12 Qualifying Questions | Need For Prospects

Michael Glaubitz

Are you looking for new customers? Are you considering offering a service with your products? If so, you must ask the right qualifying questions before moving forward.

When selling a product or service, asking your prospects the right questions is essential to determine whether they fit your offering well. Qualifying your prospects is essential to ensuring a successful business relationship.


This blog post will discuss 12 sales-qualifying questions you must ask your qualified prospects before moving forward. By asking the right sales lead qualification questions, you can ensure that both parties are a good fit for each other and that the relationship will benefit everyone involved.

What is the Sales qualification Process?

Sales qualification is the sales process of determining whether a lead is worth pursuing. This involves assessing the potential customer needs that your product or service can address and whether they can pay for what you’re selling.


It is essential in the sales process because it allows you to focus on leads most likely to result in a sale. It also helps you weed out non-qualified leads, saving you and the potential customer time and energy.

What is a Sales Qualifying Question?

A Sales Qualifying Question is a question asked by a salesperson to determine whether or not a qualified lead is worth pursuing. The purpose of the question is to assess whether or not there is a potential opportunity quickly.


Also, it needs to gather more information about the prospect to determine whether they are a good fit for the company’s products or services.

Sales Qualifying Questions to Ask Prospects

By asking these sales qualification questions, you’ll sharpen your lead-qualifying process and maximize your chances of closing more deals within the sales cycle.

1. What are your business goals?

Understanding your prospects’ goals is essential before engaging in any business-related conversations. Ask what their business goals are; it gives you valuable insight into the kind of conversation they want and the direction you should take.


This can help build trust and rapport and show them that you want to address their needs and concerns. Finding out their current goals will put you in a better position to determine if your product or service is a good fit for them.

2. What needs does your company have that our product or service can fulfil?

As a business, it’s important to ensure your needs are met. That’s why we ask our prospects the most pertinent question: What needs does your company have that our product or service can fulfil?


It’s an important query, so we strive to keep our tone friendly and inviting as we discuss the benefits of working with us. We believe this question gives us insight into what will truly benefit the companies we talk to, allowing us to make informed decisions about how best to help them succeed.

3. How did you hear about us, and what convinced you to consider working with us specifically?

We’re so glad you decided to consider working with us! We’d love to hear more about your journey. How did you first hear about us, and what made you decide that our company was the right fit for your needs?


Knowing the answers to these two sales-qualifying questions will give us an understanding of what attracted you in the first place, helping us ensure that we continue pursuing strategies that work.

4. What other solutions have you explored, and why were they not a good fit for your needs?

Another effective thing is enquiring about what other solutions have been explored and why those solutions ultimately weren’t a good fit for the prospect’s needs.


By understanding this history, you can create a tailored proposal that provides a focus-adding solution directly addressing any areas that other solutions may have left unaddressed.


Asking this question in a friendly and approachable manner further helps to foster an effective and successful dialogue.

5. Have you had any bad experiences with vendors?

When you are looking to bring on a new customer, one of the most important sales lead qualification questions to ask prospects is if they have had any bad experiences with vendors in the past.


Have an open and friendly conversation about what led to those relationships sour. Identifying and understanding these problems is essential for finding the target audience fit for your business.


This will give you insight into how previous vendors have been treated and how those issues can be avoided. Additionally, it’s essential to learn from lessons learned in the past so you can make sure not to repeat them.

6. Can you tell me more about your team – who will be involved in this project, and what are their strengths and weaknesses?

As the project gets underway, it’s important to get an understanding of the team that will be involved. Ask prospects about their team and each person’s roles in the project.


You want to know their strengths and weaknesses or areas of expertise to understand how they will contribute to a successful outcome.


Asking sales qualifying questions about your prospects’ team is key – it gives you insight into who you’ll be working with and how they can help contribute to success.

7. How comfortable are you with making decisions quickly, and how much time do you need to purchase?

The next important question to ask when engaging with prospects is, ‘How comfortable are you with making decisions quickly, and how much time do you need to purchase?’


This ensures that, as a business, we can cater to their needs as best as possible by understanding how they are comfortable in terms of decision-making timelines.


Asking this question also aids us in determining if we are the right fit for them and vice versa, allowing us to make sure everyone is happy before we move forward.

8. What role do you play in the decision-making process?

Our next question you should start your conversation with is, ” What role do you play in the decision-making process?” This covers authority and accountability so that everyone is on the same page.


The tone of voice should be friendly yet professional, as it’s essential to understand their needs while establishing yourself as a partner they can trust. Asking this simple yet powerful question shows how dedicated you are to helping them reach their goals.

9. Have you tried to solve this problem in the past? If so, why didn’t that solution work?

The next question might be: Have you tried to solve this problem in the past? By asking this question, you can better understand your customer’s needs and how much experience they may have with a similar solution.


If the prospect has attempted to tackle this issue before, ask why that solution didn’t work and what type of feedback they received.


