Tips for Identifying High-Quality Sales Leads

Most sales reps lose 60–80 hours per month chasing bad leads. That’s two full weeks spent on prospects who were never going to buy. After 5,000+ demos, I can usually spot a high-quality lead in the first 10 minutes of a call. Here’s what the best ones have in common: - They’re honest about what's not currently working and why it matters. - They've tried to solve the problem before. - They're long-term thinkers who operate with little ego and realistic timelines. - They've already heard of you or did some digging before the call. - They’re curious about how your pricing works. - They proactively bring other decision makers. - They were responsive when setting up the call. - They join on time, with their camera on. The more experience I gain in sales, the less I focus on “closing” and the more I focus on the right signals. I waste less time on non-serious buyers while doubling down when it's actually real. Any underrated buying signals you'd add to the list?

I've watched over 2,500 discovery calls in the last few years. There's one thing I'm convinced of: Top salespeople get to the "heart of the problem" FASTER than their peers. SPEED to uncovering the 'real' problem matters. Here's why: Avg salespeople don't uncover even the tip of the ice berg until late in the call. So they never get a chance to go beyond the surface. They run out of time. Great salespeople get to the heart of the matter fast. That gives them TIME: Time to peel back the onion. Time to explore negative impact. Time to diagnose the root cause. Here are four questions (in order) that get to 'the heart of the deal' fast: 1. Tell me about your biggest challenges when it comes to X? Easy enough. Just enough to kickstart the conversation in the right direction. But not enough by itself. Customers will (almost) always give surface level answers to the first question. 2. What's going on in the business that's driving [what they shared] to be a priorty. Ask this, and your customers will CHUCKLE half the time. Why? Because you are striking a CHORD when you ask that. You're getting to the 'need behind the need.' That's where big money lives. Getting closer. 3. What metric is suffering most as a result of that? Avg sellers struggle to quantify pain. You walk into a different world when you go from expressed pain to quantified pain. Your customer's urgency ramps up. And spending money to solve the problem begins to look REAL good. 4. What's driving you to solve all this now rather than later? Ask this too early? And the answers will be weak. BUT... If you ask this AFTER those first three questions... Your customer now has the FULL CONTEXT of the problem top-of-mind. And now... their answers to THIS question will be far, FAR richer. Give those 4 questions (in order) a try. P.S. Here's 39 more questions that sell: https://lnkd.in/g-VRcCsq

Last month one of my students (an AE) was #2 in his company for closed MRR out of 30+ reps. 3 months ago he was an SDR. How did a recently promoted AE become the second best sales performer so quickly? I asked him, and here's what he said: 1. Prescriptive discovery Most discovery is shallow and doesn't get to the root of the problem. Average sales reps ask surface level questions - I call it "iceberg discovery." He asks 2nd, 3rd, and 4th layer questions until he gets to the core. Lesson: Just like a good doctor, probe before prescribing solutions. 2. Pain Mapping: Whenever he hears pain, he always asks for more detail about a) the pain and b) the process. Doing this properly helps him map out the prospect's pain and gets them in "solve now" mode. He'll ask questions like: → "How much time have you spent on that?" → "What have you tried so far to address this so far?" → "How much time does it take to do X?" Lesson: Ask status quo related questions that help paint the whole picture. 3. Uncovers urgency (not create): The only "creation of urgency" I've seen work is when it's artificial. When you're dangling a no-brainer offer (e.g. a discount) the prospect wants the discount, not the product. Instead, uncovers urgency that already exists. And once he finds out, he presses on it. For example, he'll find out if they: → Have campaigns coming up → New feature/product drops → Seasonal/busy time of year coming up Lesson: After finding the why, find out the why now. P.S. 5,000+ salespeople like this AE are mastering their discovery skills with these top 24 questions (for free): https://lnkd.in/eR69raD4

🌟 Unlocking Insights: The Top 10 Best Discovery Questions to Elevate Your Sales Conversations! 🚀 Hello Small Business Sales Leaders! Mastering the art of discovery is the key to understanding your customers and tailoring your approach effectively. Here are some of the best discovery questions to guide your sales conversations: **1. "Can You Walk Me Through Your Current Challenges and Pain Points?" Understanding the challenges your prospect is facing provides valuable insights into their immediate needs and priorities. **2. "What Goals Are You Looking to Achieve in the Next Quarter/Year?" Aligning your solution with the prospect's goals allows you to position your product or service as a strategic asset to their success. **3. "How Does Your Decision-Making Process Typically Work?" Uncovering the decision-making dynamics within the prospect's organization helps you navigate the sales process more effectively. **4. "Who Are the Key Stakeholders Involved in This Decision?" Identifying and understanding the key decision-makers and influencers ensures you engage with the right individuals throughout the sales journey. **5. "What Solutions Have You Tried in the Past, and What Were the Results?" Learning about past solutions provides insights into what has or hasn't worked for the prospect, guiding your recommendations. **6. "What Timelines Are You Working Within for Implementation?" Understanding the prospect's timelines allows you to tailor your proposal to align with their urgency and priorities. **7. "How Would You Measure Success in Implementing a Solution Like Ours?" Defining success metrics ensures that both you and your prospect have a clear understanding of what a successful partnership looks like. **8. "What Concerns or Objections Do You Have About Implementing a Solution?" Addressing concerns upfront allows you to build trust and tailor your pitch to alleviate any reservations the prospect may have. **9. "Can You Share Insights About Your Current Vendor or Solution?" Gaining insights into the prospect's current relationships helps you position your solution as a valuable enhancement or alternative. **10. "How Can Our Solution Best Support Your Unique Business Needs?" Tailoring your solution to the prospect's specific business needs demonstrates a commitment to a personalized and impactful partnership. 🚀 Pro Tip: The art of discovery lies in active listening and adapting your questions based on the prospect's responses. Make it a conversational exploration rather than a checklist. Ready to Elevate Your Discovery Conversations? Let's Connect! If you're looking to refine your discovery process or discuss how to tailor these questions to your unique sales landscape, let's connect. Together, we can unlock valuable insights that drive successful sales outcomes. Here's to impactful discovery conversations and the thriving journey ahead! 🌟💼 #SalesDiscovery #ElevateConversations #UnlockInsights 🚀✨