Steady Hands LLC · Chapter 5

Strategic Qualification

Identifying & Prioritizing Real Opportunities — CGP · TCI · BAA

Discovery tells you if a need exists. Qualification tells you if this is an opportunity worth your time — ethically, systematically, and fast enough for a real dial day.

CGPChallenges · Goals · Plans — map the buyer's context

TCITimeline · Consequences · Implications — honest pros & cons

BAABudget · Authority · Agenda — qualify & handle objections

Why Qualification Matters

Your Time Is Your Inventory

Good Qualification Gives You

Focus on prospects who can actually buy
Higher win rates and shorter cycles
Better client experiences — right fit from day one
Energy left for the next call, not drained by dead ends

Poor Qualification Costs You

Hours chasing prospects with no real need
Endless follow-ups with people who can't decide
Missed high-potential opportunities you never called
Reputation damage from pushing where you're not wanted

Qualification is not gatekeeping — it's respect: for your time, and for the prospect's. The ethical seller qualifies; the desperate seller pushes.

Our Three-Stage Qualification System

One Conversation, Three Lenses

1. CGP — UnderstandTheir challenges, goals & current plans

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2. TCI — WeighTimeline, consequences of waiting, implications of success

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3. BAA — VerifyBudget, authority, agenda — can & should this move forward?

How They Interlock

CGP reveals the need and the goal (feeds DARE's Define step)
TCI tests urgency honestly — pros & cons, both sides
BAA confirms feasibility — and pre-handles the three classic objections

The Payoff

No surprises at closing — everything surfaced early
Objections get answered before they harden
You invest hours only where a real fit exists

CGP — Challenges · Goals · Plans

Stage 1: Understanding the Buyer's Context

C — CHALLENGE The struggles the prospect is trying to overcome. Signature question: "Do you ever struggle with X?"

G — GOAL What they want to achieve — and what the challenge prevents. Signature question: "What goal is your challenge preventing you from achieving?"

P — PLAN How they're trying to overcome it right now. Signature question: "How do you plan to overcome your challenge?"

This is the official glossary definition. CGP = Challenges, Goals, Plans — in that order. Not "Context." Not "Priorities." If you see those anywhere — the glossary wins.

CGP — In Practice

A Local Business Example

C — Challenge

"Do you ever struggle with people not finding you online?"
She confirms: new residents find competitors instead
Her current "plan" is a Facebook page that barely gets seen

G — Goal

"What goal is that preventing you from reaching?"
She wants new faces booking appointments every month
Now the goal is on the table — measurable

P — Plan

"How do you plan to overcome this today?"
Her honest answer: "Honestly? I haven't figured it out."
A weak current plan = an open door for a better one

Notice what CGP does: the prospect articulates the gap themselves. You never had to convince her she has a problem — she just told you.

TCI — Timeline · Consequences · Implications

Stage 2: The Honest Weighing

T — TIMELINE When do they need to achieve this goal? Signature question: "When do you need to achieve this goal?"

C — CONSEQUENCES The objective downsides if they don't act. Signature question: "What happens if you don't achieve this goal?"

I — IMPLICATIONS The positive gains once they succeed. Signature question: "After you achieve your goal, what will you do next?"

The ethics rule of this whole program: C and I are presented together — the honest cons of staying put AND the honest pros of moving. We think with the client in the same corner. Pros & cons, full picture, their free choice. Never fear-selling.

TCI — In Practice

Objectivity Is the Technique

The Balanced Conversation

T: "When would you want new clients finding you — this season, or is there a better window?"
C: "And if things stay as they are — more clients going to the salons that show up on Google — what does next year look like?"
I: "Once new bookings start coming from the site, what would you do with that momentum?"

What This Produces

A real Timeline — or the honest answer "not urgent yet"
Consequences in her words, not your scare tactics
Implications that pull her forward emotionally
You both see the full picture — together

If TCI reveals "not urgent, not hurting" — that's a qualification result, not a failure. Nurture and move on. The pros & cons cut both ways — that's what makes them trustworthy.

BAA — Budget · Authority · Agenda

Stage 3: Verifying Feasibility — And Pre-Handling Objections

B — BUDGET The resources planned for achieving the goal. Signature question: "What do you plan to invest to achieve this goal?"

A — AUTHORITY Who must be involved in the decision. Signature question: "Who needs to be involved in this decision?"

A — AGENDA Their priorities, schedule, and timing — is this project high or low on their list right now?

Key insight: BAA is our objection-prevention framework. Every "it's too expensive," "I need to ask my spouse," and "not a good time" is a Budget, Authority, or Agenda question that you failed to explore early. Qualify BAA on the first call — objections mostly disappear.

B — Budget

Our Pricing Makes This Conversation Easy — Have It Anyway

The Good News

$100 one-time + $20–30/month is accessible to almost any operating business
Most "budget objections" at our price point are really value objections
If they hesitate at $100 — the issue is perceived value, not money

How to Explore It

"What would you plan to invest to fix this?" — let them name a number first
If their number is far below $100 — explore value before assuming they can't afford it
Frame it against the Gap: "Against the few hundred a month you said is walking past you, this is $100 once."
Genuine "can't afford it" → log it, schedule a check-in, move on respectfully

Never invent discounts to close a budget gap. The price is the price — the value conversation is where hesitation gets resolved.

