31 B2B Sales Qualifying Questions to Pinpoint Your Ideal ...

The fundamentals of qualifying prospects are simple: Can you help them? And can they help you?

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But you need to understand better your prospects and what they need to sell effectively. That&#;s where sales qualification questions come into the picture.

They help you evaluate if a lead fits your offerings and makes for a great customer or if they&#;re better off exploring other options in the market. Below, I'll share qualifying questions to gather insights about your prospects. Let&#;s start with using thoughtful questions in your sales prospecting process.

What are Qualifying Questions?

Sales qualifying questions determine if someone who expressed an interest in your product or service is likely to be a good fit customer. They are generally used in sales and marketing to identify your prospect&#;s needs. Generally, the answers to these questions help you compare the characteristics of a prospect against your

determine if someone who expressed an interest in your product or service is likely to be a good fit customer. They are generally used in sales and marketing to identify your prospect&#;s needs. Generally, the answers to these questions help you compare the characteristics of a prospect against your ideal customer profile (ICP).

Sales reps can use such questions early in their lead qualification process to determine crucial details such as the prospect&#;s budget, business problems they are trying to solve, stakeholders involved in the buying decision, and the like.

Shh&#; Want to crack the code to B2B sales success? Check out our B2B Sales Funnel breakdown.

Why are Qualifying Questions Crucial in B2B?

B2B sales has one of the longest sales cycles in the industry, with the average lead taking between one and six months to close. Asking the right questions helps your sales team filter poor fit prospects out so they can spend more time on qualified leads. It also unveils their pain points, enabling you to customize your sales pitches.

Now that you understand their importance, in the next section, we look at some of the best sales qualifying questions you can use.

Remember, you should already know if these leads fit your ICP based on industry, size, and location, so these questions revolve around needs, decision-making, budget, competition, and closing the deal&#;and cover the questions you can use to qualify prospects.

1. How Did You Hear About Us?

Knowing your lead source allows you to assess how well your prospects know your offering and evaluate how likely they are to convert. For instance, your historical trends may show that your leads from SEO convert better than PPC. Ask this question early and use the information to adjust your approach when explaining product benefits.

2. What are the Top Challenges Your Team or Company is Currently Facing?

Ask your prospects about their challenges before elaborating on your product&#;s features and benefits. This will not only show them you care but also allow you to have more targeted sales conversations later.

3. What are Your Top Challenges?

In B2B sales, there are three levels of customer needs: the company, the department, and the individual. Guess which level is most important? Remember, you&#;re not selling to an organization but to a collection of individuals. Find out what they need daily and prioritize solving those challenges.

&#;4. What Results Do You Want to Achieve?

Knowing a prospect&#;s challenges is a good start, but this question can get you deeper insights into their goals. You&#;ll get to know if your offering can help your prospects achieve their objectives.

You can consider an additional follow up question, &#;What's stopping you from reaching your desired goal by yourself?&#; As per Tony Uketui, a growth consultant at Closers Club, this can help you identify any major roadblocks. Later it can also enable you to &#;position your product or service to eliminate that roadblock.&#;

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5. When Would You Like to See These Results?

Your prospect may need to have their challenges resolved by a specific deadline. The closer it is, the more urgently they will look for the right solution&#;which could speed up the sales cycle. The answer to this question will help you close deals (hopefully faster!) and set realistic expectations about how quickly your solution can solve their problem.

6. How Would Achieving These Results Benefit You, Your Team, and the Company?

This question ties positive emotions to resolving their challenges and, by extension, your offering. What if your prospect wants to increase revenue because it means they could hire more employees and tap into a larger market? Their excitement about expanding is transferred to your solution when you explain how you can make it happen.

7. What are the Consequences if You Don't Solve These Issues?

Despite a company&#;s or individual&#;s ongoing challenges, other issues may still distract them. By highlighting the consequences of not solving their problems, you create a sense of urgency and keep the conversation focused on the important issues at stake.

8. What Motivated You to Search for a Solution Now?

Understanding why they&#;re looking right now can help you plan the rest of the sales process. Prospects that recently experienced significant changes&#;such as a change in leadership or a significant shift in the market&#;may have an urgency in finding a solution, which would shorten the sales cycle.

9. If You&#;re Currently Not Searching for a Solution, Why Not?

A prospect may not be looking for a solution for many reasons, such as already using a competitor&#;s product, not having the budget, or not viewing your solution as a priority.

However, an outside perspective can motivate prospects to rethink their stance by, for instance, informing them of a better option, helping them allocate money from their budget, or uncovering the opportunity cost of not having a solution.

While prospects don&#;t want an aggressive salesperson, they appreciate a salesperson who educates them and challenges their thinking.

