If you find yourself wasting time with prospects that don’t convert, read on.
There is nothing worse than spending hours with a prospect or customer that is not going to buy. Fortunately, there is a way to vet out these low ROI (return on investment) customers.
What is sales qualification?
Sales qualification is the process of determining if a sales lead (potential customer) is a good fit for your product or service.
Why does Sales qualification matter?
TIME - Your most valuable resource. No matter what you sell as a sales engineer, the first step is always going to be the same: to qualify your sales leads to determine how good of a fit they are. You want to spend your time with customers who are serious about buying.
What Is the best sales qualification framework?
One of the most effective and modern frameworks for sales qualification is BT Double N or BTNN. It stands for budget, timetable, need, and next action.
BUDGET
TIMETABLE
NEED
NEXT ACTION
This framework helps you determine if your customer is serious about solving their problems and if your solution is a good fit to solve their problems. After all, value added by both parties is a great recipe for business.
Value + Value = Business
Find your prospect’s true needs
Having answers to BTNN should not be looked at as a simple "check list". You’ll need to ask deep BTNN questions to find the motivations and drivers of your prospect. This will help you prioritize your customers effectively.
How do you Qualify a Sales Prospect?
Download the free 2017 Guide to Effective Sales Qualification for examples.
To Recap...
Qualification may be the most important aspect of the modern technical sale. As a sales engineer, your time is your most valuable resource and you can't afford to waste it with customer's who are not serious about buying. By using the BTNN framework and asking great questions, you can find your prospect's true needs, enabling you to prioritize them effectively.
Remember, the ULTIMATE goal is to determine "is this good business?".
Next Action...
Collaborate with fellow professional sales engineers on the qualification discussion board.