Sell More by Screening Good Prospects from Bad

Michael Halper

Founder and CEO

SalesScripter

There is always an opportunity cost.

Decrease time spent with bad prospects

+

Increase time spent with good prospects

=

Why This Can Be Difficult

Why This Can Be Difficult

Why This Can Be Difficult

Why This Can Be Difficult

2 Missteps We Can Take

2 Missteps We Can Take

2 Step Qualifying Process

Step 1 – Pre-Qualify

•Use at the very beginning of the sales cycle• When cold calling, cold emailing, networking

•Goal: Only spend time with prospects that may fit

•Ask pre-qualifying questions to determine this

•Trying to determine if it makes sense to talk, not to purchase

Early Sales Process Stages

Initial Contact(First time to speak)

Cold CallInbound CallEmailEvent

2 to 5 minutes80% on prospect20% on you

First Conversation(Appointment/Meeting)

Phone CallFace-to-FaceDiscovery

20 to 30 minutes50% on prospect50% on you

First Meeting(Presentation)

DiscoveryPresentationDemonstration

1 to 2 hours20% on prospect80% on you

• Redirect• Goal is to get to the meeting• Try to pre-qualify

• Redirect or Overcome• Goal is to get to a presentation • Try to further qualify

• Overcome• Goal is to close (Sale or agreement to

move forward)

Pre-Qualifying Questions

• Soft probing questions that determine if there is a slight potential for fit:

– They may need– They may want– They could be able to purchase– Trying to determine if we should keep talking

• Examples if we sold cars– What year is your vehicle?– How happy are you with your current car?– How do you feel about the fuel economy of your

car?– How do you feel about the reliability of your

car?– How often do you usually purchase a new car?

Objections

• Objections do not mean that they do not fit

– I am not interested.

– We don’t need that.

– We can’t change anything.

• Use the pre-qualifying questions to determine

if they do not fit, not the objections

• Respond to their objections by asking your

pre-qualifying questions

2 Step Qualifying Process

Step 2 – Hard Qualify

•Use in early discussions with a prospect• First appointment, meeting, conversation

•Goal: to determine if the deal is real

•Ask hard qualifying questions to determine this

•Trying to determine if how much time to invest in the prospect

Early Sales Process Stages

Initial Contact(First time to speak)

Cold CallInbound CallEmailEvent

2 to 5 minutes80% on prospect20% on you

First Conversation(Appointment/Meeting)

Phone CallFace-to-FaceDiscovery

20 to 30 minutes50% on prospect50% on you

First Meeting(Presentation)

DiscoveryPresentationDemonstration

1 to 2 hours20% on prospect80% on you

• Redirect• Goal is to get to the meeting• Try to pre-qualify

• Redirect or Overcome• Goal is to get to a presentation • Try to further qualify

• Overcome• Goal is to close (Sale or agreement to

move forward)

Qualified Prospect vs. Unqualified Prospect

Qualified Prospect

Need to Purchase

Authority to Purchase

Ability to Purchase

Intent to Purchase

Unqualified Prospect

No Need to Purchase

No Authority to Purchase

No Ability to Purchase

No Intent to Purchase

Needs to be medium to strong in all Can have any of the following

Unqualified Prospects Types

No Need to Purchase

•Authority to purchase– Contact is key decision maker

•Ability to purchase– Budget approved and allocated

•Intent to purchase– Genuine interest

•Need to purchase– Current system/process working great

Unqualified Prospects Types

No Authority to Purchase

•Need to purchase– Pain, manual processes, outdated systems

•Ability to purchase– Budget approved and allocated

•Intent to purchase– Genuine interest

•Authority to purchase– Contact is low in the organization

Unqualified Prospects Types

No Ability to Purchase

•Need to purchase– Pain, manual processes, outdated systems

•Intent to purchase– Genuine interest

•Authority to purchase– Contact is key decision maker

•Ability to purchase– Business has no funding available for a

purchase– Business just purchased something

– Business locked into a long-term agreement

Unqualified Prospects Types

No Intent to Purchase

•Need to purchase– Pain, manual processes, outdated systems

•Authority to purchase– Contact is key decision maker

•Ability to purchase– Budget approved and allocated

•Intent to purchase– Not seriously shopping– Favorable toward other vendors

Qualifying

Focus on four key areas

1.Need to Purchase– how bad does the prospect need to make the purchase

2.Ability to Purchase – how accessible is the money

1.Authority to Purchase – how much purchasing power does the prospect have

2.Intent to Purchase– how serious is the prospect

Qualifying

Need to Purchase

•Goal:– To identify whether the prospect truly needs what you are selling or if it is more of a want

•Example Questions:– What happens if you do not do anything and do not make a purchase or make any changes?– What improvements will you see if move forward with this purchase?– Is there at date when this purchase needs to be made?– What happens if the purchase is not made by that date?– What is the time frame that the project needs to work along?

•Assessing the prospect:– Strong: Noticeable negative impact if there is no purchase – Strong: Prospect needs to purchase something by a certain date – Medium: Noticeable positive impact with purchase – Weak: Can keep doing OK without a purchase

Qualifying

Authority to Purchase

•Goal:– To identify how much purchasing power the prospect has

•Example Questions:– What is the decision making process?– What parties will be involved in making the decision?– What functional areas (departments) will be impacted by the purchase?– Who is the ultimate decision maker?– Who is the person that will need to sign the agreement/contract?

