Don't lose any more leads - with Leadtributor
Every sales organization aims to close as many high-turnover sales deals as possible in order to increase the closing rate and also the conversion rate. This requires a large number of potential buyers (leads). The closer the prospective buyer is to the final purchase decision (hot lead), the easier it will be to close the deal. The call of the sales teams for such "hot leads" is therefore very understandable.
Leads are rarely processed properly
In fact practice shows time and time again that a large proportion of the leads generated are not processed or are not processed correctly, and as a result a lot of unused sales potential simply seeps away in the lead process. Why is this so?
1. Leads go cold
Probably the most common reason for the unsuccessful termination of a sales process is the fact that the generated leads are passed on to the right processor too late or not at all. A four-week delay in processing can mean that this customer is lost for an entire investment cycle and thus for many years. The rapid processing of leads still offers great potential for differentiation.
TIP 1: Automate the process of passing on leads – there are tools for that. This is even more important when you pass on leads to sales partners. Agree on clear periods of time during which a lead must be with the responsible agent and should be processed further there.
2. The leadfunnel has "holes"
"Holes" in the leadfunnel mean that hardly any deals are made from a large number of generated contacts and prospects. In the course of the lead process, leads are regularly lost at various points: they are routed to a place where they are not processed further or the processing of the leads is insufficient. These are the starting points for targeted improvements for conversion rate optimization.
TIP 2: Avoid unnecessary back and forth movement of leads from one responsible person to the next. Define clear handover points as to who is responsible for handling the contacts at each stage of the sales funnel. Marketing, inside sales, sales partner?
3. Good leads are not identified between many bad ones
If a partner has a bad experience with transferred leads, he will probably not process new prospect contacts from the same source in the future. An actual "hot" lead may remain unprocessed as a result. When transferring leads of different quality, it is therefore essential to mark their quality in order to enable the partner to prioritize and expect the right processing.
TIP 3: Introduce the lead temperature principle. Tell the sales employee or sales partner quite honestly whether this contact is hot, warm or cold from your point of view. This way you create clear expectations and avoid annoying the processor. If you use motivation systems, you can reward the processing of cold leads disproportionately.
4. Information is lost during the transmission process.
A lead can be processed more effectively the more information is available about the prospect. If important information is lost during the lead process, the prospect cannot be adequately served. The contact may be referred to an unsuitable partner and thus cannot be won, or additional effort is required to generate information that was already available. In addition, this usually leaves a bad impression on the prospect.
TIP 4: Let all parties involved in the lead process work in one system: Marketing, Sales, Telesales Agency, Sales Partners. Information must be available transparently for all parties. In this way, you avoid information loss and promote the rapid processing of contacts as well as an increase in the conversion rate.
5. Processes are turning repetitive loops
A lot of time and money is lost when a lead goes through process steps multiple times. For example, if the profile information is recorded correctly right away at a fair, there is no need for the call center to make a follow-up qualification call. The lead can be processed directly. It should also always be taken into account which materials have already been given or sent to the prospect. Even the best marketing material is more likely to have a negative impact if the prospect receives it for the third time.
TIP 5: Define qualification criteria. How much and what information does a lead need to be interesting for the processor? Make it clear to each process participant what is expected of them in the qualification process.
6. Transparency on the lead process is lacking
To improve processes, you first need to know where the problems are. How long does a lead take from the time the contact request is recorded until the sales representative or sales partner calls back? What percentage of leads are still waiting for that call today, and what are they? Who is responsible for this? The entire lead process is a critical business process and should therefore be clearly documented and closely monitored across all stages in order to be able to react quickly and accurately to undesirable developments.
TIPP 6: Digitize the lead process - there are tools that make the lead management process transparent. Develop KPIs to uncover weaknesses. Get regular reporting on key KPIs.
Conclusion: Conversion rate optimization only works with transparent KPIs
If you follow all these tips, it is of course not guaranteed that you will close all contact requests positively. But two things are certain: 1) You have the necessary transparency about the lead process and can react and optimize quickly 2) You have a significantly higher conversion rate!