6 Questions to Qualify Inbound Leads

Not all leads are created equal. Inside sales expert Mike Brooks offers six insightful questions to help you qualify inbound leads and stop wasting time by identifying the real buyers more quickly.

New marketing funnels and lead nurturing campaigns have created what has always been a salesperson’s dream: more inbound leads. Sales reps love receiving these leads and tell me all the time that these “warm” leads must be better because they called in requesting information.
“These leads are more qualified because they are calling in,” I hear over and over. But we all know this isn’t necessarily true is it? In fact this attitude leads to one of the biggest mistake 80% of your competition is making when they receive warm leads — they go into pitch mode rather than qualification mode.
Eighty percent of your competition mistake the “implied interest” of an inbound lead to mean they are already qualified, and all they need to do is explain their product or service. Wrong!
Top reps, on the other hand, know that inbound leads can be some of the biggest time wasters of all, so they do what they always do — disqualify out people who are “just looking” so that they can identify and spend time with the real buyers.
And they do this by asking questions instead of pitching.

6 Questions that Can Help Qualify Inbound Leads

Here are some great questions to ask the next time you get an inbound lead:

1) How to ask for the buying motive

Question: “Thank you for contacting us today, what was it about our ad/promotion/website that motivated you to call us today?”

2) How to determine a shopper

Question: “Who else are you looking into?”

3) How to determine how close or far away you are from a potential deal

Question: “What do you like best so far?”

4) How to determine further motivation

Question: “How long have you been thinking about (buying, investing, changing) something like this?”

5) How to determine the possible objections

Question: “What has kept you from acting on this?

6) How to determine time frame

Question: “When are you looking to make a decision on this?”
You see how this goes. Just remember, to be a Top 20% producer, you have to begin finding buyers — whatever the lead source. So stop pitching your inbound leads and start qualifying!
Remember, it’s still up to you to find and separate the buyers from the non-buyers.
Editor’s note: A version of this guest post from Mike Brooks originally appeared on his Inside Sales Training Blog as “How to Qualify Inbound Leads”.

Additional Resources

Inbound Marketing and Sales Alignment: Lessons from HubSpot
HubSpot’s SVP of Sales and Services Mark Roberge discusses the importance of inbound marketing and sales alignment and how companies can make the customer’s buying process a more seamless experience.
 
How Should We Define a Qualified Sales Lead?
The way you define a qualified sales lead may say a lot more about your organization than you might think. In this guest post, Steve Richard, Co-Founder and Chief Content Officer of Vorsight, discusses the keys to establishing the lead definition that’s right for you.
 
Three Words to Close More Sales
Inside sales expert Mike Brooks explains why one short, simple question is the key you need to close more sales by opening the door to your buyer’s thinking and process.
 
 

What are your keys to qualifying inbound leads?