{"id":17149,"date":"2020-05-15T13:49:34","date_gmt":"2020-05-15T13:49:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/?p=17149"},"modified":"2025-12-22T14:15:53","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T14:15:53","slug":"lead-qualification","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/lead-qualification\/","title":{"rendered":"The Definitive Guide to Sales Lead Qualification"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"toc_wrap_right toc_transparent no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Contents<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><li><a href=\"#What-is-Lead-Qualification\"><strong class=\"What-is-Lead-Qualification\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">1<\/span> What is Lead Qualification?<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Why-is-Lead-Qualification-important\"><strong class=\"Why-is-Lead-Qualification-important\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">2<\/span> Why is Lead Qualification important?<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#How-to-Qualify-Leads-effectively\"><strong class=\"How-to-Qualify-Leads-effectively\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">3<\/span> How to Qualify Leads effectively<\/strong><\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#1-Know-your-ideal-customer-profile\"><strong class=\"1-Know-your-ideal-customer-profile\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">3.1<\/span> 1. Know your ideal customer profile<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#2-Draw-out-the-characteristics-of-qualified-leads\"><strong class=\"2-Draw-out-the-characteristics-of-qualified-leads\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">3.2<\/span> 2. Draw out the characteristics of qualified leads<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#3-Score-leads-based-on-their-characteristics\"><strong class=\"3-Score-leads-based-on-their-characteristics\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">3.3<\/span> 3. Score leads based on their characteristics<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#4-Assign-appropriate-qualification-to-leads-as-per-scores\"><strong class=\"4-Assign-appropriate-qualification-to-leads-as-per-scores\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">3.4<\/span> 4. Assign appropriate qualification to leads as per scores<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#Effective-Lead-qualification-frameworks\"><strong class=\"Effective-Lead-qualification-frameworks\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">4<\/span> Effective Lead qualification frameworks<\/strong><\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#1-BANT\"><strong class=\"1-BANT\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">4.1<\/span> 1. BANT<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#2-FAINT\"><strong class=\"2-FAINT\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">4.2<\/span> 2. FAINT<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#3-ANUM\"><strong class=\"3-ANUM\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">4.3<\/span> 3. ANUM<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#4-CHAMP\"><strong class=\"4-CHAMP\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">4.4<\/span> 4. CHAMP<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#5-GPCT\"><strong class=\"5-GPCT\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">4.5<\/span> 5. GPCT<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#6-NEAT\"><strong class=\"6-NEAT\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">4.6<\/span> 6. NEAT<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#7-GPCTBACI\"><strong class=\"7-GPCTBACI\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">4.7<\/span> 7. GPCTBA\/C&amp;I<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#8-MEDDIC\"><strong class=\"8-MEDDIC\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">4.8<\/span> 8. MEDDIC<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#How-to-pick-the-right-lead-qualification-framework\"><strong class=\"How-to-pick-the-right-lead-qualification-framework\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">5<\/span> How to pick the right lead qualification framework<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Best-practices-for-qualifying-sales-leads\"><strong class=\"Best-practices-for-qualifying-sales-leads\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">6<\/span> Best practices for qualifying sales leads<\/strong><\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#1-Hire-dedicated-members-for-lead-qualification\"><strong class=\"1-Hire-dedicated-members-for-lead-qualification\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">6.1<\/span> 1. Hire dedicated members for lead qualification<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#2-Keeping-qualification-status-binary\"><strong class=\"2-Keeping-qualification-status-binary\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">6.2<\/span> 2. Keeping qualification status binary<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#3-Keeping-unqualified-leads-with-closing-potential-engaged\"><strong class=\"3-Keeping-unqualified-leads-with-closing-potential-engaged\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">6.3<\/span> 3. Keeping unqualified leads with closing potential engaged<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#4-Iterating-on-the-process-in-liaison-with-Account-executives\"><strong class=\"4-Iterating-on-the-process-in-liaison-with-Account-executives\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">6.4<\/span> 4. Iterating on the process in liaison with Account executives<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#5-Automate-and-scale-the-process\"><strong class=\"5-Automate-and-scale-the-process\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">6.5<\/span> 5. Automate and scale the process<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#6-Measure-performance-to-improve-your-lead-qualification\"><strong class=\"6-Measure-performance-to-improve-your-lead-qualification\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">6.6<\/span> 6. Measure performance to improve your lead qualification<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#3-Sales-qualifying-questions\"><strong class=\"3-Sales-qualifying-questions\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">7<\/span> 3 Sales qualifying questions<\/strong><\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#1-What-are-the-top-challenges-your-team-is-facing\"><strong class=\"1-What-are-the-top-challenges-your-team-is-facing\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">7.1<\/span> 1. What are the top challenges your team is facing?