Qualifying before the demo
How you can tell whether a prospect wants to buy today or is just gathering information, which questions belong in the first minutes and which plan suits their needs.
Not every demonstration is equally worthwhile. A prospect with an acute problem, a person who decides and a clear first use case often buys in the first meeting. Someone who's just getting an overview needs something different from you. Qualifying means knowing this before the demonstration.
Ready to buy or researching
| Signal | Ready to buy | Researching |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | a specific problem that's costing money right now | curiosity, "we're taking a look at it" |
| Description | gives figures, times and examples | stays general |
| Decision | decides themselves or brings the person who decides | "I have to present this internally", without a name |
| Timing | "ideally next week" | "sometime this year" |
| Preparation | has already called your demo assistant | only knows the website |
Both are valuable. A prospect who's researching gets a short, good demonstration from you, the relevant pages of this Help Center and a follow-up appointment. What they don't get: a long meeting with a fully built agent before the trigger is clear.
The three steps
1. Name the problem and the scope
Have them describe the trigger in their own words and with figures: how many calls a week, when they're lost, what a lost call costs. Without these figures, the benefit can't be calculated later, see Closing.
2. Arrange a test call in advance
Ask the prospect to call your demo assistant before the demonstration. Anyone who does is usually seriously interested, and they come to the meeting with their own questions.
3. Hold the meeting with the person who decides
Ask directly who decides and who else needs to have a say, for example IT or data protection. Invite everyone to the same meeting.
The need and the right plan
| Need | What you need | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| One location, answering calls and capturing requests | agent, number, email after the call | Starter |
| Booking appointments in the conversation | Cal.com, see Appointments | Starter or Pro |
| Handing conversations over to people | Transfer | Pro |
| Several calls at the same time | 1 line in the Starter plan, 3 in the Pro plan | Pro |
| Several locations or departments | several agents and numbers | Pro |
| Data into a CRM or ticket system | webhooks, see Webhook and variables | Pro |
| Outbound calls, such as reminders | Campaigns or the Outbound API, caller number, identity check | Pro |
| More than 2,000 minutes a month | custom offer | Individual |
The SIP connection is available in all plans.
Questions for the first two minutes
- "What made you look at this now?"
- "How many calls do you get in a normal week, and how many of them does nobody answer?"
- "What should the assistant take over first?"
- "Which provider or phone system does your number run through?"
- "Who else decides, and by when do you want to decide?"
More questions by topic are in the Question catalog.
What you don't do with a prospect who's researching
- No price concessions or special promises to get a quick decision. When referring, bhomy's price list applies, and you may not make promises beyond it and the terms and conditions.
- Don't build an agent in every detail before the use case is clear.
- Don't write them off. Arrange a follow-up appointment and send them the pages that match their questions.
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