Every sale person has a target which they need to achieve. While swimming in new warm leads, you do not have to worry about any of your sales problems. However, getting new sales leads is something that does not happen overnight. You will have to do the right things in order to fill up your sales pipeline.
Making a single sale requires a lot of effort. Most people who are into sales are unable to achieve their targets and are in desperate need of new leads. And if you are among them, you are in the right place. Read this article to know what it needs to fill the sales pipeline.
Filling the sales pipeline up to the brim is too difficult but requires the use of the right strategy. Here are some of the most effective ways that will help you in getting more leads:
1. Say No to Cold Calling
The first thing that you need to understand is the difference between cold calling and prospecting calls.
A cold prospect ideally has no idea of who you are, what you are selling, and is probably very busy. Such a person will not be interested to even talk to you. Calling such a person is nothing but a waste of time.
When you make a call to a prospect that does not have any idea of who you are, you are already starting from a disadvantage. And this is something you can avoid.
You need call prospects that are a part of a prospecting campaign.
You will no longer make a random call. You will make calls to people who already have a fair idea of who are you and why are you calling them.
You will need to send them an email with informational content. It can be a guide or an e-book. This will ensure that the prospect knows you and it will end up being a warm call than a cold one.
2. Introductions Help
An introduction isn’t a referral and that is the reason why it works, unlike most referrals. The close rate is way higher when there are real introductions.
Not everyone will be ready to give introductions but whoever is, will make a call or send emails to new prospects on your behalf.
3. Conduct Business Reviews
This tip will be more useful if you are in the B2B space but you can always have meetings with your consumers too.
Just call your clients and consumers and tell them that you want to conduct their business review and share the industry best practices and ideas on how they can leverage ideas and information for more cost saving etc.
Conduct such reviews on a quarterly basis and make sure these meetings add value. Make your clients a part of the sales process by asking them about their concerns and challenges.
4. Host Private Events
Invite your high-value prospects and top-level clients and let them interact. You can invite speakers to speak or you can speak to the group yourself and deliver high-value content.
Private parties are a great way to fill up the sales pipeline.
5. Nurture Prospects
Not every prospect will fit into your sales shoes today but they might tomorrow. Make such prospects a part of your nurture campaigns.
Mail them content on a regular basis and or you can even send them books—anything that will nurture the relationship.
6. Network Deeply in One or Two Places
Networking is very important when it comes to filling the sales pipeline. However, it is important that you focus on networking deeply in one or two key places.
The place where your current customers and prospects are is where you will need to network. Do not make the network too wide and focus on a few groups instead.
7. Face-to-Face Meetings Work
Most people these days run away from face-to-face meetings as they are time-consuming and might even involve travels.
However, such meetings are really important if you want to convert high-value leads. This especially works in the B2B scenario.
Schedule meetings with big opportunities and you will see the difference yourself.
8. Excellent Customer Service
Check your customer database and see who has not been contacted in the last 3 months. Have your customer service representatives reach out to them and tell them they have been missed. If they have stopped conducting business with you for the past few weeks, they can ask about the reason or any other problems they are facing.
You can also take the help of a sales CRM software program in order to keep a track of customer interaction and customer data.
9. Online Demonstration
Conduct a group webinar and invite your favourite prospects to show your latest offerings. This can be conducted online and just is a way of keeping your prospects up-to-date about the marketplace. You can call them later and ask them about your presentation.
These are some of the ways of making your prospects a part of your sales process to fill the pipeline. You can take the help of other tactics as well and that depends on your industry and product to a great extent. All the best!
It is a really well written piece with some great sales advise. I personally think that a great customer service is indeed a major player to which many businesses don’t give that much importance as it deserves.