Sales lead - how to acquire it?

A sales lead is information about a potential customer's interest in a product or service. Sales inquiry is the target of many marketing campaigns, as promotion is responsible for the number of leads generated. Professional control of a lead can lead to a contract in the future. So what should you do to acquire one and manage it properly?

The essence of query generation

First of all, in order for an inquiry to be converted into future sales, it is necessary to know that the lead is coming from a customer who has feelings and wants to be treated properly. The company receiving the request must convince the consumer that it can meet his or her expectations, because if it doesn't, the customer may not be able to make an informed purchase. According to the study, as many as 92.7% U.S. companies say that Inbound Marketing (i.e., taking actions that enable the customer to learn about the sender of a given marketing message on their own) has raised the number of sales leads received, and according to 56.3% of those surveyed, the rate of generating sales inquiries has increased by more than 50%. To increase the attractiveness of services, a company should publish interesting content in the form of articles, trivia, a blog, webinars or training courses. For this purpose, content marketing , with the help of which it is possible to increase the conversion rate of inquiries into purchasing decisions, can be used brilliantly. However, with the increasing number of companies using modern marketing tools, it is worthwhile to ensure the competitiveness of the offer. Today, creativity in marketing and sales is of ever-increasing importance, as standing out from the competition can lead to an increased number of leads received.

There is a lead - now what?

No less important (or even more important than the acquisition itself) is what happens after the company receives it. The basis is to understand the customer's needs. What are his actual expectations? What does he care about? Understanding the recipient's needs creates a competitive advantage. A personalized approach is a slogan that is repeated in sales training or coaching manuals, but in an era of highly developed sales and marketing techniques, it is an extremely attractive factor for both salespeople and customers. When a lead is acquired it is essential to learn more about the potential consumer. A substantive conversation and the shortest possible response time show that we are interested in the person who made the inquiry and that we are open to cooperation. If you operate mainly in the B2B field, it is worthwhile to learn the details of the potential customer's business even before contacting back, in order to have an informed conversation that will attest to the company's professionalism. In addition, creating a personalized sales offer, tailored to the customer's business profile and preferences, is a much better solution than sending templates in which only the company name changes. A professional offer must not resemble spam.

The potential for nurturing leads

In practice, however, a relatively small percentage of leads result in an immediate signing of a contract. Often, convincing a customer of the attractiveness of an offer is a multi-step process in which many companies are eliminated. The final stage should be an informed decision to buy - if it is to the consumer's satisfaction, this increases the likelihood that he or she will return in the future with further problems to be solved. The web has coined the term "lead nurturing," which literally means "nurturing leads." According to a study conducted for the Harvard Business Review, as many as 71% contacts are not renewed, causing businesses to miss out on many additional benefits. A potential customer who is reasserted day by day about the attractiveness of an offer and encouraged to cooperate or buy can become a contractor or satisfied buyer, and that's what brings profits.

So it is worthwhile to look at the lead through the prism of the person who submitted it and show the customer that we want to do everything we can to meet their needs and expectations.