Based on the principle that in the previous processes we identified customers with the right profile , the first and most important phase of any sales process is qualifying the opportunity. In fact, since the customer evaluates us throughout the sales cycle, qualification is an ongoing process. We must therefore qualify the opportunity continuously.
Before we spend resources on any of the subsequent stages of the sales process, we must have the right qualifications. It is much cheaper to give up on a bad business opportunity at the beginning than to wait for it to fail eventually – for both parties.
In fact, we shouldn’t view it as a failure
it simply means that we are not wasting time and resources chasing a business that we are going to lose, time and resources that we can use on winning opportunities.
The set of qualifiers created at this stage of the sales pipeline should help decide what the real opportunities are for developing the opportunity, or collect the necessary information to be able to determine what to do next.
Requirements
Let’s now look at the requirements. Customers are divided into two groups: either they clearly understand their needs, or they need to be “educated” about their real needs. Of course, this often depends on the maturity stage of the sector in which our product or service offering is located.
Understanding the requirements Chile Mobile Number List will give a boost to business development , and will lead the customer to look for possible solutions, evaluate options and potential gains or benefits. The sales actions, and the questions we ask at this stage of the process, usually start with one word – Listen.
Deep listening, beyond the obvious, can lead us to discover requirements that have a significant impact on our client – and without which we cannot have the ideal positioning of our offer – this is where we let the competition in! Qualifiers at this stage help us to discover what the buyer really needs.
Evidences
At this stage, the customer is involved in the evaluation process, gathering data and evidence that we can meet their needs. The customer needs to be comfortable with us, our company and our product or service. Now, consciously or subconsciously, they will be concerned about how they will justify their decision later, either to be confident in themselves that they made the right choice, or to explain to others within the company that the evaluation was fair and thorough.
This is where we must realize that the current risk
profile of the transaction will start to Australia Phone Number change hands – from us to the buyer. The buyer is now beginning to limit their options as they spend more time and effort with us. Building trust is vitally important.
Please note that our source of potential success is the buyer, which means we must always consider how the evidence we provide will be judged by that jury.
Acquisition
After all, that’s what it almost always comes down to. We’ve already gone through the complex process from qualification to understanding the client’s real business needs, and then we demonstrate how we can match the requirements – perfectly! Then the buyer wants to negotiate. Along the way, we align our sales actions with the client’s buying process.
So as he was evaluating, we provided tons of evidence to prove his worth. In the eyes of the client, this is the moment of greatest risk. Now he needs to act, to make a decision. To continue or not to continue – that is the question. He is concerned about making the right decision and will spend considerable resources figuring out how to mitigate the risk.
Here, the Qualifiers are designed to help the client choose us. We hope that, at this stage, we have managed to allay their fears and establish a strong relationship. Please note that the client is not only negotiating price, and we… we are negotiating trust.
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