In the realm of sales, the critical junctures of qualification and discovery play a paramount role in sealing the deal.
While diagnosing the reasons behind the high deal drop rate during sales consulting sessions with b2b organizations we understood one of the reasons can be not understanding when the deal is in qualification stage and when its in discovery stage.
These two stages may have a similar resemblance, but their functions are different.
What is Qualification?
Qualification pertains to the evaluation of whether the prospective customer aligns with the salesperson’s enterprise.
Qualification can occur for any sales leads generated through inside sales and marketing efforts
Qualification focuses on “us,” the salesperson, and our business.
Salesperson pose questions to ascertain whether the prospect accords with our world and whether we can sell them something and if our product/ service will help them.
The objective of qualification is to get it over with as swiftly as possible since neither the salesperson nor the customer relishes it.
It is like a doctor who asks questions to understand if there is a pain or not.
A salesperson may ask questions such as how many sales reps, SDRs, or BDRs the client has, their average sales cycle length, who their target market is, etc.
Once the qualification stage is over, the salesperson can move on to the discovery stage.
What is Discovery?
Discovery revolves around comprehending the customer’s needs, agonies, and how your solution can help them.
This discourse endeavors to explain the disparity between qualification and discovery and proffer some advice on how to exploit them efficaciously to clinch the sale.
Discovery is about “them,” the prospect, and their needs.
In this stage, the salesperson aims to understand the prospect’s pain points, problems, and the impact they can have on their business.
The salesperson must incessantly ask questions, such as what has transpired since the last conversation, what problems they are endeavoring to resolve, and what effect these quandaries will have on their business.
The salesperson needs to search for the consequences of the problem, and if they can solve it, what effect it will have on the customer’s business.
The discovery stage endures throughout the entire sales process, and the salesperson must tailor their presentation or solution to suit the customer’s needs.
If a salesperson cannot find the impact of the problem, they are probably going to lose to no decision.
Thus, it is crucial to use the word “impact” in your questions to understand the severity of the problem.
For instance, if you ask, “What happens if you don’t launch on March 1st?” the client may say that they are going for their series D round funding, and if they don’t get their ACV up to a certain point, they are going to lose out.
This answer gives the salesperson something to work with and push on.
Conclusion
To summarize, qualification and discovery are both crucial stages in b2b sales, and they serve different purposes.
Qualification aims to determine whether the prospect is a good fit for the salesperson’s business, whereas discovery aims to understand the prospect’s needs, pain points, and the impact they can have on their business.
To use these stages effectively, a salesperson needs to constantly ask questions to understand the severity of the problem and the impact it will have on the client’s business.
By doing so, the salesperson can tailor their presentation or solution to match the client’s needs and close the deal successfully.