10. Which Features are Must-Have Versus Nice-to-Have?

This question helps your prospect prioritize. You can also ask them &#;why&#; they need these features so that you know if a certain functionality is a deal-breaker or if a workaround exists. These questions will prevent you from pursuing deals you could never close because even though you have everything the prospect wanted, you didn&#;t have everything they needed.

11. What's a Win for You in Walking Away from This Call?

Clara Johnson, a sales leader at Catalyst Software, recommends using this question to show empathy and meet your prospects where they are.

She elaborates, &#;If the prospect shows up closed off or in a mood that isn't the most welcoming, make sure they know you are here to help them & you recognize this might be something they are stressed about. Ask them what they are hoping to gain from today's conversation.&#;

12. What Role Do You Play in the Decision-Making Process?

This is a killer sales question because it reveals if the person on the is an enthusiastic internal champion or a key decision-maker. You may also consider asking a similar question: &#;Who has the final say in the purchase decisions at your organization?&#;

If you&#;re not talking with the final buyer, be prepared to navigate through the buying process.

13. How Does Your Company or Department Make Decisions?

Knowing who makes the final call differs from knowing how a company makes decisions. For example, one person or a group may have the last word. However, the company or department might consider the opinions of important stakeholders, such as the end users. You can map accounts and persuade these folks to improve your chances of closing deals.

&#;14. What Concerns are These Decision-Makers Likely to Have?

Remember, you sell to individuals, not companies. Gain an edge by asking your internal champions what issues are more likely to attract or repel individual decision-makers. This can help you position your solution in the best light and prevent embarrassing or costly mistakes.

15. Which Departments are Involved in Making a Purchase Decision?

This question is fundamental when selling to large organizations. Even if the marketing department is the sole department using your solution, the procurement and legal departments may be involved in finalizing and approving the contract. Use this simple sales hack to get your contracts signed quicker and keep legal issues to a minimum.

16. Who Will Be Responsible for Implementing or Overseeing This Service or Product?

Even if the CEO loves your product, getting their approval is only the beginning of the deal. Generally, implementation is delegated to someone else. However, the person responsible for implementing your product won&#;t always share the CEO&#;s excitement, especially if it means more work with very little upside for them.

Find out who will be responsible for managing your product internally. Then, sell that person how it will benefit their company and career. Otherwise, your product will be poorly implemented, and you risk churn.

17. When Do You Want to Make a Decision and Begin Implementing a Solution?

You now have a rough idea of how long the decision-making process will take, but you want to ask your prospect about a deadline to keep them accountable and focused.

18. How Will You Measure the Success of Our Solution?

Knowing how the prospect will judge the solution's effectiveness makes it easier to highlight specific features and prioritize the implementation process. Make sure to ask which metrics they want to track.

19. Who Oversees the Budget?

Earlier questions about the buying decisions should have helped you identify the person or department. But if you haven&#;t, now is a good time to ask.

20. How Much Have You Spent on Similar Solutions?

The budget for a similar product they have used could determine the amount they&#;re willing to spend. Your solution might be too cheap if your price falls below their range. If it falls above their range, you must convince them your value outweighs the price.

21. What is Your Current Budget?

They may have spent more in the past but now have a tighter budget, or they might have even more money available. You'll want to know if there&#;s a gap between what they spent on similar solutions and their current budget.

22. Have You Ever Gone Over an Approved Budget? If so, What Was the Budget Allocation Process Like?

If your solution costs more than the intended budget, you&#;ll want to know about similar cases. This will help you gauge the chances of increasing their budget and what process to expect.

23. Do You Currently Have a Contract with Another Company? If so, When is it up for Renewal? Is There a Cancellation Fee?

If your prospect currently has a contract, your job is twofold: convince them that their current vendor isn&#;t the right choice and that your solution will improve their jobs and lives.

Don&#;t be surprised if your prospect isn&#;t interested in switching in cases where they&#;ve recently signed or renewed their current contract. The key is to be patient and regularly follow up so that when they&#;re ready to switch, your company is the first one that springs to their mind. Keep them in your sales pipeline, but switch to a sales nurturing approach.

24. What Has Worked and Hasn&#;t Worked with Your Current Solution?

Picking up on unmet needs is a great way to position your product as a better solution if your product can solve those issues. Start by offering small solutions now&#;such as a template or webinar&#;and use the time to understand better how you can help.

25. Why Did You Choose That Particular Solution?

When qualifying prospects, you mostly ask questions that focus on the present. However, asking questions about the past can give you information about what they liked (or disliked) about past buying experiences. If they were positive, associate your solution with that success and use it as a model for how you sell.

However, if their last buying experience was a flop, distance yourself from it and frame your solution as something completely different.

• How is your offer better?
• How does it protect them from missteps like these?
• Why won't they have to worry about making another bad choice if they choose you?