<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#nbsp2-How-much-time-have-you-spent-on-finding-a-solution-to-your-problem\"><strong class=\"nbsp2-How-much-time-have-you-spent-on-finding-a-solution-to-your-problem\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">7.2<\/span> &nbsp;2. How much time have you spent on finding a solution to your problem?<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#3-Are-there-any-specific-obstacles-or-deal-breakers-with-regard-to-the-product\"><strong class=\"3-Are-there-any-specific-obstacles-or-deal-breakers-with-regard-to-the-product\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">7.3<\/span> 3. Are there any specific obstacles or deal-breakers with regard to the product?<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#Top-3-lead-qualification-tools\"><strong class=\"Top-3-lead-qualification-tools\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">8<\/span> Top 3 lead qualification tools<\/strong><\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#1-Saleshandy\"><strong class=\"1-Saleshandy\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">8.1<\/span> 1. Saleshandy<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#2-Salesforce\"><strong class=\"2-Salesforce\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">8.2<\/span> 2. Salesforce<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#3-Mixpanel\"><strong class=\"3-Mixpanel\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">8.3<\/span> 3. Mixpanel<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#Conclusion\"><strong class=\"Conclusion\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">9<\/span> Conclusion<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n<p>Lead Qualification is a very important part of the sales cycle. It is directly responsible for feeding your pipeline with high-quality leads that eventually close. It also happens to be the driving force behind conversions and productivity across the most successful sales teams we\u2019ve seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If done right, you can bring in the most revenues you\u2019ve ever brought in and make this a competitive advantage for your organization. In this blog, we\u2019ll explore how to choose, build, and tweak your lead qualification process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"whatslq\"><span id=\"What-is-Lead-Qualification\">What is Lead Qualification?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s the method of dividing leads into categories that will later define how the sales team will engage with them. It identifies leads that are likely to convert, so the Sales and Account executives can nurture them better. Leads can be qualified through both inbound and outbound prospecting. It comes in as a next step in the sales process after prospecting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"whylq\"><span id=\"Why-is-Lead-Qualification-important\">Why is Lead Qualification important?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A highly efficient lead qualification process saves you a lot of time by consistently connecting you with relevant leads. As a result, your conversion rates will drastically improve along with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/sales-cycle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shorter sales cycle<\/a> times, by prioritizing high-value leads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All of this will naturally lead to making it easier for you to scale your sales function and increase revenues for your organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"howtoqualify\"><span id=\"How-to-Qualify-Leads-effectively\">How to Qualify Leads effectively<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve written down a simple, 4-step process that will help you build and improve your own lead qualification processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#know-icp\">Step 1: Know your ICPs<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#id-qualified-leads\">Step 2: Identify characteristics of qualified leads<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#score-leads\">Step 3: Score leads based on their characteristics<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#assign\">Step 4: Assign appropriate qualification to leads<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"know-icp\"><span id=\"1-Know-your-ideal-customer-profile\">1. Know your ideal customer profile<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is a customer who could possibly gain the most value out of your product or service. In B2B sales, your ICP has to have the characteristics of an account or organization. This profile will include things like the type of ideal industry, Deal size, company size (no. of employees, revenue, etc.), and more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Depending on what you\u2019re selling, this list could be longer. We\u2019re also looking to minimize deal drop-offs before and after closing. So choose your ICP accordingly to optimize for conversions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"id-qualified-leads\"><span id=\"2-Draw-out-the-characteristics-of-qualified-leads\">2. Draw out the characteristics of qualified leads<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you have decided on your ICP, it further comes down the leads you\u2019ll be interacting with. You\u2019ll need to narrow down on the ideal leads you want to nurture within your target account. How would you define this ideal lead? Use characteristics that would translate into quicker and more effective wins for your sales team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These characteristics could be the title of the lead within the organization, if they are budget owners, primary users of the product, etc. Here, your focus should be to pick the decision-makers who are looking for a quick purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"score-leads\"><span id=\"3-Score-leads-based-on-their-characteristics\">3. Score leads based on their characteristics<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you know how your ideal leads and companies look like, it\u2019s now time to score them. Lead scoring is a way to assess the potential value of a lead. This value is represented by a \u2018score\u2019 to help prioritize them in your sales pipeline.