Master Your Leads So They Don’t Lead You In Circles: Link

In B2B business, nothing is more important that creating the systems that ensure a steady supply of fresh leads that are always undergoing the different stages of nurturing. For a brand-new business, it can be tough to identify the most effective approach, but you don’t have time to sit and figure it out. You need to know what a good lead looks like, how to find them, and how to make sure you don’t drop the ball when converting them.

Know how to qualify them

First of all, you have to be able to identify what makes a lead valuable in the first place. Instead of trying to reach big clients without knowing whether or not they’re good for the health of your business, make sure you can tell whether or not they’re a lead worth pursuing in the first place. Are they aware that they have the problem that you’re offering the solution to or are they active participants in the sales process? Are they open to spending money for any solution to that process? If you can’t get any indication of an affirmative for those three qualifications, then you may be wasting your time trying to convert a client that will simply never make the move.

Know where to find them

This can be the tricky part for a lot of new B2B business owners. Where do you find your leads? If you’re a business that takes on government contract work, then you can skip the process of qualification by instead using government tenders for business leads, a convenient and quick process. Otherwise, however, it’s often a mix of using social media channels such as Twitter and LinkedIn, as well as real world networking opportunities to start the conversations that lead in the direction of marketing. You don’t have to push for sales in every conversation, but rather leave an impression of your own value, that can then go on to encourage not just conversions but referrals to those in the network of those you network with.

Know how to funnel them

The lead conversion process begins as soon as you exchange contact details with a business owner or make plans to talk again in future. However, many new business B2B owners don’t recognise this and fail to convert or they simply lose track of leads over time when new opportunities arise. Customer relationship management software is a great way to make sure you never lose track again. You can manage lead conversion pipelines every step of the way, from first contact to sales and beyond. Good CRM systems also provide timelines and actionable alerts so that you never let a lead hanging for too long. They allow you to better pay attention so you don’t let business opportunities slip through your grasp.

It’s essential that you identify the resources and systems that are going to make your leads manageable as soon as possible. Without a marketing to sales to customer pipeline, you could be spending more time scrabbling for clients than actually doing the business that makes you profitable.