As a salesperson who needs to commission and hit quota, we’re usually in a mode where we’re telling sales prospects why our products are right for them. But if the lead isn’t moving in the direction or at the speed you’d like, it can be powerful to do the opposite and disqualify the prospect by questioning whether our product is right for them.

new car example

Let’s take an example of a new car buyer to show how this might work. The prospect has been looking at cars, done the research, completed the test drive, and narrowed the choice down to just one car. She has expressed interest but is hesitant to proceed to the next step in the process which is to buy.

At this point, the momentum and speed of the sales cycle has slowed, so the seller has three options:

1. Do Nothing: The salesperson could do nothing and let the prospect control the speed and direction. This can lead to getting stuck in “idle ground”, which could result in more time wasted on both sides and increase the probability of “no decision”.

2. Push harder: The salesperson could push harder and try to sell the prospect more aggressively. The risk here is that if there is internal conflict in the sales prospect, pushing harder could drive him away.

3. Disqualify: When the seller notices the hesitation and conflict, he can disqualify by mentioning that the purchase may not be correct. Once this is done, if the purchase is a good fit, the sales prospect will begin to respond by selling why it is a good fit and overcome their hesitation.

As you can see from those options, disqualifying a prospect when they show resistance or hesitation can be a very powerful sales tactic. Here are some of the key benefits of doing this at the right time on leads:

improve momentum

When you do this with a qualified prospect with a genuine interest and authority to buy, when you drive them away by disqualifying them, they will usually come back selling you on why it makes sense. For the prospect selling to you, this can take a deal that isn’t moving forward or backwards and creates new momentum.

discover new information

When a sales prospect starts selling to you after a disqualification, you may uncover new information as they are likely to communicate in their own words why it makes sense and that may reveal new details about their needs and how they will benefit.

Establish credibility

By disqualifying a sales prospect, you will go a long way in the area of ​​establishing credibility. This is powerful as the typical salesperson will choose to be more aggressive in a scenario where he feels hesitant. By disqualifying, you’re not only setting yourself apart from the competition, you’re also appearing to be putting the prospect’s interests before your own interests in closing a deal.