure a prospect if they don't meet your timeframe. Be courteous and professional at all times.