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tags: Module 7
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# Layers of qualification
Qualification doesnt equal qualification. In fact, there are different levels of qualification that vary by the level - we refer to as layers - of value you add as salesperson and the insight you gain on your leads' actual situation.

Let us break it down for you.

**We are referring to 3 layers of qualification:**

1. FIT: Identify whether your lead is the right FIT for your company. This can include wide range of factors like: industry, size of organization, toolset they use, language, geography, problem.
1. NEED: Identify whether lead has a NEED (resulting from a problem) you can help with.
1. IMPACT: Identify the IMPACT, understanding what the need really means for your prospect - both the impact of inaction and the impact of action.

> SDRs always need to qualify for 1 and 2.
> Great SDRs tap into 3.
> AEs always do 3.

### Layer 1: FIT

These are the basic criteria of your company's ideal customer profile (ICP - remember? 😇 ), expanded by having identified a basic problem or challenge that your company typically helps with. As an outbound SDR, you ideally always only target those leads that correspond to your company's ICP. This way, you then don't have to actively qualify for these factors at qualification stage. It should be accounted for anyway. The only point missing may be a confirmation of problem they experience.

As an Inbound SDR, qualifying inbound leads, qualifying for fit should be done by marketing, only handing over leads that meet the company's ICP. If that's not the case, be sure to validate these points.

### Layer 2: NEED
On layer 2, your goal is identify your leads' underlying problem and what needs results from it. You are not stopping at the first mention of a problem that may only be a symptom. You dig deeper until you have gotten a full understanding of the various needs, their drivers and motivations.

### Layer 3: IMPACT
Once you have identified the need, you want to diagnose the implication of the need both now and in the future. In other words, you want to understand what the identified need means in terms of resources (time, effort and costs it causes) and what it would mean if you solved it in the future (gain of time or money, less effort).

Understanding impact of inaction and action is where the magic happens. It's the meat and bones of need discovery.

:::info
**Practical tip:** Think of an onion that you want to peel to get to the core of a problem. Don't stop at the first layer, keep peeling.
:::


> The better you become at peeling the onion, the better you will be as SDR and AE. As we wrote above, as SDR you need to nail layers 1 and 2. Great salespeople, SDRs / AEs / full cycle sales managers, are relentless in nailing layer 3.

## How to peel the onion
Now, with that being said as introductory to qualification via need discovery, we are teaching you the tools of how to do it effectively.

The key is that it's really only about two things you need:

1. Good questions and
1. active listening

That's it. If you become exceptionally good at both of these in combination, you will make many customers happy and have a promising career.

At qualification stage, questioning for need diagnosis are part of the qualified sales conversation that we call "discovery call" or short, "disco call".

😉 Up next: How to peel the onion!

**INSERT video on qualification layers by dom**

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