Qualifying A Potential Sales Prospect

The Agree Clarify and Legitimize Approach is a simple but effective technique to qualify potential sales prospects. We all know the most common problem during a sales call occurs when a potential sales prospect will not make a decision, a fence-sitter. This 3-step approach will save considerable time and frustration helping weed-out legitimate sales prospects from these fence-sitters. It follows a basic role-play model showing common sales prospect reponses and how you (the salesperson) can handle each situation. The 3 steps are:

A. AGREE – Agree with the sales prospect.
B. CLARIFY – Ask for clarification.
C. LEGITIMIZE – Uncover whether a legitimate sales opportunity truly exists.

1. Sales Prospect says… “Send me more information”

It’s hard to know what sales prospects mean when they tell you this. Many salespeople regard it as a guaranteed blow-off, but good sales prospects will often begin here as well. The only way to discover if this is a good sales prospect is to continue asking more questions.

A. AGREE
You say: “I’d be glad to send you more information.”

B. CLARIFY
You say: “So that I get you the right information, what specifically are you looking for?” If the sales prospect answers using action words. For example: Sales Prospect says: “We’re looking to

• achieve _________, 
• fix _________, 
• solve _________, 
• avoid _________, 
• improve _________.”

These action words: achieve, fix, solve, avoid, and improve indicate there’s a good chance this is a genuine sales opportunity. They suggest that the sales prospect has already identified his or her problems and accepted that change is necessary. However, if the following dialogue occurs: Sales Prospect says: “Send me whatever you have.” This is not a real sales opportunity. You've got a potential fence-sitter. Time to move on.

C. LEGITIMIZE
Project your sales prospect into the future so that she can walk you through the decision-making process; for example: You say: “You’ll receive the information by Monday. Assuming you’ll need some time to look it over, when should I call back to follow up?” Once you have a time frame established, continue: You say: “And assuming you’ve reviewed the information and like what you see, what do you feel would happen next?” The sales prospect’s answer will give you a clear sense of whether the opportunity is worth investing in.

2. Sales Prospect says… “I need to talk it over with ______”

A. AGREE
You say: “Of course. I’m happy to hear you’re taking that step. When would be a good time for me to follow up with you?”

B. CLARIFY
For “talk it over” sales prospects, the dialogue can continue as follows: You say: “Is this something you’re willing to recommend to ______________?” If the answer to this clarifying question is anything less than an enthusiastic “yes,” you may need to make the determination if this sales prospect is the correct individual to act as your representative within the company? Try to understand any objections or hesitations. Suggest a joint meeting.

C. LEGITIMIZE
You say: “Assuming for a minute that you’re meeting with your boss (board, team leader, etc.), what will you be sharing with him?” Be careful in the manner you ask these questions. The idea is not to pressure the sales prospect into advocating for you, but to get a pulse on how the sales interaction is going. You might, for example, preface your questions. You say: “Just so I can be sure I’ve given you everything you need, let me ask you…”

3. Sales Prospect says… “Call me back in three months”

A. AGREE
Make sure that you agree to set a specific time for your return call. This increases the odds that you’ll actually reach the person when you call.

B. & C. CLARIFY AND LEGITIMIZE
You can often combine these two steps. You say: “So that I can be prepared for my next call to you, can you tell me what will be occurring between now and then?” In other words, find out why the sales prospect thinks the discussion will be more relevant in three months as opposed to today. If he can’t give you a good answer — or won’t commit to a specific time for the call — chances are he’s simply putting you off. Again, a fence-sitter. Time to concentrate your efforts on a legitimate sales prospect.