Qualifying Topic Spotlight – How Automation has Changed QUALIFYING.

When I was first trained as a “professional salesperson” the primary rule of thumb regarding qualifying was the term, “MAN: Money, Authority, and Need.” The prospect had to have the “Money” and budget. Second, your contact had to have the “Authority” to make the decision, and thirdly there had to be a “Need” for your solution.  In most cases this was the individual that signed off on the final check.

Moving ahead to today’s selling landscape we find the most successful sales people have deployed a combination of reactive and proactive selling skills. They are selling products and solutions that do not have a budget, no identified need from the prospect or customer and the decision maker is really the primary influencer and not necessarily the person who ultimately signs the check.

Connect this to qualifying, throw in some marketing automation, mix in a little of our electronic buying signal discussion from last week, and you have a great foundation for a most excellent conversation that will change the way you think about qualifying.