The following is a Guest post by Mike Brooks, AKA Mr. Inside Sales.

A few weeks ago, my neighbor put in a new driveway using beautiful paving stones that dramatically improved the look of his property.

Comparing my old asphalt driveway, I quickly went over to one of the installers and asked for an estimate.  “You have to call our office,” he explained as he gave me their business card.

Later that day I called and left a message expressing interest in their paving stones, and I left my cell number as the best way to reach me.

What happened next was one of the best sales calls I’ve heard in years.

A couple of days later a woman named Brenda called and explained that she was returning my call about their driveways.

The first thing she asked was how I heard of them. I told her my neighbor had them install a new driveway, and she took down his complete address.

Next she asked me what I was interested in (she then listened very carefully and did not interrupt).  I told her I wanted the same kind of paving stones my neighbor had, and I asked if she could send someone out to give me an estimate.

She said she would be glad to do that, but first she needed to explain how they worked.

She began by telling me about the process and quality of their work.  She said that first they removed the existing asphalt driveway and hauled everything away.  Next they prepared the driveway by digging and leveling 12 inches deep and by pouring high-grade sand.  They then packed it down to where it was as strong as concrete.

Next they installed the paving stones and filled in the spaces with a premium finish sand and that my new driveway was guaranteed not to crack or fade for as long as I owned my home.

She then stopped and asked me if this was what I was looking for (great qualifying telesales question here).

I said yes.

Next she said that the cost of their minimum job was $6000, and that would cover an area of approximately 600 feet.

She then asked if that was within my budget (very impressed by this money qualifying telesales question – very direct).

I said yes it was.

She then asked if weekdays or weekends were best for my appointment.

I told her weekends.

She then found two time slots for the next Saturday and asked, “Is 10 AM good or is 1 PM better for you?”

I took the 10 AM spot (figuring it would only be about 90 degrees by then).

She then said it was important that both my wife and I were there for the appointment and asked me if we both would be.

I said yes.

She then went on to confirm all the details and gave me the name and cell phone number of the closer, er, sales rep who would be out that next Saturday.

When I hung up the phone, I marveled at how the call had gone.  I already felt closed! Having the sales rep out the next week felt almost like a formality.  This was one well-trained telesales team.  They generated the kind of leads I’d like to work if I were an outside sales rep, and as a Top 20% producer, this is how you should be qualifying as well.

Are they missing out on some appointments by being so thorough?  Probably.

But are they missing out on any real buyers?  Probably not.

The lesson here is that by properly qualifying your telesales prospects you can be sure you are only going to be pitching those most likely to buy.

Remember — you don’t need practice pitching unqualified telesales leads.

This week, analyze your own qualifying telesales questions, and see where you can strengthen your initial call.  Remember, the close always starts there.

Mike Brooks, Mr. Inside Sales, works with business owners and inside sales reps nationwide teaching them the skills, strategies and techniques of top 20% performance. If you’re looking to catapult your sales, or create a sales team that actually makes their monthly revenues, then learn how by visiting: http://www.MrInsideSales.com