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The formula you will use for scoring your leads will be dependent on how close the lead is to your ICP and if they match the criteria you set for a qualified lead. The channel from where the lead originated should also be taken into consideration, for eg., Cold Emails, Landing Page,\u00a0Call Recordings, etc. each having their scoring values.<br><br>For example, if the lead is from the \u2018X\u2019 industry, they get 30 (out of 100) added to their score. Similarly, if their employee strength is greater than Y, it adds another 20.\u00a0 And so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"assign\"><span id=\"4-Assign-appropriate-qualification-to-leads-as-per-scores\">4. Assign appropriate qualification to leads as per scores<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>After scoring the leads, you\u2019ll now get to prioritize them on the basis of these scores and then pass them onto the Account Executives.&nbsp; You can do this by labeling these leads as per their scores. Continuing from a previous example, if a lead has a score of below 15(out of 100), they could be marked as unfit for your product. Similarly, 15-40 can be labeled as low hanging or low priority. This would complete the lead qualification process.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To get a better understanding of the characteristics and signals to look for in your leads, we\u2019ll move on to explore Lead Qualification Frameworks that lay those out in more detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"lqframeworks\"><span id=\"Effective-Lead-qualification-frameworks\">Effective Lead qualification frameworks<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To help you refine your lead qualification process, there are several tried and tested lead qualification frameworks that have to do with different qualifying criteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"1-BANT\">1. BANT<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"664\" src=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589539003-1024x664.jpg\" alt=\"bant lead qualification framework\" class=\"wp-image-17151\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589539003-1024x664.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589539003-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589539003-768x498.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589539003-1200x778.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589539003.jpg 1364w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>BANT is an acronym for the <strong>Budget, Authority, Needs,<\/strong> and<strong> Timing<\/strong> framework. The budget would define if the lead has the Budget to make a purchase. If they do, it\u2019s a good sign. Similarly for Authority &#8211; the lead should have the final say in the product purchase decision within their organization. Need defines how deeply is the lead facing the problem that your product solves, currently. Timing is about how quickly they might be looking to solve the problem and close a deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To collect all this information, you might choose to have some questions as part of the input-form, or trends in product usage that confirm these characteristics. You can also choose to engage them over Emails and set up introductory calls. This will be true for the rest of the listed frameworks as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"2-FAINT\">2. FAINT<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>FAINT is quite similar to BANT in many ways, except it adds another dimension to the lead\u2019s qualification. It stands for <strong>Funds, Authority, Interest, Need, and Timing<\/strong>. As you might imagine, most of these align with what BANT does. FAINT adds interest as a way to build the lead\u2019s interest to purchase your product or service. Interest here isn\u2019t a qualifying criterion, it\u2019s a strategy to pull the lead further into the pipeline by engaging with them, given the other 4 criteria are met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Given how it works, FAINT would work well for companies that sell a higher ticket, niche, non-essential products and services.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"3-ANUM\">3. ANUM<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>ANUM (<strong>Authority, Need, Urgency, Money<\/strong>) is a lead qualification framework that\u2019s another modification of BANT. Urgency replaces Timing and Need characteristics. There\u2019s a focus on the quick need from the leads\u2019 side to close the deal. ANUM framework works well for smaller sales cycles and small-medium ticket products due to this nature. It allows you to identify leads that have a strong intent to buy and by closing them earlier in the sales cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"4-CHAMP\">4. CHAMP<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>CHAMP is the acronym for <strong>Challenges, Authority, Money, and Priority<\/strong>. This framework calls for any challenges your leads might be looking to solve, first. The rest of the framework is similar to BANT in the way it focuses on Authority, Money, and Priority (Time). CHAMP would make for a great lead qualification framework for teams that practice solution-based selling. Qualifying leads as per the CHAMP framework would also require the qualification to be carried out by Account Executives and SDRs over discovery calls and emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"5-GPCT\">5. GPCT<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Goals, Plans, Challenges, Timeline<\/strong> framework allows salespeople to both qualify the leads and nurture the ones that will be moving further. You start out by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/sales-qualifying-questions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">asking qualifying questions<\/a> to the lead, related to their goals, and the problem they\u2019re trying to solve. Having listened to clients with similar problems, you can also help them augment