Asking these qualifying questions will help ensure you have all the information needed to provide a custom solution that fits your unique situation.

10. What happens if you do nothing about the problem?

By asking queries such as ‘ What happens if you do nothing about the problem?’, you can ascertain whether the prospect truly understands their dilemma and how it will affect them.


This line of questioning adds value to both parties, helping redirect focus from the new solution onto exploring how not taking action could potentially impact their success going forward.

11. Who are the people who have the final say in making a decision?

Understanding who has the final say in deciding is an essential qualifying question to ask your prospects. Doing so can help you manage expectations, determine the best way to present information to the correct people, and adjust your strategy based on who is involved.


Asking this question during conversations with your prospects helps you capture accurate information and demonstrates that you are genuinely invested in their business needs and objectives. Make sure your tone of voice remains friendly when asking this fundamental question.


Be sure to listen attentively and make thoughtful follow-up questions if needed. In the end, understanding who will have the last word will help navigate conversations and relationships with prospects more smoothly.

12. What are your top business priorities for the upcoming year?

Last is our choice, great pain points to ask your prospects, ‘What are your top business priorities for the upcoming year?’ This question gives you insight into their motivations and sales strategy goals, helping you craft an experience tailored to their needs.


Not only does this type of open-ended dialogue show you’re invested in their success, but it also helps start conversations on the right foot. With open communication, bridges can be built that will put both parties on equal footing necessary for long-term partnerships.

Why Are Qualifying Questions Crucial in B2B?

B2B sales reps must ask qualifying questions in order to determine whether a potential customer is a good fit for their product or service. A good question can help to weed out unqualified leads, saving the sales rep time and energy.


Sales qualifying questions also help to establish trust with potential customers. By asking questions relevant to the customer’s needs, the sales rep demonstrates that they have done their homework and are interested in helping the customer find a solution that meets their specific requirements.


This helps to build a relationship of trust which can lead to future business opportunities.

How can Qualifying Questions skyrocket your sales funnel?

The Qualifying Questions are essential if you’re looking to maximize your profits with Prospect targeting tactics.

1. Take the qualified leads:-

By asking qualifying questions, you can filter out people who are not interested in what you’re selling, and as a result, you’ll be left with only the most qualified leads.


This will save you time and money in the long run because you’ll be spending your resources on pursuing sales leads that are interested in what you have to offer.

2. Find out the actual buyer:-

Qualifying questions can also help you determine whether or not a lead is ready to buy. For example, if someone is asking for a very detailed product specification before they’re even willing to consider buying, then it’s clear they still need to be ready to make a purchase.


However, if someone is asking general questions about your product or service without any mention of specifics, then it’s likely that they could be a good fit for what you’re selling.

3. Find out the size of opportunities:-

Qualifying questions can help you determine the size. By asking questions about the customer’s budget, timeline, and other factors that may affect the sale, you can better understand how much potential business there is for you.

4. Build relationships:-

Finally, qualifying questions can help you build relationships with your prospects. By getting to know them better and understanding their needs, you can craft a more personalized sales pitch that resonates with your prospects.

How many factors should be considered when qualifying sales prospects?

1. Company Size

Company size is one of the first factors that should be considered when qualifying sales prospects. The size of a company can give you insight into its revenue, number of employees, and overall budget.


This information can be helpful in determining whether or not a company is a good fit for your products or services.

2. Industry

Another factor to consider when qualifying sales prospects is the industry. Understanding a particular industry’s needs is essential to determine whether your products or services can meet those needs.


For example, if you sell software that helps businesses manage their inventory, you’ll want to target companies in the retail or manufacturing industries.

3. Decision-makers

When qualifying sales prospects, it’s important to identify the decision-makers within a company. These individuals will ultimately decide whether or not to purchase your products or services.


In many cases, decision-makers are high-level executives, such as CEOs, CFOs, or CIOs. However, in some cases, lower-level employees may also influence purchasing decisions.

4. Budget

Finally, budget is one of the most important factors when qualifying sales prospects. It’s essential to understand how much a company is willing to spend on your products or services before making a sale.


Otherwise, you risk overcharging or undercharging a customer, which could lead to lost business.

Conclusion

Asking questions is critical in the sales process. It allows you to understand your prospect, their needs, and how best to provide a solution for them.


This article covered 12 Qualifying Questions to ask Prospects that will help your business move forward. Do you have any other questions that you use when qualifying potential customers? Let us know in the comments below!


When you are ready to put it all together check out this article: https://findmyprospects.com/prospecting-for-leads-the-complete-guide-for-recruiting-and-sales-prospecting

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Glaubitz

Michael has over 22 years in Public Safety but has always had side jobs. From Logistics to Real Estate, Finance, and Staffing there have been many experiences. These all lead to Social Selling and Marketing as both a Salesperson, Small Business Marketer and Recruiter. By combining all of this experience with an innate desire to serve others he plans to deliver more value than you can handle.

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