Lead qualifying questions to ask on an inbound call
Ask five things on an inbound sales call, in this order: what the caller needs, where the job is, when they need it, who decides, and how they want to hear back. Everything else can wait for the callback. The questions below are grouped by stage, with the wording to use when the caller is a fit and when they aren't.
Open the call and earn the questions
Thanks for calling Keystone Roofing, this is Maya.
I can get you a quote started right now. Mind if I ask four quick questions so the estimator calls back with real numbers?
Asking permission takes three seconds and changes the tone. Callers answer questions they agreed to, and they answer them in more detail.
Hi, you've reached the AI assistant for Keystone Roofing.
I'll take a few details so the right estimator calls you back. What's going on with the roof?
The notice sits in the first sentence and the first question is open. See the disclosure section below for the states where that first sentence matters.
Need: what the caller wants done
Tell me a little about what you need help with.
Open first, then narrow. Their own words tell you more about urgency than any checkbox, and they end up in the call notes verbatim.
Is this a repair on something that's already there, or a new install?
Roughly how big is the area we'd be working on?
Two short choices the caller can answer without thinking. Swap the pair for your trade: 'new patient or existing', 'buying or selling', 'one room or the whole house'.
Have you had anyone look at this yet, or are we the first call?
A caller on their third quote is price-shopping. A caller on their first call wants to be reassured. The callback should sound different for each.
Fit: location, timing and who decides
What's the address, or at least the zip code, where the work is?
Ask the location before you spend five minutes on details. It's the fastest way to spot a job you can't take.
When are you hoping to have this done?
Is there a date it has to be finished by, like a move-in or an inspection?
Line two finds the hard deadline. A caller with an inspection on Friday is worth a same-day callback.
Is anyone else involved in the decision, like a partner or a landlord?
Would it help to have them on the call when the estimator rings back?
Phrase it as help, never as a test. 'Are you the decision maker?' makes owners feel checked. 'Would it help to have them on the call' gets the same answer and books a better meeting.
Do you have a rough budget in mind, or would you like a range first?
Offering the range option lets callers who don't know say so without feeling caught out. Most will give you a number anyway.
And how did you hear about us?
Ask it last in this stage, once the caller is relaxed. It's the one question that tells you which ads and referrals are paying off.
Next step: book, hand over or close kindly
Thanks, that's everything we need. Our estimator has Tuesday at ten or Wednesday at two. Which works better?
Let me read that back: Jordan Lee, 555-0142, Tuesday at ten, at 18 Pine Road. Is that right?
Two options beat 'when are you free'. A read-back catches the wrong digit before it costs you a wasted drive.
That sounds urgent. Let me get Sam on the line now so you don't have to wait for a callback.
Hand over on the words that signal money now: 'leak', 'today', 'closing on Friday', 'ready to sign'. Set those triggers in advance so nobody has to judge them mid-call.
Thanks for telling me. That address is outside the area our crews cover, so I don't want to waste your time with a visit.
If you'd like, I'll pass your details to the owner in case they know someone local.
A kind close keeps the reputation. Callers remember how a 'no' felt far longer than they remember the no.
I understand. Most jobs like yours land in a range we can give you once someone has seen it.
Can I book a free fifteen-minute look so the number you get is the real one?
Price-first callers hang up on 'it depends'. Give them a reason the number needs a visit, then offer the visit as the fast route to the price.
Why this order qualifies faster
Need comes first because it's the question callers came to answer. If you open with 'what's your budget', the caller feels sold to before anyone has listened. Start with their problem and they volunteer half the qualifying detail without being asked.
Location and timing come next because they rule a job in or out in ten seconds. A lead in the wrong zip code or needing work next year is still worth a polite note, but it doesn't need an estimator's afternoon.
Decision maker and budget sit near the end, once the caller trusts the call. Asked early, both feel like a filter. Asked after the caller has explained the job, they feel like planning.
Every path ends in a next step the caller can see: a booked time, a live handover or a kind close. A qualified lead with no next step is just a message.
How to fit the questions to your business
Keep it to five or six questions on the call. You can ask the rest on the callback, when the caller is expecting a longer conversation. Pick the ones that decide whether you'd take the job, and cut the ones you only want for your records.
Rewrite the job-type pair in your trade's words. A law firm asks 'is this a new matter or an existing case'. A dental office asks 'is this a check-up or is something hurting'. A realtor asks 'are you buying, selling or both'.
Write down your 'hand it over now' words before the phone rings. Whoever takes the call shouldn't have to guess what counts as urgent. Three or four phrases is plenty.
Put your answers somewhere the next person can read them. A qualifying call is only useful if the callback starts from the notes, so the caller never repeats the story.
The AI notice on a qualifying call
How GreetKeeper asks the qualifying questions
GreetKeeper answers your inbound calls and asks the questions you give it, in your order and in your words. You write them as intake questions. It also answers the questions you train it on about your services and area, so the caller gets answers while you get the details.
It routes by what the caller needs. Set your hand-over words, and GreetKeeper transfers to your team when a caller uses them or asks for a person. It also transfers when the assistant is unsure. If the first number doesn't pick up, it tries a second number you nominate.
For a good fit, GreetKeeper books into your calendar and reads the name, number and time back before it books. After the call, the caller gets one text with the booking confirmation or your booking link, and a reply with the opt-out word stops any more texts. Your on-call person gets a text with the caller's details.
Every call arrives as a transcript and a short summary. Send the answers anywhere with the webhook. Each call posts the caller's name and number, the reason for calling, the summary and every intake answer as a question and answer pair. Plans start at $49 a month for 200 answered calls, with a 14-day free trial, every feature on and no card.
Questions people ask about these greetings
What are the most important lead qualifying questions?
What the caller needs, where the job is and when they need it. Those three decide most leads in under a minute. Decision maker and budget matter too, but ask them last, once the caller has explained the job and trusts the call.
How many qualifying questions should I ask on the first call?
Five or six. That fits in about two minutes and leaves the caller with energy for the callback. Save anything you only need for paperwork, like a second phone number or an account name, for the follow-up.
Should I ask about budget on an inbound call?
Yes, as a choice rather than a demand. 'Do you have a rough budget, or would you like a range first?' lets the caller answer either way. Put it near the end of the call, after the need and the timing.
What's the difference between BANT and these questions?
BANT (budget, authority, need, timing) covers the same ground in a different order. On an inbound call, need goes first because the caller rang to talk about it. Asking budget first turns a warm caller cold.
Hear it qualify a caller
Your questions, your hand-over words, a caller asking for a quote. Two minutes.