26. How Does Our Solution Compare to Competitors You've Considered?

Prospects are savvier than ever. At the very least, you need to know how prospects perceive your competitors&#; strengths and weaknesses so you can sell against the incumbent in your market. However, if you want to blow the competition away, outcompete your competitors by pitching their product.

27. Are You Considering Building Your Own Solution?

Don't overlook the potential competitor right under your nose: your prospect. Especially if they're developers, they might think they're better off building their solution.

While that option provides more control, it might not be the most time-efficient option, particularly if they must maintain and update it regularly. You can even share (if possible) case studies or relevant examples of customers who initially invested in building their solution and found it was not feasible in the long term.

28. What Steps Will Help Make This Deal Happen?

This is called the virtual close, one of the most powerful questions you can ask. You get to learn what it would take to turn the prospect into a customer, get a roadmap to the prospect&#;s buying approach, and uncover any significant red flags you can address.

28. Are There any Obstacles that Could Prevent This Deal from Happening?

This question prompts your prospect to identify potential roadblocks, allowing you to be proactive instead of reactive. Reducing the timeframe to close is crucial in this part of the sales process.

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30. Based on What We&#;ve Discussed, Do You Think Our Solution is a Good Fit for Your Needs? Why or Why Not?

At this point, you should know whether the prospect is qualified, understand the decision-making process, and be prepared for potential obstacles. This helps you handle objections that haven&#;t been addressed and re-confirm the prospect&#;s interest in your product.

31. We Still Need to Cover [X and Y]. Can We Meet with [Stakeholder] Next Week? Does Wednesday Work?

The best time to schedule a follow-up conversation is when your prospect is still on the ! While you&#;re still talking, ask them to look at their calendar and schedule a time that works for them. Then, make sure you them a day or two before the next meeting to confirm your next appointment.

5-Point Checklist for Sales Lead Qualification

You don&#;t need to ask every question from our list above (or maybe none for a specific prospect).

But how do you qualify, then? While I&#;ve covered lead qualification in more detail, in short, you can rely on frameworks, such as BANT, ANUM, MEDDIC, CHAMP, etc.

&#;Rooted in these frameworks, here are five relevant data points you need to know by asking some of the questions above.

1. Need: What do they need?
2. Authority: Who are the decision-makers, and how do they make purchases?
3. Budget: Can they afford your product or service in the first place?
4. Roadblocks: What other solutions are they considering? Are there any other obstacles that can prevent the deal from happening?
5. Urgency: Are they ready to take the next step, such as having another meeting, attending a product demo, signing up for a trial, etc.?

From there, you&#;ll know if you can help them and if they can help you.

Hey you! Yes, you. Interested in lead qualification? Our article on MQL vs. SQL is essential.

Integrate Relevant Questions in Your Sales Qualification Process

Qualifying questions can give you a deeper understanding of your prospects and their fit for your company. Still, you can&#;t blast discovery questions one after another to push the prospect forward in your sales funnel. You need to be authentic. Be genuinely curious and actively listen to your prospects. Sales scripts are there to keep your messaging focused, but you can get creative.

Sales leader Clara recommends you mirror the energy of your prospects. &#;This takes skill and EQ, but once you intentionally practice this, you'll get the hang of it! Try to match their tone of voice, the energy they bring to the call, and overall body language.&#;

She continues, &#;If the prospect shows up energized and chatting, meet them there! Perk up, ask more discovery questions (even if that means not getting to pitch your product), and see if you can connect on a few things non-work related.&#;

You can then use this information to inform your outreach, tailor your sales presentation, or uncover decision-makers. Remember to add this information to your CRM so everyone on your team can access prospect insights.

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Are you considering going wholesale? Or are you already running a wholesale business? Either way, you must be clear about the wholesale terms and conditions that you want your customers to agree with. After all, these rules clarify what products you&#;re selling and the terms you&#;re selling them on, which can help you avoid costly, headache-inducing misunderstandings in the long run.

For this reason, it&#;s important to know what terms and conditions you should include in your wholesale terms sheet.

Note: If you want to generate terms and conditions for your wholesale program, use our Wholesale Terms And Conditions Generator tool &#; it&#;s absolutely free! And here&#;s our guide on how to use this nifty tool!

With that in mind, let&#;s jump into what information you need to include in your wholesale terms sheet!

7 Wholesale Terms And Conditions You Need To Put In Your Wholesale Terms Sheet

When you establish your wholesale terms and conditions, you create a legally binding agreement between you and your clients. Therefore, these rules can encourage compliance with industry regulations, clarify the contractual parties&#; rights and responsibilities, protect said parties against abuse, and more.

As every business is unique, make sure your terms and conditions are tailored to your store&#;s specific needs. Keep this in mind as you explore the rest of today&#;s post!

