Sales lead management essentials

From software publishers to construction equipment dealers, all kinds of businesses are learning that lead generation programs are a great way to find new clients. While it can be easy to get a general sense of whether a particular program is successful or not, real sales lead management is the key to maximizing the return on investment from any lead program.

Businesses selling to other businesses are good candidates for help in this area: B2B lead management is all the more important when each sale is worth more than a typical B2C transaction.

Four essentials of great sales lead management

Testing

Good B2B lead management starts with finding the best source for leads, and there's no better way to do that than to test multiple services. There are all kinds of sales lead generation services out there – and the best lead sources for you will depend on the specifics of your industry, location, and sales style.

Most lead services, including BuyerZone, can provide you with a set of sample leads for free, allowing you to gauge the fit for your business. Take advantage! Before settling on any one company, get sample leads from several sources so you can compare their performance. Give these leads your standard sales treatment: give them to your sales team and allow some time for them to work their way through your sales lead management process.

Tracking

Proper tracking is the single most important step you can take to good sales lead management. In business to business situations, where sales cycles can be long and complex, tracking becomes even more important.

There's a huge range of tools available to help. Small business can start with basic off-the-shelf software or an inexpensive hosted service, and larger businesses can choose enterprise-level CRM or SFA tools that can be customized to meet your exact needs. PC Mag has a helpful review of some the most popular options.

However you decide to do your tracking, make sure you capture enough information to do proper B2B lead management:

• Lead source
• Complete contact information
• Date first collected
• Contact methods and attempts
• Salesperson/people involved
• Product interest
• Details gathered in calls and emails

BuyerZone can deliver your leads in whatever formats best match your tracking system: plain text email, .csv files, XML, and even via text messages to your cell phone. This gives you the best combination of flexibility and quick access to your leads.

Setting expectations

Another characteristic of good sales lead management is being able to accurately forecast lead volumes and plan accordingly. Some programs, like BuyerZone's flagship request for quotes service, provide a steady, ongoing stream of leads at a predictable pace. Others, like our content lead generation service, provide leads in batches that you can schedule.

BuyerZone also lets you define your coverage area as best suits your business. Just a couple of ZIP codes? Or entire states? You decide where you want your leads to come from.

Whatever volume and coverage area works best for you, sales lead management depends on a predictable, manageable schedule. Make sure you choose a partner that can help you set these expectations.

Follow through

This tip is half about sales lead management and half about general sales techniques: no matter where your leads come from, follow up is critical. In any set of leads, you'll find some tire kickers, and some prospects that won't return your calls. Don't be discouraged. For most B2B transactions, it only takes a couple of sales to pay for dozens or even hundreds of leads.

To make sure your sales team is following up correctly, B2B lead management involves more than just tracking leads as they come in. The best sales lead management systems include reminders or tickler files that encourage you to reach out to prospects at regular intervals.

Your lead source should contribute to your follow up efforts, as well. BuyerZone runs a user survey to find out which prospects are still looking to make purchases and shares that information with our suppliers.

Lead nurturing

Good lead management also includes the concept of lead nurturing: providing information and resources to contacts who are not yet ready to buy. Many of the leads you'll get are still in the early phases of their research, and you're unlikely to close a deal in the first couple of calls.

With good lead nurturing, however, you can help develop a relationship with the prospect. That way, when they are finally ready to buy, you've already got a leg up. Here's a great collection of white papers and videos on lead nurturing.

Is BuyerZone right for your sales lead management needs?

BuyerZone's lead generation service is easy to test, trackable, predictable, and designed to help you close the sale. We can provide your leads in a format that works with your CRM or SFA software.

Of course we don't guarantee that every lead will be sale. But we're confident that with good sales lead management in place, you'll be able to see a positive ROI on your BuyerZone program.

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