Edwin's sales department receives a request from a prospect: whether they would like to prepare a sales presentation and accompanying quotation within a week. Edwin studies the briefing with his team, makes a phone call to obtain additional information and conducts a hastily scheduled intake interview. During that moment of contact, an indefinable feeling comes over him.

“Have they already chosen? Do we actually have a serious chance of winning the order?”

Yet Edwin and his people spend a lot of time developing a suitable proposal. Because what if it is actually serious? Deep down, Edwin feels that he is doing a pointless exercise... but hey, you never know...

After a few days, an email follows from the prospect: 'Unfortunately, you didn't make it, we will choose another party. Thank you for the time and effort invested.'
“See,” Edwin mutters.

Of course, rejection and sales go together. But if a party asks to draw up an RFP, quotation or project description, it makes sense to make a business decision. The customer asks you to invest time and money in him. Sales activities are expensive. Is it not more than normal to look critically at that request? In other words: under what conditions do you participate or not?

By asking a number of good qualification questions you will gain faster and better insight into commercial opportunities and how you can use them.

Three practical examples of qualification questions:

1. On what basis will you decide?

The answer to this question gives you insight into the playing field where you and your competitors play. Try to isolate two or three points from the decision-making criteria on which you focus 'hard' and increase the importance of these aspects for the customer.

Naturally, you focus on the points that you are sure you are better at than your competitors. And if there are more criteria? It doesn't matter, you can't be the best at everything. Winning 10-0 is not always necessary, 6-4 is also fine.

2. Where am I in your decision-making process?

It happens that you are only involved very late in the process. Other competitors may have already dropped out. Don't put everything aside to meet your prospect's deadline. First check whether it makes sense to participate. This is not strange or strange, you know that you joined late and the client knows that too. For example, you ask: “We both know that I will be involved in this application at a late stage. If you were me, would you consider trying it?” Or: “If you feel that you have already made a decision or that you have already seen and heard what you are looking for, please let us know. Then we both know where we stand.”

During training I hear that this question is risky. It could give the client the feeling that you don't really want the assignment. That depends on the way you ask the question. You make it clear that you find yours and your client's time too valuable to waste on something that is pointless. And that as a professional you prefer to spend that time in a different way. Nothing wrong with that, right?

And speaking of wanting an assignment: you probably know them, those over-enthusiastic, overly eager and quick to lie down salespeople who often radiate just a little too much that they really want an assignment. In practice, I often see that this bending behavior actually creates distrust. Most clients have nothing against ambition. But against beggars and creepers, especially when it comes to more complex services or products.

3. What is the 10 or 15% I need to focus on to avoid wasting each other's time?

One of my personal favorites. Let's be honest: in almost any business, your competitor can offer 85 or 90% the same as you.

But what are the most important aspects for the client that you should focus on to avoid wasting each other's time?

Some also find this question risky. You would reduce your distinctiveness. But openness and honesty actually strengthen one of the most important components of distinctiveness: trust.

Edwin and his people are no longer a 'you ask, we run quotation factory'. Good qualifying questions help him avoid predictable disappointments and increase his sales returns. And according to him, the biggest benefit: asking those questions feels good too!