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It all starts with leads! They are an integral part of the sales cycle. From the moment we get in touch with a lead till the time we convert it, the journey needs to be smooth and hassle free. It becomes imperative to manage your leads well to strengthen the sales pipeline and hit your targets. So here are some pointers for improving your lead management process.

Define a lead:
This is the first step. There needs to be a process in place to qualify a lead from a prospect. Research shows that more than 75% of leads sent to sales reps are not actively worked on. The reason, most of the times being that the lead was not rightly qualified. The parameters while defining a lead can be as diverse as the present requirement of the prospect, timeline to engage, budget allocation, etc. If the right qualification is done for a lead and then it is passed on to the sales team, it becomes much easier to crack it, and saves a lot of time in the sales cycle.

Use CRM tools and use them well:
CRM tools are a very effective way to track the source of a lead and disseminate information. It’s very effective in finding out what is working and what is not, based on the nature of the lead, time of contact etc. CRM tools effectively help in reducing data entry time, reducing manual errors and speeding up the lead qualification process.

Tracking is king:
When leads contact us, it becomes essential to know where they came from. Analytics can give you a heads up on the incoming user behavior, the countries/cities where they are coming from, the referral source which brought them to your website, etc. Tracking the breadcrumbs tells a lot about your leads, and eventually tells us what is working and what is not.

Strike while the iron is hot:
Be fast, be aggressive. It is seen statistically that leads convert faster when you contact them within 24-48 hours of them showing interest in your product or service. However, make sure you do not use a template or auto responder to contact the prospect. Customization is the key. A personal phone call or a well crafted email can help you break through the deal.

Measure and improvise:
This can vary in organizations, and a lot depends on the campaigns you run for your target audience. We all want results but there are certain parameters that can be used to measure the present success rate of the efforts, and then improvisation kicks in.

Close the loop:
Lastly look at the data, analyze, hold regular meetings with your team and close the loop. This process works in reviewing your efforts, results, and defining the way ahead.

If you have any tips or suggestions to manage your leads, feel free to share them via comments below!

So you have set your sights on a career in technology sales, Cheers! You have crossed one threshold. However, there always lies a gulf between setting a goal and actually achieving it. We have frequently been asked a question in this context, how does one go about developing a career in technology sales? Well this is what we suggest:

Evolve with technology: It’s very important to keep yourself in tune with the latest trends in the industry. If your interest is in cloud computing, following blogs from the industry leaders is really helpful. You can take this to the next level by studying about buzzwords that keep the industry going, attending webinars, and following the stars of the field on social media.

Do your homework: Identify a set of companies that you would love to work for. Then follow them on social media, keep a tab on news and mentions both on and offline. Understand their wins and concerns. This would also help you in identifying any opportunities/ openings within the company.

Know thy product/ service inside out: When you get an opportunity for a discussion with the company, try to deduce as much as you can about their business model, the product or service they sell etc. Try and memorize the company’s motto, their mission, vision and values. Knowing about their domain will get your brownie points; remember, you are in their territory. Your curiosity to know more will add value to your resume as well.

Success Stories: Never shy away from telling your success stories. The more you talk about your previous successful records, wins and customer testimonials, the more credible you will be to your prospect. However, remember to keep it short and sweet!

Mould your personality: The best sales people ask relevant questions and listen to the answers to assess a customer’s wants and to see how they can fill their needs. You’ll sell more if you listen and respond to what you hear, not trying to convince customers to buy based on your notions of their needs.

There are a lot of tips to be shared here, feel free to do so using the comments below!

Some cool tactics of getting people on the phone from an infographic from Radius

Is quality of data important? Find out from this very informative infographic from InsightSquared.