Every once in awhile I will get a lead that doesn't fit into the traditional mold of an ideal customer. I like to ask some questions at the beginning of our call to vet if they are a good fir or not.
Question to ask at the beginning of the call:
"So that we don't waste anytime I would like to ask you some questions about your businesses. This will tell me if we would be a good fit for each other or not. Would that be alright with you?"
99% of the time I get an "of course" response.
Then I like to ask questions around what they have done to try and address the problem that my product solves.
If you are unsure if a prospect can afford your product then you must ask about their budget in a none-intrusive manner. The basic tactic I have learned to do this is by structuring your question in this manner:
Discuss the results your product will provide them with and then ask - "To accomplish the results we discussed, businesses will spend between X & Y, either with us, another vendor, or doing something internally. Does this fall inline with your expectations"
For other tips on how to structure difficult question check out The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy - CLICK HERE to check it out