Loading ...All sales people should have a load of leads/prospects sitting in their queue just waiting for them to call down on. Your typical sale person of course cherry picks the juiciest-looking leads (usually big companies, large annual revenue, etc) and calls them first.
I’d do the same because those deals (if closed) payout the largest commission. While this is not the best business approach nor the way their management trains them to work, it’s just how sales reps work. You can’t change that.
So if you’re a sale person, how can you convert more leads into customers? First and foremost, you need some sort of CRM system to track your prospects and customers. This allows you to keep organized without using the old fashioned address book or Rolodex (which was actually an early form of CRM). Many small businesses still use the basic spreadsheet solution which is fine but definitely not a scalable solution.
Second, keep in contact with your prospect so they don’t get cold. It’s easy to do if you have a CRM system. Most systems allow you to setup auto-emails with personalization built in (i.e. To Frank, etc) so sales reps can spend more time qualifying new leads instead of having to nurture other leads after the first touch.
Richard Morochove at PC World, wrote an article about this and goes into more detail about how customer relationship management service helps you convert business prospects to customers.
CRM applications handle three main tasks: Track your prospects and customers; keep tabs on what they want; and let them know how your business can deliver the goods that satisfy their needs. In a nutshell, CRM organizes the sales process.
He then goes on by talking about 4 key points about how leads can be better turned into customers. His points are broken into the following sections:
- CRM Organizes Sales
- Use a Web-based CRM System
- Simple but Effective CRM
- Use Email Marketing Integration
He also talks about 37signals new CRM product called Highrise which seems like a great small business solution at only $24/month. Other online systems such as salesforce.com or netsuite are more feature-rich but cost more. Make sure whichever system you choose, it’s right for your business, sales team, and able to scale. Last thing you want is a CRM system that nobody uses or becomes outdated within a year.
I agree with your post, and would further add that TIME is the key consideration. Sending it to a CRM to house the relevant data is one thing–what if your CRM could immediately call and email the new lead for you, route it to the right sales rep and begin the “touch” process immediately? Our company’s product, InsideSales.com, for instance, has the ability to do this.
This is not to toot our own horn so much as to emphasize the idea that response should be immediate—we’re talking minutes, not hours or days. If a lead is sitting in a sales manager’s inbox for 48 hours, that lead’s potential is dropping every minute that passes.