these goals based on what your product can help them accomplish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019re clear about the goals, you\u2019ll then enquire about the plans they have to meet those goals. Based on how much information you get, this will give you a better understanding of their buying intent and if they\u2019re looking at alternate solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll then let your leads talk about the challenges they\u2019re facing in bringing those plans to fruition. During this time you\u2019ll get to explore if your lead could benefit from your product based on their requirements. You could also use this opportunity to explain how your product could be a fit for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Timeline part of this framework demands the lead wanting to solve their problem in the near future while aligning with your sales cycle. A lead that has a longer time frame for solving the problem you address will take more time to close. Which is counterintuitive to what we\u2019re trying to achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"6-NEAT\">6. NEAT<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>NEAT is an acronym for core <strong>Needs, Economic Impact, Authority, and Timeline<\/strong>. It was formulated by Sales Hacker and <a href=\"https:\/\/theharrisconsultinggroup.com\/neat-selling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">The Harris Consulting Group<\/a>. It is a framework built to help sell and qualify leads. As the name suggests, focusing on the core needs of the lead helps salespeople create a narrative around the product being sold. Similarly, the Economic Impact helps the decision-maker understand the value of your product.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Authority and Timeline are parts similar to BANT, focusing on assessing the buying power and urgency for your lead to purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"7-GPCTBACI\">7. GPCTBA\/C&amp;I<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a lead qualification framework developed by Hubspot, which stands for<strong> Goals, Plans, Challenges, Timeline, Budget, Authority, Negative Consequences, and Positive Implications<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is fairly comprehensive in how much ground it covers, for good reason. GPCTBA\/C&amp;I contains qualification criteria from all the frameworks discussed above and further adds new elements to it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s explore the new criteria &#8211; Negative consequences and Positive Implications since everything else has been covered in previous frameworks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Negative Consequences:<\/strong> As part of this framework, you will evaluate what the lead might have to lose if they don\u2019t accomplish the set goal. What will be the monetary implications? How much of a setback will it be for other projects within their organization? Doing this will also help you position your value proposition to the lead and help them decide better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Positive Implications:<\/strong> How will your product help the lead hit their goals? Can it go beyond that and deliver more value? How much does the lead stand to benefit from the deal? Evaluating and answering these questions will help you engage the lead more effectively and help you qualify them for further stages in the cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"8-MEDDIC\">8. MEDDIC<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"664\" src=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589539020-1024x664.jpg\" alt=\"meddic lead qualification framework\" class=\"wp-image-17152\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589539020-1024x664.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589539020-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589539020-768x498.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589539020-1200x778.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589539020.jpg 1364w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Acronym for <strong>Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identify Pain <\/strong>and<strong> Champion<\/strong>, it was ideated at PTC. MEDDIC&nbsp; requires your sales team to deeply understand the functioning of the target organization to be able to qualify and sell to them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Metrics represent the numbers behind the project or goal the organization might be looking to complete. What will be the economic impact of the project?&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Economic Buyer is the person inside the target organization who stands to gain the most if the goal is hit. They\u2019ll also be responsible for any losses that result from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Decision Criteria and Process represent the technicalities of the project. What are the specifications that need to be met in order to accomplish the goal? Once these basic specifications are met, what are the next steps in the process in order to move the deal forward?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Identify Pain faced by the lead and their team, currently. If they\u2019ve approached you for a solution, there\u2019s likely something specific they\u2019re after. Could it be the right pricing terms? Could it be project timelines? Figuring this out will help your lead move quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lastly, you will need to find your champion inside the target organization. Oftentimes, this would be the lead that initiated the conversation for the deal. Champions serve the purpose of selling your product to the decision-makers on your behalf. Finding and nurturing the champion inside your target organization will help you skip the delays and speeding up the deal closure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"howtopick\"><span id=\"How-to-pick-the-right-lead-qualification-framework\">How to pick the right lead qualification framework<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Lead qualification frameworks aren\u2019t one-size-fits-all. They would be used differently across teams that sell different products. Picking the right lead qualification framework is dependant on the following things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What are you selling, how long is the sales cycle?