Qualifying Prospects

Who?
A few excellent “who” questions you might consider using in order to convert “suspects” into highly qualified prospects are:

• Who has the most obvious need for your products or services?
• Who are the ideal prospects? Don’t limit yourself to existing customers.
• Who has the money to buy your products or services immediately?
• Who has the most urgent need to buy your products?
• Who has influence on the prospects you are able to identify?

Where?
By asking enough “where” questions, you should be able to qualify prospects beyond your current client list.

• Where do your ideal prospects live, work, socialize, worship or play?
• Where can you find useful mailing lists of people who fit your ideal prospect profile?
• Where can you find directories from which you can form your own lists?
• Where could you go to contact new prospects?

Why?
By using the “why” questions, you can set up priorities so as not to waste your time in qualifying prospects.

• Why would the prospect be likely to buy your product or service?
• Why would the prospect resist buying your product or service?
• Why might this time be good (or bad) to approach the prospect?
• Why would this person be likely to set up an appointment with you?

What?
These questions, if properly used can boost your qualifying average.

• What will the prospect find most beneficial about your product or service?
• What information could you present, or what questions could you ask would most likely get the prospect to talk about his needs?
• What more do you need to know about the prospect?
• What information should you gather about the prospect before you meet with him?
• What is the single biggest problem the prospect has?

When?
This question is about timing. Don’t try to set up an appointment for your convenience.

• When is the best time to contact a prospect? An important hint, if he or she is a busy executive, is never on a Monday morning!
• When is the most productive time from the prospect’s viewpoint?
• When is the prospect most likely to give you the time you need?
• When should you contact the prospect again if your first efforts were not successful?

How?
You will not be able to ask many meaningful “How?” questions if you have not fully explored the other five.

• How can you be sure that you are doing a good enough job of follow-up prospecting? (Look at the Who? questions again.)
• How can you use your prospecting time more productively? (The “Where?” questions can help you here.)
• How can you sharpen your prospecting and qualifying skills? (Hint: Search for creative ways to put your products and services to good use. Look at the “Why?” questions.)
• How can you best approach your prospects? (Think about the “What?” questions. What will they want to hear?)
• How can you make more time for meaningful prospecting and qualifying the leads you generate? (The “When?” questions will give you a good indication of effective time management.)

Source:
How to Qualify Leads and Prospects
by Felice Philip Verrecchia
Edward Lowe Foundation

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