Once salespeople have qualified their prospects, they should follow up. But it is also the hardest thing to do. After qualifying a lead, you have found someone who has expressed interest in your product or service and then lost them - that's why the following steps are so crucial for success. Here are some tips on how to successfully follow-up after qualifying leads.
What are you doing after qualifying a lead? If your answer is nothing, then you might want to rethink what you're doing. Qualifying leads is just the first step in generating revenue for your business. When done properly, it can lead to more sales and higher conversion rates!
Once salespeople have qualified their prospects, they should follow up. In this blog post, we will discuss once salespeople have qualified their prospects, they should follow up and how to effectively do it.
You've got your business cards and your corporate website. You're wearing a suit to the sales call. But before you even get in front of a prospect, do you know which qualification questions to ask? Most likely not.
A common mistake among new salespeople is that they take every opportunity that comes their way, regardless if it's a good fit for them or not.
This can be extremely detrimental to your business because rather than focusing on qualified prospects who are interested in what you have to offer; you end up spending too much time with unqualified customers and trying to sell something that doesn't make sense for either party involved.
This is an obvious yet vital step in the qualification process. In many cases you will find that prospects who are calling themselves *John Smith* actually have a different name on their credit card, or they're using a company name rather than their own.
If possible, ask for the individual's business license and verify it with the local Chamber of Commerce. You need to know if this person has authority within the company to make decisions about purchasing your product or service.
If you can't reach anyone by phone, fax or email try visiting your prospect's website and use some means of contact listed there such as a contact form or at minimum their address and business hours.
The goal here is to avoid wasting time on unqualified prospects and to verify that you're speaking with the person who is authorized to make decisions about the purchase.
Now that you have verified the prospect's identity, it's time to ask some questions about their needs. This can be done in a variety of ways such as through online surveys, meeting in person, or over the phone.
Start by asking open-ended questions to get them talking and see what their needs are. Oftentimes people will know what they need but they might not know how to articulate it.
Asking the right questions will help you understand what their business goals are and how your product or service can help them reach those goals.
Once you understand the prospect's needs, you can start to ask additional questions about what type of company they are, how long they have been in business and other qualifying questions relevant to your product or service.
Once you've learned everything that you can from the prospect by asking them a variety of follow up questions, it's time to position your product or service as a solution for their specific needs.
When doing this make sure that you don't come across as being too self-serving. It'll put them on the defensive and will likely cause them to close themselves off from considering any further offers from you.
In order for your prospects to see value in purchasing from your company, you need to prove why your product or service is the best solution for their needs. Show them how you're different and how you can solve their specific problem.
Now that you've answered all of their questions, explained the benefits of your product or service, and shown them how you're different from the competition; it's time to get them to commit.
This can be done in a variety of ways such as through a proposal, contract or purchase order. The goal here is to get them to say yes so that you can move on to the next step in the qualification process.
Sometimes this can be difficult especially if they're not familiar with your product or service yet. In these cases it's important to remind them of the benefits they will receive by making a purchase from you.
Now that you’ve qualified your leads, it’s time to start thinking about what to do next. Depending on your business and the product or service you offer, there are a number of different things you could do in order to close the sale.
1. Send a proposal or estimate- If you have all the information you need from the lead, send them a proposal or estimate outlining what they can expect from your product or service.
This will help them make a decision and give them something to reference when they’re making their final decision.
2. Follow up with a phone call- A phone call is a great way to follow up with a lead and answer any questions they may have. It also gives you the opportunity to close the sale right then and there.
3. Set up a meeting- If you’re not able to close the sale over the phone, set up a meeting with the lead so you can discuss things in person.
This will give them a chance to see your product or service in person and ask any additional questions they may have.
4. Send an email- If you’re not able to get in touch with the lead by phone or in person, send them an email outlining your proposal or estimate. This way, they can take their time reviewing it and get back to you if they have any questions.
No matter what you do, always remember to follow up with your leads. They’ve shown interest in your product or service, so it’s important to keep the lines of communication open and continue trying to close the sale.
Once salespeople have qualified their prospects, they should follow up because following up after qualifying a lead is crucial, but it's easy to forget and lose out on business.
This one may seem like a no-brainer, but there are actually many companies that do not send one automatically after an inbound request. The thank you email can be as simple as:
Subject Line: Thank you for reaching out!
