Best Sales Qualification Model to Elevate Your Close Rate

The Best Sales Qualification Model: Elevating Your Close Rate
Using the right sales qualification model can transform a team’s approach to lead qualification by ensuring that business development efforts pay off. Done right, sales teams can make data-driven choices that improve efficiency, build stronger customer relationships, and drive profitable growth.  Experienced sales leaders know that the right sales qualification model not only helps sales teams identify high-potential prospects but also fosters a deeper understanding of customer needs.

Understanding Sales Qualification
Sales qualification involves evaluating potential ideal target customers to determine their likelihood of purchasing a product or service. An effective sales qualification process assesses various customer evidence-based factors to help sales representatives focus their efforts on leads that are most likely to convert.

Savvy sellers know time — theirs and their prospect’s — is precious.  They follow solution selling training best practices and focus on qualifying prospects up front to learn quickly whether they’re likely to buy.  But we know from business sales training data that even conscientious sellers can find it difficult to read certain buyers.

3 Key Sales Qualification Model Questions
According to our microlearning experts, there’s a simple sales qualification model for qualifying buyers that asks three questions.  Sellers must actively listen, probe with tough questions, and resist the natural urge to hear what they want to hear.

1. Level of Buyer Need
   Does the buyer have an urgent enough need for what we are offering compared to everything else on their plate?
2. Willingness to Change
   Is the buyer willing and able to make the changes necessary to successfully adopt our solution?
3. Fit
   Is our solution differentiated enough to be the best fit for the buyer compared to other available alternatives?

The trick is that buyers seldom give easy “yes” or “no” answers to sales question; they use imprecise language and qualifiers which can make it challenging to discern their true commitment to buy.  We know from sales negotiation training data that sellers with the highest close rates view conditional and imprecise answers with caution.

The Bottom Line
There are many sales models.  Choosing the right sales qualification model depends on your business needs, sales process, and the complexity of your offerings. The key to higher conversion rates is adopting an approach the uncovers the true levels of buyer need, willingness, and fit.

To learn more about how to better qualify sales prospects, download The 30 Effective Sales Questions that Matter Most