It’s not enough to qualify visitors to your office, store, or sales center using the same old criteria, namely: Budgets, Authority, Needs, and Timeliness (BANT). Don’t banter with these people using the typical BANT. Rather, as explained by Exhibitor Magazine, smart sales people need a full-on question-development process that involves careful scrutiny, testing, and recalibration. Here’s a five-step guide to provide some understanding:
- Talk with salespeople to determine what qualifying questions they ask prospects and exactly what information they need to successfully qualify and follow up on leads. Based on their input, devise a prioritized list of potential core queries.
- Gather input from sales people to analyze the effectiveness of your previous set of lead-qualifying questions. Then, tweak your current queries to improve their efficacy and narrow down your list to five or six killer questions.
- Test the effectiveness of your queries. Talk with previous visitors about their experience and/or role-play with existing customers to determine what works and what falls flat.
- Develop a concise list of appropriate multiple-choice answers for each of your qualifying questions. Always include an “other” option with space for note-taking, hint at product benefits whenever possible, and employ ranges when appropriate.
- Assess the “how” of the query equation by determining your most effective means to administer questions, ensuring the interaction is authentic, and training staff to smoothly transition visitors from one activity or sales person to another.
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