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You Ideal Customer Profile and their Buying process<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The volume and quality of leads being introduced to your pipeline<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The results you\u2019re getting from the current framework<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you have contemplated on the above-mentioned factors, you can go back to the list of all frameworks and decide which one suits your needs the best.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a short sales cycle with high quality leads coming in, you can simply go with a framework like ANUM without spending much of your time qualifying leads. If you sell complex solutions and services with big-ticket sizes to large organizations, MEDDIC and GPCTBA\/C&amp;I frameworks would be a good match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, it\u2019s important to understand that these frameworks might not be the absolute best fit for your team. You can refine and build your own framework, picking out individual elements of existing frameworks, and putting them together to work for you.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Until this point &#8211; we\u2019ve covered various lead qualification frameworks and strategies to build and pick frameworks for your sales team. Let\u2019s now proceed to learn best practices while executing these frameworks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"bestpractices\"><span id=\"Best-practices-for-qualifying-sales-leads\">Best practices for qualifying sales leads<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"1-Hire-dedicated-members-for-lead-qualification\">1. Hire dedicated members for lead qualification<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a defined sales process in place with lead qualification, it\u2019s important you have a team working on it exclusively. A lot of teams make it part of Account Executives or SDR\u2019s role. Lead qualification can be time-intensive and affect your account team\u2019s core duties. Having dedicated members also makes sure you can focus on improving lead quality by assigning KRs and Metrics associated with them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aaron Ross shares the same idea about hiring dedicated members for each function inside sales in his book, <a href=\"https:\/\/predictablerevenue.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Predictable Revenue<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"2-Keeping-qualification-status-binary\">2. Keeping qualification status binary<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Oftentimes, some leads hang between multiple categories of qualifications, if you come across a new type of lead you didn\u2019t anticipate. This kind of lead gets labeled inappropriately and eventually ends up falling through the cracks. Strive to keep all your leads qualified strictly as per the criteria you set. Whenever you get a lead that doesn\u2019t match any of your criteria, update it, and qualify this new lead per the updated criteria.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"3-Keeping-unqualified-leads-with-closing-potential-engaged\">3. Keeping unqualified leads with closing potential engaged<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A lot of leads that will enter your pipeline will be unqualified by set standards. This isn\u2019t necessarily a bad thing. A bunch of these leads will end up turning into qualified ones, given enough time and nurturing. But letting them fall through the cracks definitely won\u2019t yield any results. Make it a point to enroll these unqualified leads into an engagement campaign specifically set up for them. The idea here is to stay at the top of their heads whenever they might need you, even if that\u2019s later. You can send educational content, industry, company updates, and milestones.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-1 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/saleshandy.com\/signup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sign Up on SalesHandy to send Engagement Campaigns<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"4-Iterating-on-the-process-in-liaison-with-Account-executives\">4. Iterating on the process in liaison with Account executives<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Having a basic lead qualification process won\u2019t cut it. If you\u2019re seeing low quality leads in your pipeline despite a lead qualification process in place, ask for hints from the Accounts team. They\u2019re the people interacting with incoming leads. So they\u2019ll be able to accurately point you to the reasons where and why your lead qualification process needs to be improved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"5-Automate-and-scale-the-process\">5. Automate and scale the process<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you have a stable Lead qualification in place, you shouldn\u2019t stop at that. Just like you will scale your Lead Generation process to bring in more revenue, you should scale and automate your Lead Qualification process. As your sales team or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/start-lead-generation-business\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lead generation business<\/a> gets larger, you need to be able to scale without compromising quality. Automating your lead qualification will help you improve the quality (and quantity) of leads that are being fed into the pipeline. You can use various tools, like the ones listed towards the end of the article, to automate your lead generation process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"6-Measure-performance-to-improve-your-lead-qualification\">6. Measure performance to improve your lead qualification<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Just like automating and scaling, you should have systems in place, measuring the efficiency of your lead generation process. This will enable you to keep a track of the quality and volume of qualified leads, and present improvements as part of your efforts. It will also help the sales team pinpoint problems with the process whenever they aren\u2019t seeing the expected results.