Today for a little twist I’d like you to think about one piece of the sales qualification process in terms of your salespeople NOT a prospect or customer!

The piece of the process is to determine if they have the means and resources to be successful.

When thinking about prospects or customers – means and resources is all about will they ultimately be able to do anything at all about their current situation and move toward what they want.

Why is that any different than evaluating the individuals on your team?

In the sales qualification process I break it into three pieces:
> Brainpower – the mental space to think about the contrast between what is and what they want
> Time – the minutes, hours, days, weeks to make a change
> Money – cash, budget, etc to pay for the things need to successfully move forward

http://www.dreamstime.com/-image2944308When thinking about your salespeople:
> Brainpower – today, right now; do they have the emotional and mental capacity to think creatively – come up with solutions – use mental focus to change habits.
> Time – doing new things takes longer than following an existing habit. Do they believe they have the time to make a change.
> Money – it may be money, but it may be something else the salesperson needs from a “resource” perspective; your support, new skills, etc.

Changing what we do is changing a habit. Changing habits takes emotional and mental though. Changing habits takes longer because we have to THINK. Changing habits takes resources that we then don’t have to spend on other things.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself, before you put in the effort to address a salesperson’s means and resources:
1. if you help them have MORE – will they actually do anything with the extra?
2. are they already putting in the effort and need a little help getting over that next obstacle?
3. do you know how they define success (or are you trying to force them toward what you want…them to want)?

Changing habits takes EFFORT – once you determine it is worth addressing a salesperson’s means and resources, remember they are the ones that have to put in the effort – you’re here to make sure they have what they need to do it.