By WorkWiseSoftware
Prospecting, the skill that all good salespeople need but few make the time to do. Being good at prospecting is part skill, and an even larger part effort. They can be found in a multitude of ways; however your organization chooses to plan with those leads is another. Without a sincere and dedicated effort and a good CRM tool in place it will not be successful. Below are some helpful suggestions to improve the quality and quantity of leads:
Ensure that your staff understands what a good lead is
Studies indicate that 90 percent of leads sent to salespeople are never followed up on. This often occurs because the lead is sent to the wrong person or the prospect is not ready to meet with a salesperson yet. The company should have a well-defined definition of what a good lead is before the leads are sent to the sales area of an organization.
Ask clients to introduce, not refer you to another colleague who can use your services
This builds instant credibility and will make the prospect more willing to hear what you do. The rapport building stage has already been set when this takes place. Use your CRM tool to keep track of these prospects.
Use a CRM tool and revive old leads with your system
New buyers could be in place, budgets increased and that tough decision maker may finally be ready to buy. Customer Relationship Management software will help organize salespeople’s conversations and will help with better follow up.
Take care of your leads
Treating them like a client before they are one, will want your prospects to proceed further with you in the sales process. They may not be ready to buy now, but at some point they will be and you want them to think of you when they reach that stage. Prospects need multiple contacts with an organization before they are confident and willing to consider buying from you.
Share any leads within 48 hours via CRM
By doing this, you are showing you care and setting yourself apart from your competitors. It will also increase your closing ratios.
Find out the source
Where did the organization calling/contacting you hear about your services or product offerings? In order to know what is working from a marketing perspective, you have to know where the business is being driven from.
Learn from the process
Save interesting information about customers and prospects within CRM software. Put the names of your competitors that might win deals from you, why they won, will the account serve as a referral or not, what products do they own, etc. This information can be saved in a CRM system and can prove very valuable for future interactions with other clients and prospects.
By utilizing these methods in combination with your other prospecting approaches and Customer Relationship Management you should never have a dry pipeline. Remember, you should never stop coming up with new ways to find business. Prospecting is a critical component to your sales success. If you don’t put the effort in, the results will be obvious.
