http://www.salesnexus.com/resources/webinars/ Michael Halper presents how to qualify sales leads in order to focus sales time on prospects that are likely to purchase and increase sales and profits.

1. Welcome!
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How to Qualify Sales Leads and Focus on Sales Growth that’s
Profitable

2. Your Hosts:
Craig Klein, CEO, SalesNexus.com
 18 years as a sales executive. Hiring, training sales
people. Developing lead generation and business
development campaigns.
Michael Halper, CEO, Launch Pad Solutions, Inc.
 Author of “The Cold Calling Equation”. 20 years as
a frontline sales, marketing and customer service
leader.
Forest Cassidy, CEO, LeadFerret.com
 Millions of B2B contacts with emails, FREE

3. 2013 Sales Growth
Webinar Series

4. Quick Recap of Last Week

5. Agenda
• Key points
– What is qualifying
– Why it is important
– What a qualified prospect looks like
– 2 step qualifying process
– Example qualifying questions
• What you will gain by attending this
– Will be better able to qualify prospects
– Will be better able to identify which prospects to spend time with
– Will decrease the time wasted with prospects that don’t buy anything
– Will be improve your ability to extract valuable information from prospects
– Will build a better and more healthy pipeline
– Will have more control over sales cycles and your pipeline

6. What is Qualifying
• Assessing prospects in two areas:
1. How well do they fit with what you have to offer
2. How likely they will be to purchase
• Performed two ways
– Asking good questions
– Researching the prospect

7. Why Qualifying is Critical
Time is Limited and Valuable
•Only 40 hours in the week
•Need to spend time prospects that have a high probability to purchase
Control is Limited
•You can’t control prospects you talk to
•You can control which prospects you talk to
•Improves deal and pipeline management
Knowledge is Power
•Uncovers pain
•Produces better leads
Relationships are Key
•Makes a better impression
•Decreases prospect’s guard
•Makes sales activities more conversational
•Builds rapport

8. Finding People to Talk to is NOT
the Problem
Reduce time spending finding the right person
Spend more time connecting with high quality prospects
and building relationships

9. LeadFerret.com Search

10. LeadFerret.com Results

11. Qualified Prospect vs. Unqualified Prospect
Qualified Prospect Unqualified Prospect
Needs to be medium to strong in all Can have any of the following
Need to Purchase No Need to Purchase
Authority to Purchase No Authority to Purchase
Ability to Purchase No Ability to Purchase
Interest to Purchase No Interest to Purchase

12. Unqualified Prospects Types
No Need to Purchase
•Authority to purchase
– Contact is key decision maker
•Ability to purchase
– Budget approved and allocated
•Interest to purchase
– Genuine interest
•Need to purchase
– Current system/process working great

13. Unqualified Prospects Types
No Authority to Purchase
•Need to purchase
– Pain, manual processes, outdated systems
•Ability to purchase
– Budget approved and allocated
•Interest to purchase
– Genuine interest
•Authority to purchase
– Contact is low in the organization

14. Unqualified Prospects Types
No Ability to Purchase
•Need to purchase
– Pain, manual processes, outdated systems
•Interest to purchase
– Genuine interest
•Authority to purchase
– Contact is key decision maker
•Ability to purchase
– Business has no funding available for a
purchase
– Business just purchased something
– Business locked into a long-term agreement

15. Unqualified Prospects Types
No Interest to Purchase
•Need to purchase
– Pain, manual processes, outdated systems
•Authority to purchase
– Contact is key decision maker
•Ability to purchase
– Budget approved and allocated
•Interest to purchase
– Not seriously shopping
– Favorable toward other vendors

16. 2 Step Qualifying Process
Step 1 – Soft Qualifying
•To make sure it makes sense to meet and keep
talking
•Eliminate No Need to Purchase Prospects
•Takes place in first conversation
Step 2 – Hard Qualifying
•Identify if you can consider the prospect real and of
high quality
•Takes place in first meeting

17. Soft Qualifying
Focus on two key areas
1.Current state – what the prospect is doing in the
area that you help
– Processes
– Systems
– People
– Vendors
– Contracts
1.Level of satisfaction – how are things going
– Great
– Good
– OK
– Could be better

18. Soft Qualifying
Current State
•Goal:
– To identify what the prospect is doing in the area where your products impact
– What are the current systems, processes, vendor agreements, employee details, etc.?
– Is the prospect a No Need to Purchase Prospect?
•Example Questions:
– What are you currently using to manage your inventory?
– When did you all implement that system?
– Are you locked into a contract with your current provider?
•Assessing the prospect:
– The prospect not doing or using anything – very qualified
– The prospect’s current contract is expiring soon – medium qualified
– The prospect recently bought something – less qualified
– The prospect is locked into a long-term contract – less qualified

