How to Make the Sales Qualification Process Faster and More Efficient

How do you make the sales qualification process faster and more efficient, while still providing your customers with the very best solution to their problem?

And what do you do when - every time you try and understand what it is your prospects really need – they just tell you it’s all about PRICE?

How do you find what the REAL factors are that will eventually lead to a purchasing decision?

Well forgive me for delivering what appears to be an overly-simplified answer to an incredibly complex conundrum - but it's all about the QUESTIONS you ask.

More specifically - it's about the questions you ask:

• while prospecting
• while inviting them to a meeting / presentation / demo
• during the meeting / presentation / demo
• after the meeting / presentation / demo

But let's split this into two parts so they don't get mixed up.

How do you qualify INTEREST faster?

- and -

How do you uncover what the REAL factors are that will eventually lead to a purchasing decision - without it just nosediving into a conversation just about price?

Well - to begin with - you can achieve both with brilliant prospecting.

During my 2 Day Business Development Masterclasses I run through a whole host of ideas of how to set this up - but essentially all your communications (email, video, voice message, call) should contain a nugget of a question that allows you to see who turns their head or puts their hand up and says:

"That's me!"

That way you can end up spending your time with the people who actually want your help - and talk to them about the thing they really need help with.

As sales professionals we’re supposed to be fabulous at asking great questions, finding out what customers really want – but unfortunately my experience over the years has been the complete opposite.

It dawned on me at one of my sales training events?a number of years ago what the major problem was – and what it reminded me of.

Indulge me while I share a holiday memory.

I’ve just landed in Portugal – it’s Easter around twenty five years ago – I’m walking with my (now) wife and it starts raining.

Have you ever been caught in a continental rain storm where every rain drop is huge?

'Cos these were MASSIVE.

And I just stand in this downpour – amazed!

They weren't like the little rain drops you get back at home – oh no – this was like someone was standing on a roof just dropping water bombs, landing around us like huge balls of water.

Goldfish bowl sized rain drops.

Now I’m from the North of England – I’m used to a bit of rain – but this was awesome.

Not pitter-patter rain drops, falling like tiny diamonds from the sky – we were witnessing BIG Portuguese rain drops crashing around us.

And I was mesmerised.

And to explain where this analogy is headed - salespeople tend to employ one of two types of questions.

They either ask tiny rain drop questions that just fall lightly around the edge of every problem - little drip, drip, drip questions – tiny rain drop, pitter-patter questions.

Or they ask BIG, bold questions. Questions that would drown you in the enormity of the answer that they produce.

Questions that really get customers thinking from the back of their brain – catapulting you into long meaningful conversations.

Questions that - if you were asked - would keep you talking for hours.

PORTUGUESE RAIN DROP QUESTIONS

In my book - Selling with EASE - I dedicate most of a chapter to detailing as many useable examples as I could get in without it just becoming a long list of questions - but here's a rule to keep in mind.

With consultative questions...

You Give Them Some Thought and Keep Them Short!

You can almost guarantee that the longer the question the shorter the answer.

Imagine you're filling in a form which only allow 500 characters - and that you have to fit both the question and the answer in it.

It's the difference between EXPLAINING something in question form or DISCOVERING something by allowing enough space for someone to share the information you need.

Now, because you speak the language you speak - and probably have done for some time - you might not think about putting a whole load of effort into curating words and creating sentences that unlock new and undiscovered sales doors.

Few people ever do.

But it's the ability to reverse engineer - from solution back to question - that marks out the truly great sales performers from the rest of the pack.

As an additional resource - you may have missed the complimentary downloadable 32 page e-book from the last newsletter - 5 Steps to Uncovering New Customers & Hitting Your Sales Target .

The e-book is split into 5 sections

#1: How to point yourself towards success

#2: How to spend more of your time with prospects who love you

#3: How to make sure you always get through to the decision maker

#4: How to master the 21st century art of professional interruption

#5: 3 question that will change your sale results

Section 2 is a must read if you want to dive deeper into everything laid out above

You can download the e-book at?THIS LINK HERE .

Oh - and before I go - please do your network a favour and share this newsletter?with your connections here on LinkedIn.

I reckon - in the uncertain business climate we're about to move into - it would be great if we could help as many people as possible with a weekly blast of sales sense.

OK then - I'll see you back here in 7 short days.

To your success

Chris

PS:?We’ve just released the next UK dates for my?2 Day Business Development Masterclasses . If you’re want to get a head start on everybody else in your industry, you need to click on the link below

taking place next in: Glasgow Manchester Birmingham and London