Organize and qualify your prospects with a lead tracking process that works
The relationship between marketing and sales begins with a robust lead tracking process. Without one, it’s tough to qualify prospects and convert them into customers. But what makes a lead tracking process successful? And how do you know if it’s working?
Lead tracking is very much what it sounds like. When a lead comes in, you gather as much information about them as possible to help you decide if that person is already a qualified buyer, or if they need further nurturing before entering them into the sales cycle. Engaging potential customers through a lead tracking process can help marketing teams learn where their leads came from, which can also help them modify their outreach campaigns to be more effective. The data they gather is then passed on to the sales team so they can tailor their sales strategies to suit each unique lead.
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Find out how to implement an effective lead tracking process in your business and boost your sales numbers
Gather lead information
The first and most crucial step in a lead tracking process is to collect information about your leads. This can be done over the phone but is most commonly done through web forms, email, and social media. Some information to collect includes the person’s name, phone number, email address, location, company size, and the method through which they first contacted you. This helps you understand more about their background and behavior, which in turn allows you to fine tune your sales strategy.
Once you’ve gathered the information, you need a place to store it. Software like Call Logic is helpful in part because you can easily access and alter the information. You can also analyze data to help you better understand where your lead sits in the sales cycle and which of your marketing campaigns work the best at bringing in new nearly-qualified leads.
Qualify your leads
Once you’ve gathered the data on your prospects, you can identify which of them are ready to buy and who may need more time and nurturing. Some leads are merely inquiring about your product or service without any initial intention to buy. Others demonstrate a potential interest in buying, while others are already potential buyers. And, of course, some people come to the table ready to buy. It’s important to know where your leads stand so you can approach them the right way, at the right point in the sales cycle.
One way to qualify leads is to give each one a score based on the information you’ve collected about them. Those who score high are ready to be passed on to the sales team or taken through the sales cycle and those who score low require more time and effort before you can expect them to close a deal. Scoring leads is a useful and straightforward metric that can be very helpful for any lead tracking process.
Walk your leads through to sales
Now that you know where your leads stand in the sales process, you can guide them through to the next stage, bringing them closer to closing the deal. For leads who are merely inquiring, you might offer them something of value, like a white paper or ebook. This will help them decide whether or not your product or service solves their problem.
For leads who are further along in the process, they might be ready for a free trial or promotional offer. Whatever your approach, consistent (but not annoying) communication is vital. Reach out to these leads via email and social media. Make sure you stay top of mind as they decide whether or not your offering is the right one for them. Continue to score your leads through these processes until they score high enough to be passed on to the sales team.
Follow up with your contacts
Following up is a critical step in any lead tracking process. Whether a lead has been handed off to sales or not, it’s important to continue tracking that lead to make sure they don’t go cold. Make phone calls or send emails to check in, re-score the leads if necessary, and do everything you can to make sure they continue to move forward in the sales process, not backward.
Keeping in touch with leads is easier than ever with software like Call Logic that can store email addresses and automate follow-ups, so you’re free to reach out even while you’re working with other customers. Make sure that your emails contain relevant, engaging content to grab your lead’s attention, and don’t send follow-ups too frequently or you might come across as pushy. Each response you get to a follow-up can help you determine where the lead is in the sales process and whether they’re ready to move on to the next step.
Measure your success
How will you know if your lead tracking process is successful? If you’re tracking your campaigns with CRM software, you can easily run reports to help you understand the effectiveness of your process. You’ll also be able to tell simply by your sales numbers. If the numbers go up when you implement the process, you’re doing something right!
It’s essential to measure the effectiveness of your lead tracking throughout the sales cycle and not just at the end. Are your leads steadily moving forward through the sales process, or do they stall or revert to being cold leads? Capturing these metrics regularly will help you to understand what’s working and what isn’t.
It may take some time to establish a robust and effective lead tracking process, but with some time and effort, you’ll find that the result is well worth the work you put in.
Software like Call Logic can help with creating a lead tracking process that works. Schedule a free demo today to learn more!