Dear Mandy,
It was great speaking with you today about your current needs at ABC Corp. I also appreciate the time you took to fill out our inbound inquiry form. It helps us provide even better service moving forward. We will reach back out to you in a month or so when we have more information for you.
In the meantime, check out our updated website here: www.xyz.com. We have new content and tools to help your business grow!
Best, Joe Smith Lead Strategist XYZ Company
Even with an automatic thank you at the close of a conversation, it's still a good idea to follow up with a checking in email in 30-60 days after the initial contact was made.
This is also a great way to qualify leads who inquire about products/services that are no longer relevant or available to them. Here's how this email could look:
Subject Line: How may we help you?
Hi Mandy,
It was great speaking with you today about your current needs at ABC Corp. We would like to follow up and see if there is anything else we can do for you. Are you still interested in our services? If not, please let us know and we will remove you from our list.
Thank you for your time!
Best, Joe Smith Lead Strategist XYZ Company
If you're not using a CRM to manage your leads, now is the time to start.
A CRM can automate many of the tasks related to following up after qualifying leads, including sending email and/or text reminders, as well as tracking when a lead is contacted and what was said. This will help ensure that no opportunity slips through the cracks.
If you're not using a lead scoring system, you're missing out on a valuable way to qualify leads. A lead scoring system assigns points to leads based on their engagement with your company (e.g. filling out a form, visiting your website, opening an email, clicking on a link).
Once a lead reaches a certain point threshold, they can be considered a qualified lead and passed along to sales for follow-up.
Automated chatbots are another great way to follow up after qualifying leads. They can answer common questions about your products/services, send automatic reminders about missed calls, and much more. I recommend trying out Chatfuel for this.
Email is still the preferred method of communication in business today, but calling your leads can increase your odds of follow-up significantly.
You probably won't be able to get everyone on the phone, but you could try sending a quick email naming the times during the day when they are likely to be available to chat (e.g., between 9am–11am), then leave voicemail messages if they don't pick up.
If someone has already invested time into filling out a form or completing an activity that demonstrates interest in what you do, it is nice to show you respect their time by calling them instead of emailing.
Subject Line: Re: Your inquiry for ABC Company!
Dear Mandy,
Thank you again for reaching out to us at XYZ Company. We've been working with businesses like yours for years and we would love the chance to start this process with you today. In the meantime, let me know if there is anything I can do personally to help make your business more successful. My number is 123-456-789 and I'd be happy to help!
Best, Joe Smith Lead Strategist XYZ Company
Including your name in an email can go a long way toward building rapport with a lead within a single sentence.
But don't stop there; this is also an opportunity to include any co-workers you've built relationships with (e.g., "I'm lucky enough to work with Sally who specializes in your industry") and ask them if they would like to be included on the email as well (e.g., "Would you like me to introduce you?").
After speaking or interviewing a lead, set up automatic reminder emails to go out every 10–14 days until the conversation is revived.
These could contain helpful reference materials not previously discussed that might be relevant at this stage of the sales cycle, links back to webinars or FAQs, etc. Here's how this email could look:
Subject: 10-Day Auto Follow Up Email!
Hi Mandy,
Thanks for speaking with me the other day about ABC Company. I wanted to follow up and make sure you had a chance to check out our website and see if there is anything that catches your eye. If you need any more information or have any questions, don't hesitate to let me know. I'll be in touch in another 10 days!
Best, Joe Smith Lead Strategist XYZ Company
Social media can be a great way to connect with leads who might not be ready to commit to a call or meeting yet.
Try reaching out to them on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook with a personalized message that references something you discussed in the conversation.
Subject: Re: Hey Dave, thanks again for your time!
Hi Dave,
I hope this finds you well and that the weather is treating you kindly these days. I just saw this article on Forbes about Social Selling and thought it might be worth a read to see how we're doing things differently at ABC Company
Best, Joe Smith Lead Strategist XYZ Company
Last but certainly not, make sure you ask your leads if they would like to be updated after qualifying them. Some may not want any more contact, some may only want a certain level of contact, while others will want to be updated on a regular basis. You could even offer different types of updates (e.g., weekly, monthly, quarterly).
Subject: Do you want updates?
Hi Mandy,
Thanks for your interest in ABC Company! After speaking with you, I wanted to make sure you had the option of receiving updates from us. Would you like me to send you weekly, monthly, or quarterly updates? Let me know and I'll get started!
Best, Joe Smith Lead Strategist XYZ Company
