Consistently qualifying all opportunities with customer verifiable outcomes throughout the sales process.
Then, in Part 2, I present a framework for identifying qualification criteria. This framework is based on the value you deliver to and derive from customers of various types. In Part 3, you learn how to conduct a qualification development initiative in your organization. Business value mapping helps you identify what value you deliver to people in various functions in customer organizations. Qualification criteria enable you identify who in the marketplace would want that value. Sales process mapping shows you how to do business with those people. Make sure your team is consistently qualifying all opportunities with customer verifiable outcomes throughout the sales process. It’s a sure way to prove an opportunity warrants your investment of time and resources. Qualification helps a seller to maximize his/her efforts. It’s important to the buyer because: 1  It optimizes use of the buyer’s time. 2  It helps the buyer in defining the problem he/she is trying to solve. 3  It helps the buyer secure executive buy-in for funding the solution. Qualification bridges the two practices of business value mapping and sales process mapping. Business value mapping helps you identify what value you deliver to people in various functions in customer organizations. Qualification criteria enable you identify who in the marketplace would want that value. Sales process mapping shows you how to do business with those people. Sales process mapping incorporates and benefits from the qualification criteria you develop with the help of this guide book At the highest level, they judge whether the prospect organisation is a company they want to do business with, and have the potential to establish a profitable long-term multi-project relationship with. This is often the earliest level of qualification: it can pre-date the identification of a specific opportunity. The third level of qualification relates to the stakeholders, sponsors and decision-makers who are involved in the project. A critical question is whether your putative sponsor or champion is a true “mobiliser” - someone who has the power to make change happen within his or her organisation. Qualification is a process, not an event. In a complex, often dynamic sales environment, it’s dangerous to see qualification as a one-time event or stage. Qualification is something that happens progressively, and can and should be refined throughout the life of the project. The third level of qualification relates to the stakeholders, sponsors and decision-makers who are involved in the project. A critical question is whether your putative sponsor or champion is a true “mobiliser” - someone who has the power to make change happen within his or her organisation. That is why the qualification process is so important, for that process is intended to determine which customers really is a opportunity and thereby is most likely to purchase the product or service. For there is nothing worse than spending a lot time with a customer that can or will not buy from you (we all do this). It sounds very simplistic……and in theory sales is very simplistic, but in practice very very complex. However if the opportunity identification-qualification process, would be done better we would be able to: • Increase seller productivity by providing understanding of how to select or deselect an opportunity. When we dug in and tried to understand what the top performers did differently, two key patterns emerged: they saw qualification as a process, not an event, and they qualified deals at multiple levels: account, opportunity and sponsor(s). The third level of qualification relates to the stakeholders, sponsors and decision-makers who are involved in the project. A critical question is whether your putative sponsor or champion is a true “mobiliser” - someone who has the power to make change happen within his or her organisation. Volume 2 Developing Qualification Criteria Page 1 of 106 Introduction to Volume 2, V2.1 This is the second of three volumes in the Sales Process Improvement Series, which translates principles and practices of process improvement and quality management to the sales and marketing function. Business value mapping helps you identify what value you deliver to people in various functions in customer organizations. Qualification criteria enable you identify who in the marketplace would want that value. Sales process mapping shows you how to do business with those people. Once you've identified the timeframe, budget, purchase process, and decision makers for the sale, it's time to qualify your lead. Qualifying a lead in Microsoft Dynamics CRM converts it to an opportunity.  Now that we understand the difference between our two types of potential deals, we need to identify the point at which a lead is considered “qualified”, and moved on to the opportunity stage. Before picking any specific criteria, start off by mapping out your sales process from start to finish, in sequential order. At this point in the sales process is where the conversion of a lead occurs. But, a lead is not simply converted to the next step (opportunity), you’ll also be creating other key objects inside of the Apptivo system using that lead’s contact information.
http://www.salesperformance.com/Documents/DQC_TOC.pdf http://go.forcemanagement.com/blog/why-is-qualification-so-important-to-your-sales-process http://www.salesperformance.com/Documents/DQC_TOC.pdf http://www.inflexion-point.com/Blog/bid/95959/The-3-levels-of-sales-qualification-account-opportunity-sponsor http://www.inflexion-point.com/Blog/bid/95959/The-3-levels-of-sales-qualification-account-opportunity-sponsor http://b2bsalesgroup.blogspot.com/2007/12/opportunity-identification-and.html http://www.inflexion-point.com/Blog/bid/95959/The-3-levels-of-sales-qualification-account-opportunity-sponsor http://www.salesperformance.com/Documents/DQC_TOC.pdf http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/crm-customer-center/qualify-a-lead-and-convert-it-to-an-opportunity.aspx http://www.apptivo.com/blog/difference-between-leads-opportunities/
what is opportunity qualification process