Sales Qualification

Scope

• Defining what “qualified” means for your business (fit + need + access + urgency)
• Writing explicit disqualification rules to avoid time sinks
• Creating a qualification scorecard that produces consistent decisions across reps
• Designing a discovery/qualification call script that surfaces deal reality quickly
• Setting stage exit criteria + “no next step, no stage” pipeline hygiene rules
• Implementing a lightweight rollout + measurement plan for adoption

• “Our pipeline is full but nothing closes—help us qualify better.”
• “Create a lead qualification scorecard and disqualification criteria.”
• “Write a discovery/qualification script for SDRs/AEs.”
• “Define stage exit criteria so deals don’t rot in CRM.”
• “We’re spending time on bad-fit leads—create rules to stop it.”

• You don’t have an ICP hypothesis or you’re still pre-problem/solution fit (start with

  founder-sales

  or

  problem-definition

  )
• You need a full sales org design (roles, hiring, enablement system) rather than qualification (use

  building-sales-team

  )
• You need pricing/packaging strategy, contracting, or legal/security review
• You want lead scraping/spammy outreach or anything deceptive

Inputs

• Product + target customer (1 sentence each)
• ICP hypothesis (industry, size, buyer titles, “not for” exclusions)
• Sales motion (inbound/outbound/PLG→sales/enterprise) + current stages (if any)
• Typical deal profile (ACV range, cycle length, required stakeholders)
• Current pain: what “bad leads” look like (examples of 3–5 recent losses or stalls)
• Constraints: rep capacity, required response times, tooling (CRM), and handoff (SDR→AE)

• Ask up to 5 questions from references/INTAKE.md (max 3–5 at a time).
• If data is missing, proceed with explicit assumptions and ship two variants if needed: (A) “Simple SMB motion” vs (B) “Complex/enterprise motion”.

Outputs (deliverables)

1. Context snapshot (ICP, motion, constraints, “what qualified means”)
2. Qualification charter (ICP segments, disqualifiers, qualification criteria, stage exit criteria)
3. Qualification scorecard (weighted criteria + thresholds + examples)
4. Discovery/qualification script (agenda, opener, question bank, disqualify talk track)
5. CRM artifacts (qualification notes template + required fields + pipeline hygiene rules)
6. Rollout + measurement plan (training, coaching, KPIs, iteration loop)
7. Risks / Open questions / Next steps (always included)

Workflow (7 steps)

1) Intake + define the qualification decision

• Inputs: User context; references/INTAKE.md; sample deals (won/lost/stalled).
• Actions: Clarify the decision you’re optimizing for: pursue now, nurture, or disqualify. Define the unit of analysis (lead, account, opportunity) and who qualifies (SDR, AE, founder).
• Outputs: Context snapshot + decision definitions + assumptions/unknowns.
• Checks: A rep can answer: “What decision am I making after this call?”

2) Lock ICP segments + hard disqualifiers (protect time)

• Inputs: ICP hypothesis; loss notes; product constraints; pricing guardrails.
• Actions: Create 1–3 ICP segments (primary/secondary) plus explicit exclusions. Write hard disqualifiers (fast “no” rules) that prevent time waste (e.g., wrong segment, no meaningful pain, cannot access buyer, cannot meet minimum price/value threshold).
• Outputs: ICP segment table + disqualifier list + a graceful disqualify talk track.
• Checks: Disqualifiers are observable and can be applied within the first 10–15 minutes.

3) Build the qualification scorecard (fit × need × access × urgency)

• Inputs: ICP + disqualifiers; desired outcomes; buyer risks.
• Actions: Choose 5–8 criteria and weight them. Add clear scoring anchors (0/1/2/3 or 1–5). Define thresholds for accept, nurture, reject. Add “minimum must-pass” criteria (non-negotiables).
• Outputs: Qualification scorecard + scoring rules + examples.
• Checks: Two different reps scoring the same deal should land within ~1 tier (accept/nurture/reject).

4) Define stage exit criteria + “no next step, no stage”

• Inputs: Current pipeline stages (or create minimal set); scorecard thresholds.
• Actions: Write stage definitions and exit criteria (what evidence is required to advance). Add pipeline hygiene rules: required fields, maximum stage age, and “no next step, no stage”.
• Outputs: Stage exit criteria table + hygiene rules + stalled-deal policy.
• Checks: Every active opportunity has (a) a next step with date, (b) an owner, and (c) a reason it can win.

5) Create the discovery/qualification script + question bank

• Inputs: Scorecard criteria; common loss reasons; buyer workflow.
• Actions: Draft a 20–30 minute call flow that surfaces: current state, pain/impact, trigger/urgency, stakeholders/decision process, constraints, and next step. Include a disqualify path (“not a fit, here’s what I recommend instead”) and a nurture path.
• Outputs: Call agenda + opener + question bank mapped to scorecard criteria.
• Checks: The script reliably produces a decision (accept/nurture/reject) by the end of the call.

6) Create CRM note template + rollout/measurement plan

• Inputs: CRM constraints; team roles; existing fields/stages; metrics baseline.
• Actions: Produce a single notes template that captures scorecard inputs in a structured way. Define required fields, lost/nurture reasons, and a 2-week rollout plan (training, call reviews, calibration).
• Outputs: CRM qualification notes template + rollout plan + measurement plan.
• Checks: A manager can audit 10 opportunities quickly and see consistent qualification evidence.

7) Quality gate + finalize

• Inputs: Draft pack.
• Actions: Run references/CHECKLISTS.md and score with references/RUBRIC.md. Add Risks / Open questions / Next steps and a short “iteration loop” (what to revisit after 20–30 calls).
• Outputs: Final Sales Qualification Pack.
• Checks: The pack is copy/paste ready and reduces time spent on bad-fit deals immediately.

Quality gate (required)

• Use references/CHECKLISTS.md and references/RUBRIC.md.
• Always include: Risks, Open questions, Next steps.

Examples

sales-qualification

sales-qualification

founder-sales