•Assessing the prospect:– Strong: The prospect is the only person needed to approve the purchase– Medium: Prospect makes the decision but has to get approval – Weak: Prospect does not make final decision

Qualifying

Ability to Purchase

•Goal:– To identify whether the prospect is able to make the purchase from a budget/money standpoint

•Example Questions:– Is there a budget approved for this project?– What is the budget range that the project needs to fit in?– Have the funds been allocated to this purchase?– What budget (department) will this purchase be made under?– Are there other purchases that this funding may end up being used for?– How does the project fit with other initiatives from a priority standpoint?

•Assessing the prospect:– Strong: Funds are available, approved, and allocated – Medium: Funds are available but will need to be approved – Weak: Funds are not available

Qualifying

Intent to Purchase

•Goal:– To identify how much genuine intent to purchase that the prospect has

•Example Questions:– Why did you take time out of your schedule to meet with us? Why did you contact us?– What other options are you considering?– How far along are you with talking with them?– How do you feel about their solution?– What do you like about their solution?– What do you not like about their solution?– How does their solution compare with what we have to offer?– Is there a reason why you would choose us?– If you had to make a decision today, which way would you lean?

•Assessing the prospect:– Strong: The prospect is serious about making a purchase – Strong: The prospect is only talking with you – Medium: The prospect is talking to other vendors but is favorable to your company – Weak: The prospect sees all of the options as equal or leaning toward other options– Weak: The prospect does not have definitive plans to purchase anything

If You Want More Help

Group Sales Coaching

•Meet as a group every week for 1 hour

•Group size around 7

•Topics: phone prospecting, lead generation, objections, gatekeepers, messaging, closing, etc.

•Cost: $100 per month ($20 to $25 per session)

•Contact us if interested – info@salesscripter.com

If You Want More Help

• https://www.youtube.com/user/LaunchPadSol• Or search Sales Scripter• Over 130 videos• Sales Prospecting 101 Training Program• Webinars

• Sales Tips• SalesScripter demo videos• Subscribe

Go to Our YouTube Channel

If You Want More Help

• Five ebooks – Found at https://salesscripter.com/ebooks/

– Do’s and Don’ts of Cold Calling– How to Get around Cold Call Objections– How to Build a Value Proposition that Generates

Leads– How to Build Sales Campaigns that Sell– How to Build Email Drip Campaigns that Convert

Sales

• The Cold Calling Equation – PROBLEM SOLVED

– Found at http://www.amazon.com/The-Cold-Calling-Equation-Problem/dp/1468173545

Check Out Our Books

If You Want More Help

• Week 1– Understanding the Ideal Sales Process– How to Make Cold Calls– Appointment Setting Tactics– Voicemail Messaging Methodology

• Week 2– Sales Messaging Workshop– How to Get Prospect’s on the Phone– How to Get Around Objections– How to Incorporate Buyer Personas into

Your Selling– Overview of a 2-Step Qualifying Process

New Hire Onboarding Training Program / Sales Prospecting 101

• Week 3– How to Build Your Value Proposition– How to Focus on Prospect Pain– How to Get Around Gatekeepers– How to Perform the Perfect Takeaway

• Week 4– How to Build Rapport, Interest, and

Credibility– How to Improve Mental Strength When

Selling– How to Be a Better Closer

* Available through e-learning videos, live virtual, or live in-person* Can be tailored to your business

If You Want More Help

• Build your scripts and campaigns– Call scripts– Email templates– Voicemail Scripts– Objection responses– Key Questions– And more

• $49 per month / $29 per month with annual subscription– 30 Day Money Back Guarantee

Sign up for SalesScripter

If You Want More Help

• Sales Coaching

• Sales Consulting– Script development– Strategy development

– Sales process development

• Sales Training– Custom sales training programs

– Content aligned with your information in SalesScripter– Delivered virtually or in-person

Contact us for Coaching, Consulting, or Training

What is SalesScripter?

Cold Calling

Objections

Gatekeepers

Sales Messaging

Voicemail

Qualifying

Closing

Sales Process

Rapport

Building Interest

Cold Emailing

Setting Appointments

Building Credibility

Call Cadence

• Provides complete clarity for what a salesperson should do and say

• Very practical and easy to understand / implement / adopt

• Consultative selling approach

• Many tactics are counterintuitive

One Half - Sales Methodology

What is SalesScripter?

Cold Calling Scripts

Objection Responses

Key Questions

Marketing Tools

Voicemail Scripts

Meeting Scripts

Cold Email Templates

• Software platform that provides all the tools needed to execute the methodology

• Campaign-based (buyer persona) structure

• Makes it extremely easy to implement and reinforce the methodology

One Half – Prospecting Platform Software Application

Complete Sales Training Solution

Cold Calling

Objections

Gatekeepers

Sales Messaging

Voicemail

Qualifying

Closing

Sales Process

Rapport

Building Interest

Cold Emailing

Setting Appointments

Building Credibility

Call Cadence

Methodology

Salesperson

Manager

Cold Calling Scripts

Objection Responses

Key Questions

Marketing Tools

Voicemail Scripts

Meeting Scripts

Cold Email Templates

Software PlatformResources and Services

Books

Training Videos

One-on-One Coaching

Sales Consulting

Live Training

Completely

Aligned

SalesScripter

What do you sell? ___________

How does it help? ___________

What problems do you fix? ___________

What questions should you ask? ___________

SalesScripter

SalesScripter

Questions?

Michael Halper

Founder and CEO

SalesScripter

mhalper@salesscripter.com

www.salesscripter.com