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lead qualification performance is measured by calculating conversion rates at each stage of the sales cycle. Going deeper, record conversion numbers for every lead generation channel and every stage of the sales cycle within those channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once the lead has been qualified till this stage, they are now called MQLs(Marketing Qualified Leads). Next, these leads are supposed to be qualified as SQLs. The following section covers how to qualify leads into SQLs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sqlquestions\"><span id=\"3-Sales-qualifying-questions\">3 Sales qualifying questions<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve qualified leads into MQLs and passed them over to the Accounts team &#8211; they should further be qualified as Sales Qualified Lead(SQLs). To be able to qualify them as SQLs, there are the 3 questions you need to ask them on your first phone or email interaction as part of sales lead qualification-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"1-What-are-the-top-challenges-your-team-is-facing\">1. What are the top challenges your team is facing?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While these leads might have been qualified by your team, it is further important to understand the size and complexity of the problems they are facing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This will help with two things &#8211;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Help you qualify if their problems can be addressed adequately by your product<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Better position your product as a fit for their problems while pitching it to them in the next phase.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"nbsp2-How-much-time-have-you-spent-on-finding-a-solution-to-your-problem\">&nbsp;2. How much time have you spent on finding a solution to your problem?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Asking this question will help you understand your lead\u2019s familiarity with products like yours. They will also likely mention any competing products they might have checked out before yours. This will also naturally lead to deeper questions as if why they are still looking around, what specific terms they\u2019re looking for, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"3-Are-there-any-specific-obstacles-or-deal-breakers-with-regard-to-the-product\">3. Are there any specific obstacles or deal-breakers with regard to the product?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When you ask this question, you\u2019ll be able to structure your engagements and make modifications to your product to avoid them. Oftentimes there are requirements that might not have been discussed thoroughly during and before deal closure. These requirements might end up being discovered after the fact. It might result in a churning customer or deal dropping off altogether. This is one of the most important questions to ask qualified sales leads before moving forward with the deal<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apart from the 3 above, you can add more questions to the Sales Qualification process as the product requires. This can be with respect to Pricing, Service terms, Support availability, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that we\u2019re done with sales lead qualification, let\u2019s explore the tools you can use to run you lead qualification process<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"toptools\"><span id=\"Top-3-lead-qualification-tools\">Top 3 lead qualification tools<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"1-Saleshandy\">1. <a href=\"https:\/\/saleshandy.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Saleshandy<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>SalesHandy is a Sales Engagement and Productivity platform that can serve as a Lead Qualification tool. It allows you to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/mail-merge-gmail\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">send personalized email<\/a> outreach campaigns with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/automatic-follow-up-emails\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">multi-stage follow-ups<\/a>. Emails can also be scheduled based on the recipient\u2019s activity. You get instant email open notifications when a recipient opens an email you\u2019ve sent. All of these campaign&#8217;s engagement data is accessible from a single analytics dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The email notifications and campaign data allow you to pick and qualify the leads that respond and engage with your emails. Email engagement based lead qualification gets you leads with a high intent to purchase, hence making your lead qualification process effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also scale the process using SalesHandy &#8211; all of your email engagement data is available to export via CSV. It then can be used to run lead qualification on a large scale by processing this data on your CRM or Excel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"516\" src=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/saleshandy-1024x516.jpg\" alt=\"saleshandy lead qualification tool\" class=\"wp-image-16670\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/saleshandy-1024x516.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/saleshandy-300x151.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/saleshandy-768x387.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/saleshandy-1536x774.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/saleshandy-1200x605.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/saleshandy.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-2 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/saleshandy.com\/signup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sign Up to Engage and Qualify leads on SalesHandy<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"2-Salesforce\">2. <a href=\"https:\/\/salesforce.