Is there a disconnect between your Sales and Marketing teams?
Do your monthly reports show a significant difference between leads and closed deals?
Want to bridge the gap between inbound leads and closed deals but don’t know where to start?
We’ve got you covered…with tips on how to change your approach to converting leads into new clients.
What Qualifies As a Lead?
First and foremost, your team needs to know what qualifies as a lead. At Bop Design, our best leads come directly from our B2B website contact form submissions. We are positively relentless in getting these leads scheduled after qualifying.
Tips to Qualify and Convert Leads
The first step in our lead management and qualification process includes taking the time to go to the current website to review their business industry. Once we establish that they are in an industry we work with, we send them an email to schedule a call.
If a lead does not respond to our initial email, which is typically no longer than an hour from the form submission, we send another 24 hours later to ensure they received it. We do this as emails from new email addresses can land in the junk folder.
The biggest issue we see in the lead management/closing process is that the sales team either is too aggressive or gives up after reaching out once or twice via email. Don’t give up on this website contact form lead, stay diligent without being overwhelming. If you still don’t get a response after two emails within 48 hours, send a third email a day or two later advising this is the last time you are reaching out to connect. If this lead is an ideal prospect, attempt to connect on LinkedIn with a personal note advising your business is ready to help when the time is appropriate. The goal is to establish rapport and get to a yes or a no with scheduling a call.
Read more: Is sales sabotaging your B2B marketing efforts?
Phone In Leads Are Great Too
Phone call inquiries are our favorite type of lead and here’s why: we get to establish a human connection right away. There must be a team member who can answer every phone call during normal business hours. If a member of your team doesn’t answer the call, the lead will call a competitor who picks up.
Remember, this lead is calling to connect and inquire about your products or services and you want to help affirm they made the best decision reaching out to your business. Remember that seen from Ghostbuster’s where Annie hits the button and screams “WE GOT ONE” after hanging up the phone for their first paying gig? That is the level of enthusiasm you need to have for a lead who calls in to learn more about your products or services. This is your time to connect and listen to why they are calling so you can determine how to help.
Establishing trust is as easy as answering the phone. Imagine the confidence this lead feels after calling other businesses with no human answering and then they call your company, and you answer. You have established yourself as an expert when you can answer their questions and are the first to answer their call. It’s worth nothing that phone call leads in particular have brought about more ongoing business and recurring revenue than any other type of lead, at least for Bop Design. Nine times out of ten this initial call establishes trust in our brand and leaves a great impression.
Read more: How 2020 changed B2B marketing.
Resource Downloads Are Leads Too
Passive leads or leads that download resources or collateral from a B2B website are higher up the sales funnel than website contact forms and phone calls but are still leads. As such, these leads should still be nurtured, although the process will be different. Send an email to this lead within one business day after the download and offer additional resources specific to their industry. You can also send a personalized note to connect on LinkedIn advising you are happy to help and you won’t spam them. Connecting on LinkedIn personalizes your initial email as the goal is to establish a human connection with the lead.
Read more: Common mistakes that turn prospects away.
Adjust Your Approach to Nurturing Leads
If you are struggling to close leads, your sales approach needs to adjust to relationship building. You build a relationship by establishing trust and listening first. You are the expert they are looking for and you understand their business needs. If you establish this genuine connection and back it up with excellent service delivery or products, not only will this lead turn into a long-standing client, but they will refer and recommend you to their colleagues for years to come.
