Published On : May 9, 2022 Category(s) : trending
If you’re using lead generation services to find and convert leads, you may have discovered that many of the leads are not that qualified. There’s not much sense in spending time and money to get people who aren’t going to buy your product or service, so the best way to ensure you’re getting good leads is through qualification questions.
You don’t have time to waste on unqualified leads, which is why it’s so important to be able to quickly and effectively qualify leads with the right questions in the lead qualification process. Here are 10 questions you can use to effectively qualify your leads before passing them along to your sales team.
1) What Draws Clients to Your Brand?
Every business draws its own pool of customers, but many companies want to expand their customer base. To do so, they need to identify why they are attracting a certain type of client or prospective customer (and therefore how they can attract more like them). If you’re trying to decide how to reach new clients, it’s important to understand what draws your current ones in. By identifying your target market, you can better target prospective customers who are most likely to convert into paying clients. There are several things that bring people in: price point, quality of service/product, reputation of brand within industry, referrals from friends/colleagues—the list goes on.
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2) Where Are Your Leads Coming From?
Find out where your leads are coming from, and then figure out if they’re even good leads. The easiest way to do that is by using a lead magnet. Just ask them directly where they heard about you. If you get responses like I don’t know, or I don’t remember, or anything else vague or otherwise unsatisfactory, that may be a sign that you need better quality leads. A lot of businesses will see up to 20% of their traffic come from sources like online ads or SEO (search engine optimization). That said, when it comes time to close a sale—and only then—those same businesses will see 70-80% of their sales come from referrals.
3) How Do You Solve Your Client’s Problems?
It’s also worth spending some time on how you’ll solve your client’s problems. Are you offering services such as social media, content marketing, or conversion optimization? Be clear about how exactly these will help your clients achieve their goals (and how quickly). Sometimes all it takes is being honest about what your service does—or doesn’t—do for a business. Honesty is always good, especially when it comes to pricing and timelines. This question also gives you an opportunity to show off any data or studies that illustrate why your work will make a difference—that matters now more than ever, as transparency in marketing is on-the-rise.
4) What Are They Looking for in a Vendor or Agency?
Leads have questions, too. Instead of making a sales pitch or reading a prospect’s mind, ask them questions about their business. What is your lead doing now? Why are they looking for help? What do they wish were different? Only by asking the right questions can you figure out whether your product or service would be a good fit for them. Of course, don’t just listen for keywords; really try to understand what’s important in their business.
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5) When Do They Want to Sign a New Agency?
One of the biggest mistakes marketers make is using open-ended questions during a client conversation. These questions allow prospects to give vague answers, and can slow down your sales process. How can you avoid these responses? By asking leading questions that trigger a response in a certain direction.
Example: Rather than asking When do you want to sign a new agency? try something like Would December work better for you? This will narrow their options from any month to one specific month, which helps you understand if they have time available now or later on to proceed with contract negotiations.
6) What Is Their Budget?
It seems like a simple question, but you’d be surprised at how many salespeople don’t know (or are too afraid to ask) what their prospect is working with. If you’re unsure about how much a company can spend on a new solution, ask them point blank: What would your budget be for XYZ?
You may even want to go so far as to say something like I understand that X might not be in your budget right now. Could you tell me if Y is within your means? This allows you to gain insight into not only what they can afford but also what their pain points are—which are key areas where you can create value.
7) How Can We Best Help You Make This Decision?
Too often sales people only focus on one product or service offering. But, if they have a limited budget, they might not be able to afford more than one option. So, find out what their current needs are. Maybe they just need some advice?
Or do they want an assessment of their current situation? Maybe they want you to provide them with estimates or proposals for future projects? By taking your time and asking questions about their current situation, you can gain insight into how best to help them move forward with making a decision. And that’s what sales is all about: Helping someone else make a decision in your favor!
8) What Resources or Solutions Have You Tried in the Past?
If a lead tells you they’ve looked into your product or service before, ask them what resources or solutions they tried. For example, if the lead says that they have tried using an SEO tool in the past, follow up with specific questions like What didn’t you like about it? or Why did you stop using it? These questions provide more information about the lead than general open-ended ones. And by getting leads to explain their experiences, you can show how your product solves their challenges better than other tools that might have come before.
9) What Are Your Greatest Strengths and Weaknesses?
One of my favorite questions in a job interview is: What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses? You’d be surprised how much some people struggle with that question. At an interview, it’s important to demonstrate that you have a firm grasp on who you are and what your values are. It’s also important to figure out whether or not they’re looking for a weakness so you can mitigate that. For example, if they say tell me one of your weaknesses, you could reply, I’m always looking for ways I can improve. One thing I know I need improvement on is … If they ask what your greatest strength is, don’t just tell them—show them! That means give an example of when you’ve demonstrated it in action.
10) What Hurdles Might We Run into Down the Road?
While you may not be able to predict the future, it’s helpful to think through the obstacles that might occur when moving your business forward. These range from the technical (for example, How will we handle our sales calls?) to personal (What can we do if one of us wants a career change in two years?).
You can work through these potential issues during the planning process or come back to them later as needed. What are some potential hurdles? How would you handle them? Remember: there is no wrong answer here—the goal is simply conversation. This could be an excellent jumping-off point for questions like: What kinds of things about your business idea excite you most? or What scares you about starting your own business?
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11) What Is the Timeline for Their Goals?
The pace at which your customers want to reach their goals will determine the schedule for both your follow-up touches as well as their level of engagement with you. If they’re in a rush, you can expect more emails and calls.
If they have time on their hands, things may move more slowly. Find out what the timeline is before proceeding so that you can keep the pressure up while they’re focused on meeting deadlines or easing off if they have plenty of time ahead of them. This question also shows that you’re sensitive to their needs—which is great for building trust!
Let’s Wrap Up
Once you’ve built a solid foundation, that’s when it’s time to start marketing. But don’t go overboard—you can always add more as your company grows. In fact, with lead qualification services, you get access to real-time data on your target audience from our trusted partners. That means not only will you know who is most likely to buy, but also why they make good leads!
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