CHAMP sales qualification

CH: Challenges

The business problems getting in the buyer's way, in their words. On a cold call you are listening for one challenge you can help with, not a full list.

Listen for: Specific examples, numbers, frustration and the word 'still', as in 'we still do that by hand'.

1. How are you handling {{area you help with}} at the moment?
2. What is the hardest part of that for your team?
3. What usually goes wrong?
4. Can you give me a recent example?
5. How long has that been a problem?
6. What have you tried so far?
7. What happened when you tried it?
8. Who else is affected when that goes wrong?
9. If you could change one thing about how it works now, what would it be?
10. What is that costing you, roughly?
11. Is it getting better or worse as you grow?
12. When we speak to other {{role}}s, we often hear {{common challenge}}. Is that true for you?

A 3 looks like: A specific challenge with an example and a consequence, in the buyer's words, that you can solve.

A: Authority

Who decides, who influences and whether your contact can get you to both. In CHAMP the challenge comes first, so by the time you ask about people, the prospect knows why it matters.

Listen for: Who signed off the last similar change, who 'would need to be across it', and whether your contact talks about the decision as theirs.

1. Who else would be involved in looking at something like this?
2. Who would make the final call?
3. How was the last change like this decided?
4. What role would you play?
5. Would anyone in IT, finance or operations need a say?
6. Who would use it day to day?
7. Who would be most sceptical?
8. Would it make sense for them to join the first conversation?
9. What would your manager want to see before supporting it?
10. Is there anyone who would want to keep things as they are?
11. If you were keen, how would you take it forward internally?
12. Who owns the budget this would come from?

A 3 looks like: Decision maker and influencers named, your contact's role clear, and the decision maker attending or agreed for the next step.

M: Money

How a solution would be funded, and whether the cost of the challenge justifies it. On a first call, the useful question is how spending like this gets approved, not how much they have.

Listen for: Existing spend on the problem, approval thresholds, budget cycles, and 'if it paid for itself'.

1. How do projects like this usually get funded?
2. Is there budget for it this year, or would it need a case made?
3. What does the problem cost you now, including people's time?
4. Are you paying for anything today that this would replace?
5. Above what amount does it need sign-off from someone else?
6. When is next year's budget set?
7. Would it need to pay for itself within a certain time?
8. Have you looked at what other options cost?
9. If it made sense, could budget be found mid-year?
10. Is there a spending freeze or constraint we should know about?
11. Who would build the business case?
12. Would you prefer to start with a small trial or the full scope?

A 3 looks like: A funding route confirmed, with the approver and threshold known and the cost of the problem understood.

P: Prioritisation

Where the challenge sits against everything else the buyer has to do, and why it matters now. A challenge ranked fourth this year is a nurture lead, however good the fit.

Listen for: Trigger events, deadlines, a new leader, board attention, and whether the problem made this year's plan.

1. Where does this sit on your list of priorities this year?
2. What is above it?
3. What would move it up the list?
4. Is it in this year's plan or budget?
5. Why look at it now rather than last year?
6. What happens if it waits another six months?
7. Is there a deadline, event or contract end driving it?
8. Has leadership asked about it recently?
9. What else is your team working on this quarter?
10. If you had time for one improvement project, would it be this one?
11. Who is pushing for this to happen?
12. What would need to be true for you to act on it this quarter?

A 3 looks like: A top three priority this year, with a named trigger or deadline and someone senior pushing for it.

CHAMP CARD: {{prospect company}}, {{contact name and title}}

Challenge
Main challenge in their words: "{{quote}}"
How long it has been a problem: {{time}}
What they have tried: {{attempts}}
Score 0 to 3: {{score}}

Authority
Who decides on this: {{name or role}}
Who else would need to be in the room: {{names or roles}}
Score 0 to 3: {{score}}

Money
How this is funded today: {{budget line, project, not funded}}
Cost of the problem, if mentioned: {{figure or estimate}}
Score 0 to 3: {{score}}

Prioritisation
Where this sits against other priorities: {{top three, this year, someday}}
Why now: {{trigger}}
Score 0 to 3: {{score}}

Total: {{total}} of 12   Meeting booked: {{yes or no}}   With: {{attendees}}

MEETING HANDOVER: {{prospect company}}
Meeting: {{date and time}}, {{length}} minutes, {{video or phone}}
Booked by: {{SDR name}}   Account executive: {{AE name}}

Who is attending
{{name}}, {{title}}. Reports to {{manager, if known}}.
Others invited or mentioned: {{names and titles}}

Why they agreed to meet (their words)
"{{the reason they gave, as close to verbatim as possible}}"

What they told us
Current situation: {{tools, team, process}}
Problem or goal: {{what is not working or what they want to achieve}}
Impact they mentioned: {{cost, time, risk, revenue}}
Timing: {{deadline, contract end, project start, budget cycle}}
Decision: {{who else is involved, how they buy}}
Budget: {{anything said, or "not discussed"}}

Qualification score: {{framework}} {{score}} of {{max}}. Gaps: {{elements scored below 2}}

What the prospect expects from the meeting
{{what the SDR promised: a conversation, a comparison, a specific question answered}}

Watch outs
{{objections raised, competitor mentioned, sensitivity, anything not to say}}