When dealing with potential customers, the process of separating those who are likely to buy from those who are not. Essentially qualification involves comparing a person who has shown an interest in your product or service to a list of criteria that establishes who you think your customers are.

Some criteria that are used to separate prospects from suspects (as unqualified prospects are sometimes called) are:

Separating qualified leads from unqualified ones is important. The cost of selling some products is so high that it becomes like a form of triage, and finding those most likely to buy is the only way to avoid expensive failure. In a call center, the initial information gatherer is the first line agent, who after qualifying the prospect would then assign the call to an appropriate senior seller, or handle the tasks of sending literature to the caller (often through an automated recordkeeping and fulfillment system).

Market research information gathered in ways that are less rigorously scientific than surveys and other quantitative methods. Focus groups are an example. Companies use them when they need to generate ideas instead of conclusions, says...