3 Ways to Disqualify More Leads

Not everyone is a fit to be a customer. Even if a prospect is perfect on paper, there could be a number of factors that keep them from being a successful, long-term customer. And while a good salesperson may get a gut feeling about cutting a prospect loose, great salespeople tell a bad prospect they aren’t a fit and move on. Hunting and spending time on prospects that are not a fit wastes time that could be spent working with prospects that are already in your pipeline, or finding new prospects to add to it.

In the early days of learning to be a great salesperson, it is more important to be better at disqualification than at qualification. It’s actually harder to do, and can often feel unnatural. But a knack for disqualification demonstrates a deeper understanding of your ideal buyer and a mindfulness of your time as well as theirs. Here are three ways to qualify the right leads and spend less time on prospects that aren’t likely to lead to closed-won new business.

Start to “bucket” prospects

Sorting prospects is an important skill, and great salespeople develop a sort of trigger that helps them put prospects into “buckets.” Start with leads that you have the highest likelihood of closing, then work your way toward the ones with the lowest chance of closing, with multiple buckets in between.

Be smart about the questions you ask to identify quickly if a prospect is a fit or not, and go on with your day. If a lead comes in from an industry you know you can’t sell into, don’t waste your time calling them multiple times. You cannot afford to put time into leads you know are not going to work out.

On the other hand, when a lead is a perfect fit, it might make sense to make the 27 dials it could take to reach them. There has to be a risk/reward analysis done on what input makes sense for the potential outcome.

Ask the questions to get the prospect to think

Set up your questions to make a prospect think, then allow them to guide the conversation. You need to get a prospect to give you real data into how they would purchase your solution, and what problems they are looking to solve with it.

The more often you can ask questions that help prospects guide themselves down a path where they can see your solution working, the better. Based off the answers you receive, it will become clear to you how you can meet and exceed their needs.

Be honest

If you are at all uncertain about a prospect after talking to them, be upfront and honest with a prospect that you don’t think they are a fit. Prospects that have a high chance to close will not allow themselves to be disqualified. Often they will give you the answer you were looking for to ensure they are a fit to be a customer.

The earlier in the sales process you are able to disqualify a prospect, the less time and money you will spend on trying to pull them over the finish line. The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to let go. In sales – especially in the higher sections of the funnel – you need to be a bouncer, not an usher. Your job is to make sure the people you put on your calendar and into your pipeline are worth putting there, and to turn great prospects into great customers.