What is a qualifying conversation?
It is a conversation between you and your lead that aims to calibrate the business opportunity:
You on the one hand want to know if your interlocutor has the size to buy, if they need it and if they are a decision maker or an influencer.
And your interlocutor wants to know if your company can solve the problem at hand.
So how does a conversation like that go?
It is necessary to drive calmly and without jerks. Do not show anxiety, on the contrary. Don't fight like a fish out of water to convince your lead that your company is good.
Show seniority with your planned questions and the examples given. Show that you have mastered the subject by exemplifying with similar cases.
This accredits you to ask exploratory questions to find out how qualified that lead is. By qualified we want to know:
- If you really need the solution
- If you can afford to buy
- If you have power of decision or influence (how much)
- If decision making is fast
So how do we find out if the value of the business is bearable for the organisation concerned?
How do we know if our interlocutor has weight in the decision?
How do we conduct a conversation to find out if there is a fit between what we have on the shelf and what the company needs?
There are several ways.
The ideal is to extract from the conversation the temperature, that is, if the subject is hot within the interested company, if it has already been discussed, if it is an unusual purchase or if it is commonplace, in short.
This is because there are various types of leads, most being speculative.
Speculative leads are not ready to buy, but may stay in the future.
If your schedule is packed with this type of lead, you will be frustrated much of the time. Lots of meetings and calls, lots of proposals issued... but no business.
50-80% of your leads are speculative. No matter what you do, they won't buy, not from you, not from anyone.
And the best way for you to identify this situation is to have a qualification conversation and extract the real need and urgency in acquiring your solutions.
So ask and ask. Better to knock out a speculative lead in the early stages than up front, after you've invested hours in a drilled opportunity.
