You cannot turn every lead into a customer. Some leads are not a good fit for your product or service. People don’t become customers just because your offering happens to meet their needs. A number of factors will drive them to become buyers, some of which are more important than others.
Sales qualification is part of the sales process. You start with an ideal customer profile and then compare the lead’s characteristics to that profile. If they’re a good fit, then you move forward and try to qualify the lead further. If they’re not a good fit, then you probably shouldn’t waste your time or theirs by trying to sell them your product or service.
Sales most often occur when you provide the right solution that solves the right problem for the right buyer at the right time. This requires determining where you can align your solution to their problem. It begins with asking the right questions to decide if the lead is a fit for your offering and also ready and capable of buying.
Let’s dive into asking the right lead qualification questions for your startup.
Quick takeaways:
As an early-stage startup, a key problem is lack of customer data. You often have to figure out what a potential customer would want before you have data on what they actually want. You might think you know why someone would purchase your product or service, but your biases could get in the way. Qualifying leads will often take investigative work before you can hone in on the ideal customers.
When speaking with leads:
As a late-stage startup, you should have collected sales data and received feedback from customers on your product or service. Use this information to determine your ideal customers. This will enable you to focus on higher quality leads. You can also use this data to guide your lead qualification questions.
When speaking with leads:
The goal of asking lead qualification questions is to make sure a lead is a good fit for your product or service. The following questions will help direct the right leads to the next stage in your sales funnel
Asking the right questions when qualifying leads is crucial to building your startup’s sales pipeline. This will help your startup sales team identify the right leads for your solutions at the right time, which will increase the probability of turning them into buyers.
Ready to improve your lead qualification process that will help your startup grow? Let’s talk!