There’s a saying in business that “sales cures all”. We all love sales but before the sale comes the lead and we need to know how to handle these leads properly in order for them to become paying customers. When a business owner gets a lead, they might be tempted to jump right in and ask for the sale but there are a few thing to consider first.
Do Your Homework
If your business has multiple products, it’s important that you do your homework before asking for the sale. Try to gather as much information about the customer before going on the call. Information such as age, income, and problems that the customer is facing, will help you to suggest the right product or package for that customer. They will also be very impressed with the level of care taken to satisfy their needs. This increases the possibility that they will actually make the purchase and become a repeat customer.
Differentiate Between Inbound and Outbound Leads
A lead can be inbound or outbound and each type of lead should be treated differently. With outbound leads, doing your homework is especially important. This may be the first time that this person is hearing about your business so you’ll want to first introduce your business and yourself and then show them how your business will solve their problem. When you have an inbound lead, the potential customer has more than likely done their own research on your company so it may be a bit easier to get the sale. In both cases however, if you can show the person how you will solve their problem and get them results, you will turn more leads into paying customers.
Timing is crucial
The sooner you engage with a hot lead, the better. If you engage with them within an hour after they replied, you still have very high chances of getting them in front of their computer and available for a quick call or perhaps to schedule a future meeting. If you fail to consistently respond to them when they expect you to, around 20% of them will soon loose interest and perhaps engage with other companies as with this 20% there is usually a real and immediate interest, hence the rush.
Dane
Dane Cobain is a published author, freelance writer, book blogger, poet and (occasional) musician from High Wycombe, UK. Before going freelance, he worked as a social media marker, now specialising in writing about publishing, technology and marketing.