March 6, 2012
Leads are categorized in different ways: some are ready to purchase, some are undecided and others are not interested at all. How do you deal with them? Lead management uses tools to filter or categorize them appropriately. This way you will never lose the leads that are ready to purchase. Proper lead management is necessary to be able to see who your prospects are, encourage those who have potential and work on those who are not interested at all. Here are 7 benefits to implementing effective lead management.
1. You’ll notice when leads are sales-ready. Develop a lead scoring system by coming up with criteria to determine which leads are sales-ready. Collaborate with your sales team and use marketing analytics to develop the lead scoring system that you will use. As you continue to evaluate your leads, you will discover new criteria that will help you categorize them even more effectively.
2. Keep the unqualified leads. A recent survey from Gleanster found that nearly 50% of B2B sales leads are not yet prepared to make a purchase decision after the initial conversation. Instead of throwing them away, perform a lead nurturing campaign for them that is aligned with their interests. A properly timed campaign featuring content they find interesting may convert them into a qualified lead.
3. Work efficiently. Use lead intelligence tools to keep track of lead activity. This way you’ll be able to see what websites your leads have visited, what type of emails they receive and other valuable information. Again, use lead scoring to help your sales team easily turn leads into customers in a short span of time.
4. Be a thought leader in the industry. Nurture unqualified leads with content about your company, field and product or service. Share it with them before they ask for it. This will show you are an authority in your industry. Do it the right way and you can expect leads to share your content using social media. This will give your company some great publicity.
5. Understanding the needs of your leads. Lead intelligence tools help you track the behavior patterns of your leads. You’ll get a clearer vision of what they do, which offers they download, the number of times they visited a page and what pages they visited. Based on the results, you can assess and evaluate their behaviors and what they respond to. Tailor the content in your lead nurturing campaign to their behavior.
6. Establish trust. Show your leads that you are what they are looking for, that you are the one they need and show them your readiness to assist them. You are not only educating them, but you are also building a foundation of trust.
7. Measure Sales ROI. Lead management allows you to analyse lead metrics through the sales cycle. As you pass your leads on to your sales team, continue to score, refine and evaluate your scoring system as necessary. Determine what works in your lead management system and what needs to be changed or developed. Optimize accordingly to achieve and exceed your target ROI.