Sales Qualification

1---2name: sales-qualification3description: Help users qualify sales leads effectively. Use when someone is wasting time on bad leads, struggling with low conversion rates, needs to build a qualification framework, or wants to improve their discovery process.4---5 6# Sales Qualification7 8Help the user qualify sales leads effectively using frameworks from 1 product leader.9 10## How to Help11 12When the user asks for help with sales qualification:13 141. **Understand current process** - Ask how they currently decide which leads to pursue152. **Identify disqualification criteria** - Help them define what makes a lead NOT worth pursuing163. **Design discovery questions** - Create questions that efficiently reveal fit174. **Build a qualification framework** - Help them systematize qualification decisions18 19## Core Principles20 21### Most sales problems are qualification problems22Jen Abel: "It's qualification. Qualification because if you spend your time on the wrong leads, that equates to a zero." If conversion rates are low, the issue is often pursuing leads that were never going to close rather than poor sales execution.23 24### "No" is a successful outcome25Jen Abel: "I am a qualification crazy person. I will not get in on another call with someone because on the first call it's either a yes or a no, there's no in between." The goal of early calls is to determine fit, not to convince. A clear "no" saves time that can be spent on better leads.26 27### Disqualify aggressively28The best salespeople are rigorous about disqualification. They'd rather pursue fewer, better-qualified opportunities than spread themselves thin across mediocre leads.29 30### First call should determine fit31If a lead requires multiple calls before you can determine whether they're a fit, your discovery process is too slow. Qualification should happen early and decisively.32 33### Time is the scarcest resource34Every hour spent on a bad lead is an hour not spent on a good one. The math of sales productivity favors aggressive filtering.35 36## Questions to Help Users37 38- "What percentage of your pipeline actually closes? Is the problem quality or execution?"39- "What are the characteristics of your best customers? How quickly can you identify those traits?"40- "What questions do you ask in discovery that reveal whether a lead is qualified?"41- "When was the last time you disqualified a lead on the first call?"42- "What would need to be true for you to walk away from a lead earlier?"43 44## Common Mistakes to Flag45 46- **Pursuing all inbound** - Treating every lead as equally worthy of time47- **Slow qualification** - Taking multiple calls to determine what could be known in one48- **Hope selling** - Continuing to pursue leads you know aren't a fit because the pipeline looks thin49- **No disqualification criteria** - Not having explicit reasons to say no50- **Confusing activity with progress** - Measuring calls made rather than qualified opportunities created51 52## Deep Dive53 54For all 2 insights from 1 guest, see `references/guest-insights.md`55 56## Related Skills57 58- product-led-sales59- sales-compensation60- pricing-strategy