Lead Qualification + Follow-Up

We’ve all heard the scary lead follow-up stats floating around – 73% of web leads are never contacted (Source: HubSpot), 44% of salespeople give up after 1 contact attempt (Source: Scripted), and that as much as 50% of sales go to the vendor that responds first (Source:InsideSales.com). Companies work so hard to get leads in the system, but how do you make sure that your team is making the most of those leads?

“Companies work so hard to get leads in the system, but how do you make sure that your team is making the most of those leads?”[Tweet this]

Being fast is critical (as a number of studies have highlighted), but being fast and sloppy is no better than not making the call at all. Just because the customer raised their hand or showed some interest doesn’t mean you’re off the hook from doing your job. Understand that if a prospect filled out a lead on your site, they probably filled out another 10 forms as well.

So while it is important to get to that lead first, you also need to set yourself apart from first time you engage with that client.

Check out this quick (sub 2 min) video that I did for Zoom Info recently on the most common mistakes that reps make on lead follow up and how to overcome them.

While you’re out there, make sure you subscribe to the Factor 8 YouTube channel to ensure you always get our latest content!

LB

How To Get 100 Qualified Leads

As children around the globe look to the skies in wonder about Santa, Inside Sales leaders will also look to the heavens contemplating the “gift” of increased 2016 quotas. Now, I don’t have the HBR research to back this up, but my experience has shown that expectations on Sales teams get increased approximately 100% of the time. That means it’s on us to find avenues for growth in the coming year (please Santa?!).

I’m betting that you can hit those growth numbers with nothing more than your existing lead sources…if you’re willing to take a new approach.

I’m not suggesting that you blindly “smile and dial” through an endless pile of names and numbers…be better than that. I’m going to suggest something that might sound like Sales heresy, and it’s not for the faint of heart:

Don’t seek out the Decision Maker on your first call.

The goal for call 1 is simply to determine if this is a customer worth pursuing. Why wouldn’t you want to target the decision maker out of the gate? I’m so glad you asked…Here are my Top 5 reasons for separating qualifying and first contact into two distinct calls:

1. Winning is Fun. Every qualifying call can be a success with just one piece of data gained.
2. Talk to more people. No more leaving months of voicemails (just to find out they’re a bad fit!)
3. Power through leads quicker. Qualifying calls don’t need to be customized OR researched
4. Gain better information before talking to the DM to increase your odds of success – show him/her you’ve done your homework.
5. A qualified book leads to a proactive territory strategy focused on top leads – most companies try each lead 2.5 times and then trash it. Ouch.

Hmmm…more fun, more success and less wasted time. Might be worth a shot. Want more details on how this would look? Jump to our site for tips, videos, and success stories or to leave me a post on what you hope Santa brings you this year.

Happy Holidays and Happy Selling!

LB