Your sales team has a steady churn of business, some days and months are better than others but things seem to be going reasonably well.
Why rock the boat?
Well if you are like 99% of organisations out there, there are always ways to market better, up-skill and optimise your processes. AND ALSO there are some some really straightforward and simple ways that you can make the most of every lead opportunity and plain and simple STOP WASTING THEM!
Top four common lead-wasters:
# 1 - Reluctance to pick up the phone
Avoidance is one of the biggest areas that sales teams battle against. When a lead comes across a sales exec’s desk, the number one thing that needs to happen is that first step -- making a connection. If your sales team are increasingly unmotivated for any reason (perhaps lack the background information, training or a motivating environment) to simply pick up the phone and start a conversation, leads become lost – or are often filtered on to second-rate means of qualifying the leads -- email.
# 2 - Poor method for qualifying sales leads
Another common ‘waster’ is ending a sales call way too early, without asking the right questions to identify quality leads. This can happen when sales teams are stretched and bent on achieving KPIs in place of a strategy that places values on qualifying the best leads for the business. In our experience, having a conversation with decision makers and asking the right follow up questions can in many cases relate to spin off business or insights into how best to service the potential client in future.
# 3 - ‘One touch’ wonders
A common occurrence, depending on the size of your database, some prospects may receive one call annually! Some haven’t been touched in years! Do you know what they are up to? Has someone else taken his or her role? Are they aware of the latest products and specials you offer? Staying consistent with your database can be tricky, but it is of course very important to maximize the propensity to consider you as a product/service provider.
# 4 - No follow-up
Unfortunately it is quite common that even once prospects have been contacted, what happens next might be, well… nothing. A great sales call will capture lots of information, far more than just the basics; it’s just a question of what happens next? In some cases, promises are made and due to time restraints, or lack of proper process the next step in building this valuable relationship falls through the cracks. This is why it’s so important for sales managers and marketers to re-think how they are capturing and managing their leads.
Repair these mistakes with a lead-generation nurture process
It’s easy enough to identify where you team may be wasting valuable opportunities and results are soon enough seen in new and repeat business statistics. It’s important for your sales team to design processes to manage leads from start to finish that is really going to make all the difference. A thoughtful process that nurtures and carefully considers how your prospects are managed allows proper cadence for lead generation.
Talk to MIH today for more information on how you can strategically re-think your lead generation process, and stick with us as we share more tips and insights here via our blog and on twitter.