The Sales Qualification Process

By James Kernan

Whatever sales industry you work in, the first step is always going to be the same: to qualify your sales leads to determine how good of a fit they are (or not). It can be frustrating trying to chase after every deal. It’s ultimately a huge waste of time. It’s best if you can qualify the prospect up front and determine if it’s worth the investment of time and resources to take them through your sales process. When you do this, you won’t waste countless sales cycles chasing bad deals.

The sales qualification is the act of evaluating potential prospects to determine whether they possess the basic characteristics that make them a good fit for your specific product or service. Simply put, qualifying a lead or prospect means determining whether they are worth your time. Though this is one of the most important parts of a sales rep’s job, it’s also one of the most difficult. In fact, most sales reps say that qualifying and closing are the most challenging steps of the sales process.