A — Authority

In Local Business, Decision-Making Is Personal

The Local Reality

Often the owner decides alone — great for speed
But frequently: spouse or partner co-decides
Sometimes: property/franchise rules, or an office manager gatekeeps
"Let me ask my wife/husband" is one of the most common local-business authority patterns

How to Handle It

"Who else needs to be involved in this decision?" — ask directly, early
If a partner decides: get them on the next call — don't sell around them
Arm your contact: send the preview link so they can show the partner
Never treat the gatekeeper as an obstacle — treat them as your internal ally

Authority discovered late kills deals discovered early would have won. One question — "Who else is part of this decision?" — saves weeks.

A — Agenda

Priorities, Timing, and the Honest "Not Now"

What You're Mapping

Where does a website sit on their priority list right now?
Busy season? Landscapers in summer, salons before holidays
What else is competing for their attention and money?
Is there a natural window — off-season, slow month, renewal time?

How to Handle "Not Now"

"Call me in winter" from a landscaper = a real, honest answer — respect it
Log the date. Set the follow-up. Thank them for the clarity.
Agenda objections aren't rejections — they're scheduling information
Forcing a low-priority deal now creates a rushed, unhappy client later

This is why the last "A" is Agenda — not "Action." We work around the client's real schedule and priorities, never manufacture urgency to fit ours.

BANT — The Legacy Framework

Know It, Respect It — Then See Why We Sell With BAA

BANT (Legacy — IBM era)	BAA (Our Standard)
Budget — can they pay?	Budget — what do they plan to invest? (explores value, not just capacity)
Authority — are they the decision-maker?	Authority — who needs to be involved? (maps the full decision circle)
Need — do they need it?	Covered by CGP + TCI — deeper: challenges, goals, plans, honest pros & cons
Timeline — when?	Agenda — broader: timeline + priorities + competing commitments + scheduling

Why We Keep BANT on the Shelf

It's a useful historical lens — many clients and managers know it
Its four questions still work as a quick mental checklist
Understanding it makes you fluent in the wider sales world

Why BAA Runs Our Calls

Agenda is richer than Timeline — it anticipates real objections
It integrates with CGP/TCI as one ethical system
It matches how local businesses actually decide

The Qualification Scorecard

100 Points — Score Every Serious Prospect

Dimension	Source	Points	What Scores High
Need Strength	CGP + TCI	0–25	Clear challenge, stated goal, honest urgency
Budget	BAA — B	0–25	Comfortable with $100 + $20–30/mo; value recognized
Authority	BAA — A	0–25	Decision-maker engaged, or partner on the next call
Agenda	BAA — A	0–25	Real timeline, website is a live priority, window exists

Scoring Discipline

Score from evidence — what they said, not what you hope
Update the score after every meaningful conversation
Log scores in the CRM immediately after each call

Why It Matters at Our Volume

15–20 dial attempts per hour means decisions come fast
The scorecard is a mental checklist you run in real time
Written scores turn gut feeling into coachable data

Prioritization Bands

Where Each Score Sends the Opportunity

80–100 — High Priority

Move fast: preview, follow-up, close
Get any co-decision-maker on the next call
Full effort — this is where your $30 commissions live

60–79 — Medium Priority

Identify the weak dimension — that's your next conversation's focus
Nurture with a scheduled follow-up
Send the preview link to involve missing decision-makers

40–59 — Low Priority / Nurture

Light touch — check in at natural windows (off-season, slow month)
Keep them warm with value, not pressure

Below 40 — Not Now

Close respectfully, leave the door open
Log it, set a distant check-in, move on
Time spent here is stolen from prospects

The Qualification Conversation

A Structure That Fits a Real Dial Day

OPENING — set the frame (30 seconds) "I'd love to ask a few questions so I actually understand your situation — that way I can tell you honestly whether we're even a fit." Permission-based. Respectful. Sets up CGP naturally.

CGP — understand (the bulk of the call) Challenges → Goals → Plans. Listen more than you speak. Their answers feed DARE's Define and Analyze steps (Chapter 4).

TCI — weigh honestly Timeline, consequences, implications — both sides, objectively. This is where urgency is tested, not manufactured.

BAA — verify & transition Budget expectation, decision circle, agenda fit. If all three check out — you've earned the right to Establish (DARE's E) and present the offer.