19. Soft Qualifying
Level of Satisfaction
•Goal:
– To identify how things are going in the area where your products impact
– Are things great, good, OK, or could be better?
– Is the prospect a No Need to Purchase Prospect?
•Example Questions:
– How do you feel about the level of service from your current provider?
– How do you feel about your ability to manage inventory levels with your current system?
– Is there any functionality that you need that is not provided by your current system?
•Assessing the prospect:
– Things could be better – very qualified
– Things are OK – medium qualified
– Things are great or good – less qualified

20. Hard Qualifying
Focus on four key areas
1.Need to Purchase– how bad does the prospect
need to make the purchase
2.Ability to Purchase – how accessible is the money
1.Authority to Purchase – how much purchasing
power does the prospect have
2.Interest to Purchase– what other options is the
prospect considering

21. Hard Qualifying
Need to Purchase
•Goal:
– To identify whether the prospect truly needs what you are selling or if it is more of a want
– Is the prospect a No Need to Purchase Prospect?
•Example Questions:
– What happens if you do not do anything and do not make a purchase or make any changes?
– What improvements will you see if move forward with this purchase?
– Is there at date when this purchase needs to be made?
– What happens if the purchase is not made by that date?
– What is the time frame that the project needs to work along?
•Assessing the prospect:
– Noticeable negative impact if no purchase – very qualified
– Noticeable positive impact with purchase – medium qualified
– Can keep doing OK without a purchase – less qualified

22. Hard Qualifying
Authority to Purchase
•Goal:
– To identify how much purchasing power the prospect has
– Is the prospect a No Authority to Purchase Prospect?
•Example Questions:
– What is the decision making process?
– What parties will be involved in making the decision?
– What functional areas (departments) will be impacted by the purchase?
– Who is the ultimate decision maker?
– Who is the person that will need to sign the agreement/contract?
•Assessing the prospect:
– The prospect is the only person needed to approve the purchase – very qualified
– Prospect makes the decision but has to get approval – medium qualified
– Prospect does not make final decision – less qualified

23. Hard Qualifying
Ability to Purchase
•Goal:
– To identify whether the prospect is able to make the purchase from a budget/money standpoint
– Is the prospect a No Ability to Purchase Prospect?
•Example Questions:
– Is there a budget approved for this project?
– What is the budget range that the project needs to fit in?
– Have the funds been allocated to this purchase?
– What budget (department) will this purchase be made under?
– Are there other purchases that this funding may end up being used for?
– How does the project fit with other initiatives from a priority standpoint?
•Assessing the prospect:
– Funds are available, approved, and allocated – very qualified
– Funds are available but will need to be approved – medium qualified
– Funds are not available – less qualified

24. Hard Qualifying
Interest to Purchase
•Goal:
– To identify how much genuine interest to purchase that the prospect has
– Is the prospect a No Interest to Purchase Prospect?
•Example Questions:
– Why did you take time out of your schedule to meet with us? Why did you contact us?
– What other options are you considering?
– How far along are you with talking with them?
– How do you feel about their solution?
– What do you like about their solution?
– What do you not like about their solution?
– How does their solution compare with what we have to offer?
– Is there a reason why you would choose us?
– If you had to make a decision today, which way would you lean?
•Assessing the prospect:
– The prospect is only talking with you – very qualified
– The prospect is talking to other vendors but is favorable to your company – medium qualified
– The prospect sees all of the options as equal or leaning toward other options – less qualified

25. Your Qualifying Questions
1. Identify what your ideal prospect looks like
2. Try to develop questions that assess the fit
Or go to www.salesscripter.com

26. Summary
• Not every prospect is a good prospect
• Good prospect have a need, authority, funding, and interest
• Time is limited making it critical to spend time with the best prospects
• We can use a two-step qualifying process to improve our ability to spend time
with good prospects
• By improving the quality of prospects that we meet with:
– We will produce more leads
– Our leads will be better
– Our ability to manage deals and pipeline will be better

27. If You Want More Help
• The Cold Calling Equation – Problem Solved
– Available on Amazon - $15.95
• One-on-one phone coaching
– Four 30 minute sessions for $200
– Special offering five sessions for $200 this week
• Sales training programs
– Web-based and live programs available
• SalesScripter
– www.salesscripter.com
– Walk-through services available
• Send email to info@salesscripter.com

28. Join us next
Wednesday!
 Craig Klein, CEO of SalesNexus.com
“Manage a Sales Process of Actions that Lead to Sales
Growth”
February 6th at 4pm ET
Register here - SalesNexus.com/resources/webinars

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