5 Right Questions to Ask for Qualifying a Prospect

Not every lead you generate transforms into a customer. No matter how flawless your sales process is, some of your prospects fail to make the transition and choose not to buy the products or services you sell.

There may be a number of reasons preventing them from making a buying decision. And there are a series of clues that can help you identify the prospects that will likely not transition into sales-qualified leads.

Professional sales personnel are trained to look for signs and shortlist prospects accordingly. There are a series of questions that you may ask your prospects to determine the likelihood of them making a purchase.

These questions may vary depending on the nature of the products or services sold. However, this article showcases a few worthy of initiating the lead qualification process.

So, without further ado, let’s get started.

Sales Qualification Process

Before diving into the questions that you should ask when interacting with your leads, let’s explore the sales qualification process first.

The sales qualification process is a procedure through which a sales professional determines whether or not a lead shows promise to transition into a customer successfully.

When the products or services pitched to the prospects don’t serve as fitting solutions to their problems, there can be two viable choices to consider.

You can either pitch different products or services to the leads, for example using product tour software or simply drop the leads from the sales qualifying process entirely.

Over time, the process helps you create a profile representing the characteristics of an ideal customer. Using these insights, you can continuously improve your ways of capturing and qualifying leads in the sales process.

Around 84% of professionals allocate more time and resources to constantly improve their lead nurturing process. The more refined your lead nurturing process is, the greater your chances of improving your conversion rates.

Hence, creating a profile showcasing the traits of an ideal customer helps and paves the way for you to generate more revenue.

Questions to Ask for Qualifying a Prospect

Now that we know about the sales qualification process, let’s explore the questions that you should consider asking your leads.

How did you hear about us?

Around 53% of professionals say that email is one of the most efficient channels for generating quality leads.

However, one size doesn’t fit all. Your top sources for capturing quality leads may be different from others. So, it’s best that you know which channel or sources give you the best results.

Source

This question will help you determine that. By asking your prospects about the source, you can gather useful information that may help you improve your lead generation process.

The goal here is to identify the sources that gave you the most sales-qualified leads. With this information, you can allocate your resources more efficiently and channel your efforts in the right direction.

An alternative way to ask this question is: Did someone refer you to us? 

If their answer is no, you can inquire a bit further by asking: Can you mention your source of information?

The alternative way of asking the aforesaid question can serve as a great conversation starter and make your prospects feel more comfortable.

Can you tell me about the problems you currently face?

You may want to phrase this question differently, but the core meaning behind it will remain the same.

People don’t purchase products or services. They seek solutions to their problems. So, asking your prospects about the problems they face will provide you with valuable insights.

You can’t simply pitch the products or services that you represent and expect to convince your prospects into buying them.

To transform your prospects into sales-qualified leads, you need to focus on building trust first, as people find it difficult to trust marketing and sales professionals.

Source

Asking this question helps you win the hearts of your prospects. When you ask your leads about the problems they’re facing, it shows that you genuinely want to help them discover fitting solutions and are not interacting with them just to promote your products or services.

Asking about the problems of your prospects also helps you know if your offerings serve as fitting solutions. If you offer a wide range of products or services, it becomes easier for you to find a solution worthy of pitching.

The answer to this question may reflect your prospect’s intent and help you gauge a sense of urgency. Based on this information, you even know when to pitch the best-suited solutions.

An alternative way of asking this question is: Would you mind sharing the obstacles that prevent you from achieving your goals?

Phrasing the aforesaid question this way is best-suited for B2B prospects and helps you learn more about their motives.

Do you seek viable solutions that may help you solve your problem?

Asking this question helps you learn if your prospects are ready to make a buying decision or at least willing to consider the solutions available.

Just because your prospects have specified their problems or concerns doesn’t mean that they are looking for viable solutions. An ideal time for you to pitch your solutions to the prospects is when their intent is transactional or commercial.

Timing is the key to ensuring success and facilitates the transition of your leads throughout the sales process. If your leads are not ready to make a buying decision yet, trying to convince them to consider the solutions you offer may backfire.

This may cause you to lose prospects who had the potential to become your customers. Maybe not now, but perhaps in the future.

An alternative way of asking this question is: Would you be interested in learning about fixing your problem?

Asking the question this way shows that you’re genuinely interested in helping your prospects and aren’t just interacting with them to pitch your solutions.

Initiating a conversation like this may help you build trust and establish a lasting relationship with your prospects.

Have you tried to fix your problem by leveraging solutions in the past?

Asking this question helps you identify your prospects’ past affiliations. It helps you learn if your prospects have used products or services similar to yours in the past and about their experiences with them.

This enables you to get acquainted with the needs and preferences of your prospects. You can compare the capabilities of your offerings with those of the solutions leveraged by your prospects in the past.

By mapping your capabilities with the competing solutions, you know how well you can meet the demands of your prospects and estimate their customer lifetime value.

These insights help you decide if a lead is worth pursuing or should be dropped from the sales funnel.

An alternative way of asking this question is: Have you taken any steps in the past to fix your problem?

Asking the aforesaid question this way can help you access more insights. You learn not only about the products or services that your prospects may have used in the past but also about the alternative ways they considered fixing the problem.

What’s your current budget?

Many sales professionals may consider asking this question inappropriate. Blatantly asking your prospects about their buying power may backfire and lead to an unpleasant conversation. However, if you do it smartly, the answer to this question may help you explore relevant insights.

Firstly, you should never ask this question at the start of a conversation or a scheduled meeting with your clients. Next, your tone and the way you ask this question hold utmost importance.

The buying power of your prospects is an ultimate factor that dictates their ability to make a purchase decision. No matter how ideal your offerings are, if the price tag exceeds the budget of your prospects, they will not be interested in buying.

Furthermore, learning about the budget of your prospects gives you the ability to negotiate. If it doesn’t affect your profitability much, dropping your price a bit may be a wiser choice than losing a customer for good.

People want to know the price of a particular product or service before making a buying decision. So, asking for the budget isn’t the wrong thing to do.

Just ensure your prospects that you need this information to understand their needs and tailor your offerings to best meet their requirements.

An alternative way of asking this question is: Are you looking for free alternatives to fixing your problem, or are you interested in investing in premium solutions?

Sometimes, even though people seek certain solutions to their problems, they’re not ready to go for the premium options. It may be due to budget constraints or personal preferences. Asking them about their preferences helps you cultivate trust and earn their respect during the interaction.

Final Words

There you have it: five right questions to ask for qualifying your prospects. Answers to these questions will facilitate your access to relevant insights that may help you qualify leads in the sales process and prepare you to ensure high conversions.

Author Bio

Syed Balkhi is the founder of WPBeginner, the largest free WordPress resource site. With over 10 years of experience, he’s the leading WordPress expert in the industry. You can learn more about Syed and his portfolio of companies by following him on his social media networks.