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Salesforce<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Salesforce is a CRM for organizations to track and manage their Sales and Marketing functions. Since it is a CRM, you can set up an additional stage in your pipeline that routes all the leads from Marketing into a new Qualification stage. From there, you can set up automation and rules to automatically set qualifications based on the data available in the CRM. If there are leads that don\u2019t automatically qualify using the set rules, you might add or update your automation rules. Otherwise, you can set up a process to manually review unqualified leads as well.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589532954-1024x560.jpg\" alt=\"Salesforce lead qualification tool\" class=\"wp-image-17154\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589532954-1024x560.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589532954-300x164.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589532954-768x420.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589532954-1536x840.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589532954-1200x657.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589532954.jpg 1784w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"3-Mixpanel\">3. <a href=\"https:\/\/mixpanel.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Mixpanel<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Mixpanel is a product analytics platform. It serves as a portal where you can browse the users\u2019 profiles on your website or application. It also keeps track of your users\u2019 behavior based on the event triggers you set up. For lead qualification, Mixpanel allows you to form cohorts. It is a group of users that updates dynamically based on the conditions you set. For eg., You can create a cohort of users who\u2019ve used certain feature \u2018x\u2019 times in a month. You can export a CSV of these results and upload them to your CRM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"555\" src=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589532972-1024x555.jpg\" alt=\"Mixpanel lead qualification tool\" class=\"wp-image-17155\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589532972-1024x555.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589532972-300x163.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589532972-768x416.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589532972-1536x833.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589532972-1200x651.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/tuxpi.com_.1589532972.jpg 1789w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"conclusion\"><span id=\"Conclusion\">Conclusion<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Lead qualification can be quite complex and challenging for a Sales team to perfect. But as we just discovered, it comes down to experimenting, measuring, and improving on things, just like every other process.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s also not just about the top of the funnel leads that need to be qualified. Your existing customer base also needs to be qualified in order to be re-engaged. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csoinsights.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2016\/08\/Mine-the-Gold-You-Already-Have.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">CSO Insights research<\/a>, selling to existing customers depends heavily on Lead Scoring and Qualification.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How has your Lead Qualification improved over time? Are you having problems with the quality of your leads being fed into your pipeline? Let us know in the comments below, and we\u2019ll help you out.<\/p>\n\n\n<p><!-- This site is converting visitors into subscribers and customers with OptinMonster - https:\/\/optinmonster.com --><br \/>\n<script>(function(d,u,ac){var s=d.createElement('script');s.type='text\/javascript';s.src='https:\/\/a.omappapi.com\/app\/js\/api.min.js';s.async=true;s.dataset.user=u;s.dataset.campaign=ac;d.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(s);})(document,153389,'irajtnglgqpozohfq5fq');<\/script><br \/>\n<!-- \/ https:\/\/optinmonster.com --><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lead Qualification is a very important part of the sales cycle. It is directly responsible for feeding your pipeline with high-quality leads that eventually close. It also happens to be the driving force behind conversions and productivity across the most successful sales teams we\u2019ve seen. If done right, you can bring in the most revenues [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":17159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","is_display_hero_banner_button1":"","is_display_hero_banner_button2":"","hero_banner_button1_text":"","hero_banner_button2_text":"","hero_banner_button1_url":"","hero_banner_button2_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[991],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sales-engagement-hub"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A Complete Guide to Qualify Sales Leads Faster (2026)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Not sure how to set up or improve your Lead Qualification process? We&#039;ve listed all frameworks and strategies to direct the best leads to your pipeline.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/lead-qualification\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sales Lead Qualification: A Definitive Guide to Qualify Your Leads Faster\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Not sure how to set up or improve your Lead Qualification process? We\u2019ve exhaustively covered different frameworks and strategies to help you direct the best quality leads to your pipeline.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/lead-qualification\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SalesHandy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Saleshandy-455345097971262\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-05-15T13:49:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-22T14:15:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/The-Definitive-Guide-to-Sales-Lead-Qualification.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"757\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"423\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Anil Salvi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Sales Lead Qualification: A Definitive Guide to Qualify Your Leads Faster\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Not sure how to set up or improve your Lead Qualification process? 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