In this video, we provide some qualifying questions for sales.

One way we try to make it easier to determine what qualifying questions to ask is to break them down into four categories.

 

Need to Purchase

When talking with a prospect, one thing to try to identify is whether they “need” what you sell or “want” it. The difference between the two is that when they need what you sell, there is a significant difference between them having it and not having it. When it is more of a want, they certainly could enjoy and use what you sell, but there might not be a huge difference between having it and not.

Here are some qualifying questions for sales that you can ask to determine if their interest is more of a need or want.

  • What motivated you to look at us (brought you to us)?
  • What are you doing today in this area?
  • What is working well today? What is not?
  • What will it mean to you if you make this purchase?
  • Will there be any challenges for you if you do not purchase something in this area?
  • Is there a 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?

 

Authority to Purchase

The next thing to look at is whether or not the prospect you are talking to has the authority to purchase. In other words, are they the person who says, “Yes, let’s do this,” or is that someone else that they will have to go to at some point?

Here are some examples of qualifying questions for sales that you can ask to determine if your prospect has the authority to purchase.

  • 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?

 

Ability to Purchase

Try to determine if the prospect has the ability to purchase what you sell from a funding, budget, or money standpoint.

Here are some examples of qualifying questions for sales that you can ask to determine if your prospect has the ability to purchase.

  • 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?

 

Intent to Purchase

It is important to determine if the prospect has the genuine intent to purchase from you. For example, if your prospect is extremely likely to purchase but has already decided to purchase from your competitor and is just coming to you to get a price for negotiating purposes, you do not want to spend a lot of time and money pursuing the prospect.

Here are some examples of qualifying questions for sales that you can ask to understand what your prospect’s intentions are.

  • You are likely busy, so why did you take time out of your schedule to meet with us?
  • Do you recall what originally motivated you to reach out and 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?

 

We hope this gives you some good qualifying questions for sales that you can ask when you are out there talking with prospects!