Number 4 on our list of the 10 best sales tips is to always have a list of pre-qualifying questions to ask.

 

What are Pre-Qualifying Questions?

In order for us to explain this tip from our list of the best sales tips, we need to start by clearly stating what we mean by pre-qualifying questions. These are questions that determine if there is the slightest potential for a fit for what you sell.

Here are some of our pre-qualifying questions when we are trying to determine if a sales manager has even the slightest fit with what SalesScripter has to offer.

  • How confident are you that all of your sales resources are asking the right questions when talking with prospects?
  • How concerned are you about the amount of time it takes to get new sales hires ramped up and performing? How long on average does it take for a rep to get fully up-to-speed?
  • How important is it for you to get under-performing sales resources corrected and on the right path toward meeting or exceeding their objectives?
  • How concerned are you about your current level of sales staff turnover?
  • How open are you to exploring new ways to boost sales performance for your sales resources?
  • Are you all currently using any type of sales methodology or sales training curriculum?
  • Do your sales resources use any kind of script or sales playbook?

 

How do Pre-Qualifying Questions differ from Hard Qualifying Questions?

To fully understand this part of the best sales tips and what pre-qualifying questions are, it is important to know what hard qualifying questions are and how the two types of questions differ.

While pre-qualifying questions determine if there is even a slight potential for a fit, hard qualifying questions are designed to determine if the lead or opportunity is for real and has a decent possibility of closing. Here are some examples of hard qualifying questions:

  • What happens if you do not do anything and do not make a purchase or make any changes?
  • Is there a budget approved for this project?
  • What is the decision making process?
  • What other options are you considering?

 

Why is it Important to Ask Pre-Qualifying Questions?

The reason this is one of the more important of the best sales tips is that your time is extremely valuable and also limited to a fixed number of hours per day and per week. You need to protect this valuable resource, and the best way to do that is to ask good questions to see if it even makes sense to spend your valuable time with this prospect.

 

Great Responses for Objections

A great thing about always having a list of pre-qualifying questions to ask is that this is a great place to turn when you face objections from prospects. When a prospect tells you that they are not interested or tells you to send them some information, get around that by redirecting to one of your pre-qualifying questions.

 

We hope this list of the best sales tips helps you to take your game to the next level!