From Todd Caponi’s book, The Transparency Sale: How Unexpected Honesty and Understanding the Buying Brain Can Transform Your Results:
Trigger
When I refer to the trigger, I refer to the point where the buyer has recognized that their status quo is no longer sustainable. Is something occurring in the buyer’s world that has them committed to making a change? Whether we’ve created that trigger or not, this is also known as the “compelling event” or the understanding of what happens if a change doesn’t occur.
Engagement
When looking at an opportunity, I ask myself: Is the prospect engaged? Have we scheduled a next step or follow up? Evidence of a qualified opportunity is shown in the customer’s willingness to set aside time in their calendar and start the buying journey with you. If they say they’ll “call you next week” or you have to chase them down, the prospect isn’t ready.
Mobilizer
Have you connected with the individual(s) who are capable of mobilizing a team to make a change? A term coined by the team at CEB, mobilizers are individuals who have the trust and confidence of executives in their organization.
Plan
The plan refers to how far you are in drafting a mutual-decision plan with your prospect. Have you discussed what steps will be required to fix the problem with their status quo? Have they contributed to outlining the plan?
Together, TEMP serves as a constant beacon for a qualified opportunity.
