Four questions that do most of the work
Formal frameworks like BANT or MEDDIC exist, but for a small business four plain questions cover nearly every case.
- Fit — is this the kind of customer you serve well? Size, industry, location, budget range.
- Need — do they have a real problem you solve, in their words, not yours?
- Timing — is something forcing a decision in the next 90 days?
- Authority — are you talking to the person who can say yes, or to someone who will need to convince them?
Questions to ask on the first call
Ask open questions and let them talk. You are trying to learn whether to continue, not to pitch.
- What prompted you to look at this now?
- What happens if you do nothing for another six months?
- Who else is involved in deciding?
- What have you already tried?
- Is there a budget set aside, or would this need approval?
Disqualify out loud
The most valuable outcome of qualification is a clear 'not now'. Tell the lead honestly when it is not a fit, record why, and set a reminder if the timing might change. A pipeline of ten real deals beats fifty hopeful ones.
Record the reason, not just the stage
Write down why each lead was qualified or rejected. After a quarter you will see patterns — the industries that close, the sources that waste time — and you can stop spending on the channels that send poor fits.