Red Flags — When to Slow Down or Walk

Recognize Them Early, Save Everyone's Time

Budget Red Flags

Price is the first and only topic — before any need is discussed
"Can you do it for $30 total?" — far below any workable reality
Wants results but resists the recurring hosting concept entirely

Authority Red Flags

Contact can't describe how decisions get made
"Just send info" with no path to the actual decision-maker
The decision-maker is perpetually "unavailable"

Agenda Red Flags

No timeline, no trigger, "someday" — repeatedly
Endless rescheduling of follow-ups with no reason given
Asks for massive customization before any commitment

Need Red Flags (CGP/TCI)

No challenge they can name, no goal they can state
"My nephew will build it" — with no frustration driving change
TCI honest answer: nothing changes if nothing changes — they're fine

Green Lights — Signals to Accelerate

Lean In When You Hear These

Need & Timeline Signals

They name the frustration unprompted: "I keep losing people to Google"
They state a goal with a number attached
A trigger event just happened: new location, reopening, competitor's new site

Budget Signals

They ask HOW it works before WHAT it costs
They react to $100 with "that's it?" — not "how much?!"
They do the Gap math out loud themselves

Authority Signals

"That's my call — I decide for the business"
They volunteer: "I'll talk to my husband tonight — when can you call tomorrow?"
They bring the partner onto the call themselves

Agenda Signals

They propose the next step before you do
"Before our busy season starts" — a real, workable window
They show up to the scheduled follow-up

Ethical Disqualification

Walking Away Is a Skill — and a Reputation

How to Step Back Gracefully

"Based on what you've told me, it sounds like this isn't the right moment — and that's completely fine."
Leave one useful insight behind — value even in a "no"
"Would it be alright if I checked back after your busy season?"
Log it honestly in the CRM — future you will thank present you

Why This Wins Long-Term

Owners remember the rep who didn't pressure them
Disqualified today = warm referral source or client next year
Pushing a $100 sale onto a bad fit costs more in churn than it earns
The Flywheel (Chapter 8) runs on exactly this integrity

"Qualification protects the client from a bad purchase — and protects us from a bad relationship. Both are wins."

— Steady Hands LLC

Qualification at Steady Hands Speed

Cold Dials, Warm Follow-Ups, and Re-Qualification

Cold Calls

Qualification starts in second one — tone, openness, situation
Permission-based CGP questions even in a 3-minute call
No fit? Log, thank, next dial — 15–20 attempts/hour continue

Warm Follow-Ups

Re-qualify — situations change: budget freed, partner convinced, season ended
"Since we last spoke, what's changed on your end?"
Update the score — yesterday's may be today's

Re-Qualification Triggers

30–45 days since last contact
Seasonal window opens or closes
Any change they mention — new location, new competition, growth

Qualification is a process, not an event. The scorecard lives across the whole relationship — updated every touch, logged every time.

Common Qualification Mistakes

Catch Yourself Before the Call Catches You

Process Mistakes

Qualifying too late — after you've already pitched
Qualifying once and never re-qualifying
Scoring from hope instead of evidence
Skipping the CRM log "because I'll remember"

Question Mistakes

Interrogating instead of conversing — question after question with no listening
Asking leading questions that telegraph the "right" answer
Avoiding Budget/Authority because they feel awkward — awkward early, fatal late

Judgment Mistakes

Assuming a small business can't afford $100 — let THEM tell you
Treating Agenda answers as rejections instead of scheduling info
Seeing disqualification as failure instead of time saved

Ethics Mistakes

Using TCI's Consequences to scare instead of inform
Pushing through a score because "this one will close"
Manufacturing urgency the client never expressed

Chapter 5 — Summary

What You Must Walk Away With

The System

CGP — Challenges · Goals · Plans: understand their context
TCI — Timeline · Consequences · Implications: weigh honestly, both sides
BAA — Budget · Authority · Agenda: verify feasibility, pre-handle objections
BANT — legacy reference: know it, compare it, sell with BAA

The Discipline

Score every serious prospect — 100 points, four dimensions
Prioritize by band: fast · nurture · light touch · door open
Re-qualify at every follow-up — scores change with situations
Disqualify ethically — no pressure, always a door left open

Quick Check

Test Yourself Before Moving On

1. In our official glossary, CGP stands for:

Context, Goals, Priorities Challenges, Goals, Plans Costs, Gains, Performance

Challenges → Goals → Plans, in that order. The glossary wins in any conflict.

2. A landscaper says: "Call me in November — summer is our crazy season." According to BAA, this is:

A rejection — remove them from the pipeline An Agenda answer — valuable scheduling information; log the date and follow up in the window they named A Budget objection that must be overcome now

Agenda objections are scheduling information, not rejection. Respect the window, log it, return on time.

3. Your prospect scores 35/100 after a full conversation. The ethical move:

Pitch harder — the score just means they need more convincing Invent urgency so their Timeline score rises Step back gracefully, leave one useful insight, ask permission to check back later, and log it honestly

Ethical disqualification protects the client AND your reputation. Today's respectful "no" is next year's referral.

What's Next

Chapter 6: Crafting Compelling Value Propositions

The FormulaVALUE = BENEFIT − COST — and making the math undeniable

QuantificationSpecific, honest numbers for every claim

Stakeholder FitThe right value story for each decision-maker

"Qualification found you a real opportunity. Now you must articulate its value so clearly that the client sees it as an investment — not a cost."

— Steady Hands LLC