Just as the discovery process is best thought of (and most effective) as a two-way exercise, so is the closely-related opportunity qualification process. We can think of qualification as one of the key outcomes of an effective discovery process.
But what are our prospects likely to be thinking while we’re trying to qualify them? How are they likely to be qualifying both the problem and our credentials as a potential solution provider?
Their considerations are probably going to include:
- What is the true nature of the problem? What are its symptoms and implications? How is it affecting my ability to discharge my responsibilities and achieve my goals?
- Which of my colleagues are also affected by the problem, and how is it affecting them? Are they likely to agree that there is a need to address the issue? Are they likely to want to have a say in whether and how we choose to solve the problem?
- Taking into account all the other priorities I have to manage, is this problem important enough to invest time and resources in evaluating our options and identifying potential solutions?
- What is the business impact of the problem, how much is it likely to cost to solve, how could it be funded and what are the key elements that would be needed to support my internal business case justification?
- Could I solve this problem using internal resources, or will I have to go into the market to identify commercially available solutions?
- What specific potential solution options exist? What do I know of these options, and what do people I trust think of the various potential vendors?
- As I learn about and engage with these potential vendors, do they come across as subject matter experts? Do I trust their advice? Am I sure that they will always put my best interests first?
- Are my interactions with these vendors making my job easier, or more difficult? Are they making it easy for me to get the information I need? Do I have confidence in them as a long-term partner?
Just as we probably can’t have all our initial qualifying questions answered in one hit, our prospective customer probably can’t, either. But we can be sure that their every interaction with us (including some we may not be aware of) is contributing to their judgement about us.
The quality of our direct interaction with our prospective customer is particularly important. We need to go into every conversation with goals and a plan, but we also need to be aware that our prospect wants to get something valuable out of the interaction as well.
We need to listen actively and be prepared to adapt our plans accordingly. We will never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Let’s make sure that we help them to qualify both the problem and our potential credentials as a supplier while we gather the information we need to make a judgement about whether the opportunity is worth pursuing.
Let’s make sure that everyone involved learns something valuable as a result of the engagement. And let’s help them to qualify us!