{"id":145487,"date":"2023-03-29T10:40:08","date_gmt":"2023-03-29T10:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/?p=145487"},"modified":"2024-04-25T13:15:00","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T13:15:00","slug":"sales-qualification-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/sales\/consultative-selling\/sales-qualification-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Sales Qualification: Questions to Ask Your Prospects"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to sales lead qualification, asking the right questions can \u2013 and will \u2013 make all the difference. As a salesperson, one of your goals is to identify whether a lead is a good fit for your product or service, and how likely they are to make a purchase through discovery calls<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With the right lead qualification questions, you can quickly determine whether a lead is worth your time, or whether it\u2019s best to move onto the next prospect – for now, at least.<\/p>\n

In this blog, we\u2019ll cover some of the best sales qualification questions to ask, so you can work out their worth, maximize your chances of success, and close more (quality) deals.<\/p>\n

12 sales qualification questions to ask your prospect<\/h2>\n

Here are some examples of discovery call questions that SDRs need to ask for effective lead qualification:<\/p>\n

1) What are the biggest challenges you\u2019re facing right now?<\/h3>\n

The fact of the matter is: if there\u2019s no problem, challenge, gap or blindspot, there\u2019s no need to purchase new tools, especially in times of an economic crisis. So, whether you are dealing with an inbound or outbound lead, finding out those pain points is crucial to knowing if your product or service is a good fit.<\/p>\n

2) What specific goals are you hoping to achieve as a company?<\/h3>\n

On top of understanding your prospect\u2019s and specific industry pain points, you want to listen and learn about the goals they want to achieve as a company. Think about where your product or service can fit in to help the prospect get there.<\/p>\n

3) How do you measure success?<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s important to take into account how your prospect measures success, in both qualitative and quantitative ways. They might align perfectly with what your product can offer them as a business, but sometimes, they might not. In this case, it might be time to disqualify them (for the time being at least).<\/p>\n

4) Can you tell me more about your current processes, tools and technologies?<\/h3>\n

Figuring out what your prospect is working with at the moment is another important part of lead qualification. This insight will help you understand how they work, where their shortfalls might be, and gives you an inkling into the integrations you\u2019d need to discuss, as well as potential competitors you\u2019d like to \u2013 respectfully \u2013 take down. <\/p>\n

5) Have you used a similar product to ours in the past?<\/h3>\n

Here\u2019s where you can use similar products (or at least products with similar qualities), to find out what it was your prospect liked or disliked about it. This prepares you well for positioning your product as the winning <\/em>solution, setting expectations, and objection handling that might be necessary further down the line.<\/p>\n

6) Inbound lead only<\/em>: What\u2019s prompting you to get in touch now?<\/h3>\n

For an inbound lead to stumble across your business, they either know what kind of solution they\u2019re looking for or <\/em>your targeted ads are pretty good. Either way, that doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re going to be the right kind of client for your product or service.<\/p>\n

Finding out their intentions about getting in touch with you, and why your product stood out to them will help you qualify (or disqualify) them, and \u2013 if they are qualified \u2013 help you tailor your sales pitch<\/a> to make sure it\u2019s a closed-won kinda deal.<\/p>\n

7) What\u2019s an approximate budget you have for this field of work?<\/h3>\n

Budget can be a tricky topic, but it\u2019s a necessary question when it comes to qualifying leads. If they\u2019ve not got the budget, then they won\u2019t be able to pay for what you\u2019re offering. On top of that, we\u2019re all a bit stingy when it comes to new things – especially in the times we\u2019re in.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where presenting the value of your product comes into it; ask about what they\u2019re currently spending to conceal that problem of theirs, talk about the ROI of your product, and don\u2019t forget to bring up their costs in salaries and integration work for their \u2018Franken-stack\u2019.<\/p>\n

8) Who else in your organization would be involved in the decision-making process?<\/h3>\n

All your efforts and your list of questions will go to waste if you\u2019re not speaking to the right person. Finding out the purchase approval process you have to go through will make sure you direct specific questions at the most relevant people, helping to get the best answers for your discovery call, and also build rapport and credibility in the quickest way possible.<\/p>\n

9) How do you typically evaluate new products or services? Do you prefer a demo or a free trial?<\/h3>\n

As well as understanding the decision-making process, find out the best ways to sway their decision and sell the way they like to be sold to<\/strong>. It shows you listen to what they\u2019re saying and asking for, and put their needs ahead of just hitting your sales quota.<\/p>\n

10) What would make our product\/service a good fit for your business?<\/h3>\n

Again, this is another question that shows you are (reasonably) flexible to needs and specifications. This will help adapt your sales pitch from beginning to end.<\/p>\n

Ask questions around what your prospect\u2019s average day would look like, and how they think your solution would fit into that. Listen, then you can give your two cents with stats and testimonials to prove it.<\/p>\n

11) What challenges do you think you\u2019ll come across in the plan I\u2019ve laid out?<\/h3>\n

Acknowledging that your product might not be perfect is, ironically, a great consultative selling<\/a> technique. Make your own predictions where they might struggle, but prepare yourself with solutions for those struggles. <\/strong>That right there = the key to objection handling<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can see you struggling with X and Y so I\u2019ll make sure you\u2019ve got the right support team on hand, with the right documentation.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

12) Are you looking at other solutions at the moment?<\/h3>\n

There\u2019s nothing like a bit of healthy competition. Whether your prospect has got one in place already or they\u2019re working with a completely fresh canvas, this is good information to know. You can find out what they like or don\u2019t like about other possible solutions, which will not only help build your sales strategy<\/a> but also help develop those competitor battlecards.<\/p>\n

From SDR to question master<\/h2>\n

So, what are the benefits of asking all these lead qualification questions? Well, there are actually a bunch, including:<\/p>\n