Think of your sales process as the nucleus of your business. This core process has a handful of variables that remain constant no matter the industry.
Define Steps for Follow-up and Lead Management
First, you need to create a clear and effective sales process. What happens when a lead comes in? Are you responding in a timely manner? Defining your process every step of the way will ensure no leads slip through the cracks and that you are utilizing your resources efficiently.
How you handle leads impacts revenue.Â
Start Building Value During the First Call
One of the most important conversations salespeople have with their prospects is the discovery call. When qualifying the lead, reference your buyer personas to show the prospect how they will benefit from your service. By asking the right questions on a discovery call, you will be able to determine whether the relationship should move forward and what the next steps will be.
Make sure your efforts are focused on the prospect’s needs by listening to what they tell you. Prospects want to be understood and have their needs addressed without feeling like they are being sold. Effectively communicating with the prospect means listening first.
Why inbound leads should be your first priority.Â
Nurture Leads with B2B Content
You want your solution to be specific to a prospect’s need, not just a script asking if they want to jump on a quick call to hear what an amazing product or service you have to offer.
Continuously build value during the lead nurturing process. If a prospect is gathering information to make an informed decision, you should provide B2B content marketing pieces, including white papers, case studies, infographics; anything informative to prove to them you can help solve their issue. You are the expert so it’s critical to educate your prospect on how your solution will add value to their business.
Address Objections Clearly & Listen
You must manage objections during the sales process without sounding defensive or unclear. Ask as many questions as you can in order to show the prospect you understand their needs and concerns. Sharing stories about other clients who had similar objections and ultimately moved forward with your solution demonstrates empathy and acknowledges their concern. It is important to listen to their objections because they can turn into opportunities.
At the end of the day, it is your job to demonstrate the value of your solution and show a prospect that your product or service is worth more than the actual cost.
