How To Make Qualifying Your Prospects So Much Easier

by Jim Klein

You're sitting in front of your prospect. You've spent time
building a deep level of rapport, trust, and making them your best
friend. They're smiling and very at ease with you.

So what's next?

What's taught in most books, courses, and by sales managers all
over the world, as you probably already know, is to start asking
questions and probing your prospect for answers to your questions.

However, I'll bet you have run into resistance from your prospect
when you do start to ask questions, haven't you? You know what I'm
talking about. You start to ask the prospect questions, and either
you're struggling to get answers, they're really not opening up,
and they're not giving you a lot of real good workable information.

Has that ever happened to you? I'm sure it has if you've been in
sales for any period of time. It certainly has happened to me until
I understood the one step I was missing, which I'm going to share
with you now.

If you've ever gotten resistance in the past, it's because you
haven't effectively been able to create interest. What I mean is
you haven't gotten the prospect to say "Tell me more."

If you can get the prospect to say, "Tell me more", they are going
to want to answer all your questions and give you real honest,
in-depth answers.

Then you'll really understand their problem. You can then tailor
your presentation, and show them how your product or service will
solve their problem.

How do you create interest with a prospect so they are begging you
to tell them more?

Make a Big Promise

You need to break your prospects PREOCCUPATION, and make a big
promise. A big promise is something you know you can provide, or
you believe you can help them achieve, and you know there's
probably a pretty good chance they want it.

Your big promise needs to be simple to understand. For instance, if
I were talking about my personal sales training program, "The
Ultimate Guide to Sales Success", "I can show you a way to boost
your sales 30 to 50 percent guaranteed in the next three to six
months or less".

If I talk to most salespeople, or most business owners, they're
going to be pretty excited about that, and want to know how I do
that. Don't you agree?

Next...

State a Feature That Backs Up Your Big Promise

What is a feature of your product or service? It's something that
your product or service has to offer your prospect. Let me give you
an example using "The Ultimate Guide to Sales Success".

You are going to learn the process used by top sales professionals
who achieve consistent incomes in excess of $100,000, and it's a
proven process that will allow you to do it every single time.

The feature should be a major feature of your product or service,
and preferably one your competitors do not have. In other words,
fire your big gun, if you know what I mean. Hit them with the
biggest and best feature you can offer.

Don't save it till the end of your presentation, because if you
don't get their interest, this will be the end.

Now I want you to...

Give Them a Logical Benefit

Step three is to give them a logical benefit. People purchase
products or services based on emotion; however, they justify their
purchase based on logic.

So give them a real strong logical benefit to justify their
purchase. Something you're sure that most of your target market and
your ideal clients would want.

For instance, with "The Ultimate Guide to Sales Success" you'll be
able to close more sales and make more money faster and easier.
That's a logical benefit that most people want.

Give Them an Emotional Benefit

I'm sure you already know, as I stated before, people are driven by
emotions. They make decisions, especially buying decisions, based
on emotions. So, you want to give them a real strong emotional
benefit they will receive by buying and using your particular
product or service. An emotional benefit they will feel at the very
core of their being.

There are 10 emotional triggers to make people purchase.

Here they are:

1. make more money
2. save money
3. save time
4. look better
5. learn something new
6. live longer
7. be comfortable
8. be loved
9. be popular
10. gain pleasure

Some other emotional benefits are feelings of luck, success,
recognition, security and freedom.

Using "The Ultimate Guide to Sales Success" as an example: you'll
have the level of success and freedom you really want.

Back Everything Up With Evidence

Talk about how you've done the same for other people or companies
just like them. If you have worked with someone they might know or
recognize, maybe a top person or company in their industry, then
get specific and use the name.

You want to show them you understand the industry, and you've been
successful helping other people or companies with your product or
service.

If possible, let them know the exact results you have helped others
attain.

An example using "The Ultimate Guide to Sales Success" would be:
we've done it for thousands of people and helped them grow their
business not just 30 or 50 percent, but one hundred, two hundred
and three hundred percent.

Ask For Permission to Ask Questions or Probe

Many salespeople will just jump in and begin the qualifying
process, assuming the prospect knows you are meeting, so you can
ask questions about their situation.

However, its common courtesy to ask the prospects permission to ask
your fact finding questions, and it will put the prospect at ease.
It also shows respect, and sets a positive tone for the sales
presentation.

Furthermore, because many of your competitors will not employ this
simple courtesy, asking the prospects permission will set you apart
from your competition, and will continue to build deeper rapport
and trust with your prospect.

Your lead in to the fact finding portion of the sales process can
be as simple as: "Now I would like to ask you a few questions, is
that okay"?

So what would my interest statement look like all together?

"I can show you a way to boost sales by 30 to 50 percent or more
within twelve months or less because in "The Ultimate Guide to
Sales Success" you're not going to learn the same old tired sales
skills; you're going to learn the proven sales skills that are
implemented by the most successful sales people in the world.

Which means you'll close more business and make more money faster
and easier, and you'll achieve a level of success, freedom, and
security you really want.

The reason I say that is because we've done this with literally
thousands of sales people all over the world for the last three
years. My purpose at this time is to get you to answer a few
questions, is that okay?"

By creating interest before you start probing for the problems you
can solve with your product or service, you put the prospect in a
'tell me more' mentality. You will create excitement and
willingness in your prospect that will allow you to dig deeper to
uncover their true motivation to purchase.