Now, let&#;s get started on the 7 wholesale terms and conditions your wholesale terms sheet needs to be spectacular!

1. Minimum order quantity

You need to set a minimum order quantity or MOQ in your wholesale terms sheet.

What&#;s a minimum order quantity?

Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) simply means the minimum amount your retailer has to spend per order to be able to stock your products at their store.

When you set your MOQ terms, you let wholesale buyers know the minimum purchase they need to make to receive wholesale pricing. This will let you offer the lowest price possible to your wholesale customers. In addition, you can separate the big players from the small ones, since the former can typically comply with MOQ.

If you have varied wholesale buyers, you can tailor-fit the MOQ as necessary. However, remember to set the minimum price limit without hurting your profit margins.

We recommend installing our Wholesale Prices Premium Plugin plugin, which can help you implement this kind of flexible MOQ functionality in WooCommerce.

2. Wholesale pricing

Wholesale price is typically lower than retail pricing. Nevertheless, the former lets you make a significant profit since buyers are purchasing in large volumes.

If you&#;ve yet to determine specific products&#; wholesale price, TradeGecko suggests using the absorption price method by adding the cost plus profit margin. Specifically, you should calculate the cost price by adding the production cost per unit to the total overheads and admin expenses, then dividing the resulting value by the number of units produced.

Download our free guide on how to price retail products for wholesale here.

3. Payment terms

As a business owner, your goal is to make tons of sales and avoid incurring losses. Hence, among the most important wholesale terms and conditions to put in your terms sheet are the payment terms. Basically, these define when and how customers can make payments.

By clearly defining the payment terms, wholesale buyers are informed of the allowable payment period. For example, you can set whether wholesale buyers need to pay before or after the delivery of your goods or services. Alternatively, you can allow them to pay within a specified time frame.

In addition, you should state the method of payment, such as via credit card, cheque, Paypal, or bank deposit.

Payment terms are usually either upon shipment of the order, Net-30, Net 60, or Net 90. Net terms just mean you expect your customer to pay the invoice in a specific number of days. But do bear in mind that setting Net-30 payment terms doesn&#;t mean you will get paid on time, as debtors may still pay late, regardless of when your payment terms are due.

You should make it clear if you allow net payment after 30, 60, or 90 days for wholesale purchases. And to ensure you receive your payment, don&#;t forget to only offer net terms to repeat wholesale buyers with a good track record and reputation.

4. Minimum retail prices

You can also set minimum retail prices that wholesale buyers will follow. By doing so, you won&#;t have to create huge differences between the original wholesale prices and retail prices.

At the same time, setting minimum retail prices also ensures that wholesale buyers won&#;t reduce their prices so drastically that they can no longer make profits.

5. Return and exchange policies

As a business owner, you know that not everything always goes as smoothly as you want it to. For this reason, you need to prepare yourself for worst-case scenarios. This will let you know what to do when customers return items that are defective or the wrong size, for example.

In your wholesale terms sheet, you need to clearly specify your return and exchange policies. Will you offer a 7-days replacement for defective items? Are you going to allow for the exchange of items? Will you offer a 30-day money-back guarantee? These are just some of the things you need to consider.

By setting these policies, you let wholesale buyers know your terms, thus helping them avoid future misunderstandings.

6. Shipping

Your wholesale terms sheet should also include shipping terms. It must also be clear whether the shipping costs will be shouldered by you or the customer.

Consider the method and form of shipment that wholesale buyers can agree with. Let wholesale buyers know whether you ship worldwide or only to certain countries. You should also inform them about the packaging of product orders. In addition, buyers must be made aware of the turnaround time, specifically regarding every shipment&#;s estimated time of arrival.

Allow for a shipping window. As explained by The Shop Files, a shipping window is

the timeframe between start ship and cancel dates when vendors are expected to ship. Two weeks is a really common ship window; so an order placed on 5/1 would have a cancel date of 5/15. This means as a vendor you can ship anytime within that window, or timeframe &#; you could ship right away on 5/1 or take the full two weeks and ship out 5/15.

7. Ordering process

The terms sheet should specify the wholesale terms and conditions for ordering products wholesale.

Wholesale buyers need to know how they&#;ll place orders for your products. Thus, having a quick guide in your wholesale terms sheet specifying the ordering process can be of great help to them.

Conclusion

For your wholesale business to thrive, you should clarify your store&#;s terms and conditions. This will legally bind all concerned parties to the rules, allowing everyone to enjoy benefits such as compliance with industry regulations and protection against abuse.

To recap, for your terms sheet to be amazing, you need to include the following wholesale terms and conditions:

Do you have any questions about wholesale terms and conditions? Let us know in the comments section below!

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