Finding a successful way to turn leads into customers is how a small business grows and thrives.This is why it’s particularly vital to get your marketing and sales people or teams working together in a systematic and structured way.
The following best practices will show you how to increase prospects and focus on the right leads. They will also help track what does and doesn’t work.
How to grow your business with lead management
1. Define the perfect lead
Figuring out specifics about your ideal lead and making your sales and marketing teams aware of this person will help you hone in on your target. To do this, make sure you know:
• Your lead’s problems and interests
• The type of content that will attract them
• Where they spend their time online and offline
• Their preferred channels for communication
• Their role in the buying process
• How they indicate they are ready to be passed to the sales team
2. Attract them with targeted content
Companies that blog generate 67% more leads than companies that don’t blog. That’s a number that’s hard to ignore. Blogging allows you to influence the buyer’s decision by showcasing the leadership and expertise unique to your business. It’s also a great way to learn about your customers’ needs, especially when you offer clear calls to action. Your blog should not be about your products or even your brand. Write about the challenges that your customers face and provide solutions. Research or Google commonly asked questions in your industry and answer them in blog posts.
3. Line up your sales and marketing teams
Without question, your sales and marketing employees need to be on the same page if they are going to convert prospects successfully. Establish a mutually agreed upon marketing-sales lead response time so leads are worked efficiently. Keep a centralized database of customer contacts and updated activities that both teams can access. The more visibility and insight available about each lead, the better the odds of closing.
4. Plan the “nurture journey”
A nurture journey is how you a)build relationships with prospects, and b) retain lesser qualified leads for future interest. This is often the most neglected part of the lead management process. Make sure you only pass leads to the sales team when they are sales ready. If they aren’t there yet, and aren’t qualified as the “perfect lead,” keep them in the nurture process until the right time.
5. Keep your data clean
Quality data will show the effectiveness and potential weaknesses of your sales and marketing activities. Inaccurate data can damage your reputation, lower conversion rates, and cause you to lose prospects. The right Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application can help you accurately track information about your prospects and the sales process.
6. Establish a feedback loop
Closing a deal or losing a lead is not the final step. Ask questions so you can gather insights to improve your lead management process going forward. Here are some examples:
• Why was the customer hesitant to buy initially?
• How did we overcome their hesitancy?
• Which product features were a deal breaker?
• How many interactions were required before the purchase?
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