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Alrighty, guys. So in today's video, we're gonna talk about how to properly qualify your leads.
So when you call a lead that reached out on your website or social media or wherever, you want to figure out—is this someone who has money to spend, who has serious intent to get the project done? Is this somebody that’s worth your time to go out and estimate that project, which might take two, three, four, five hours?
To qualify a lead, you can overqualify or you can underqualify. Overqualifying would be like charging a ridiculously high consultation fee, or getting way too specific about who a qualified lead is. On the lower end of the spectrum, it’s just picking up the phone and saying, “When do you want me to come out?” without knowing if that project will even be profitable for you.
There are two really important things to do when you get on the phone. The first is to set the agenda for the conversation. For example: “Hey, I’m calling to set your estimate. Thanks so much for reaching out. Here’s what we’re gonna do. I’m gonna ask you a few questions, then we can go ahead and set up our estimate.” That gives you control of the conversation.
And this applies not just to qualifying leads, but to any interaction in sales. Customers have a process for buying, but many salespeople don’t have a process for selling. If the customer controls the conversation, you miss opportunities. A great resource on this is the book Selling to Homeowners. I’m about a quarter of the way through it and it’s worth it just for this point alone.
The second thing is to find out the deeper reasons why. Ask questions like, “What are you looking to have done?” and “What made you think about getting your bathroom remodeled?” Knowing their goal tells you not only how serious they are but also gives you a way to connect with them and help them feel understood.
Another thing—when you qualify a lead and they don’t qualify, treat that person with respect and dignity. Don’t just say, “Sorry, we can’t take that on.” Any time you don’t sell somebody your service, you can still sell them on the company. By being kind and saying, “I’m so sorry, that doesn’t fit within our scope of work, but I hope you find a great contractor,” you leave them with a good impression.
If six or seven out of ten people don’t qualify, you still want them to say good things about you. Even better, if you can refer them to a trusted partner, those customers get taken care of, you look good, and your referral partner may even send business back your way.
So the three things are: get control of the conversation, connect deeply with your prospect by asking questions and really listening, and let people down gently if they don’t qualify—ideally with a referral partner in place.
Hope that helps. See you in the next video.
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