Admit it, they do. Whether you bought them to line up to your cold-callers or they volunteered their information and requested a callback- you still need to improve your hit rate. Here’s 5 things you’re doing wrong- and how to do them better.
1. Your qualification isn’t qualified.
As I’ve said in previous posts, proper qualification makes for proper business decisions. Trying to decide if a lead has genuine interest should be the main goal of working the lead. Does your qualification process point towards the attributes, qualifications, and behaviors of a buying customer, or does it point to a mythical “next stage?”
Here’s an example of what not to do, seen all too often in the B2B space:
- Sales Development Rep receives a lead
- SDR “qualifies” the lead by finding out if the person is open to talking more, passes it to the Account Exec.
- AE spends a few cycles on the lead- finding out that while the lead is interested in talking, he or she is unwilling or incapable of having a purchase conversation at this time.
- AE disqualifies the lead, sends it to the murky depths of nurture-land, where the contact is never heard from again
This plan under-utilizes the budding talent of the SDR, wastes the time (and therefore money) of the AE, and doesn’t give the lead the opportunity to become a brand champion.
Here’s a better plan:
- SDR receives a lead
- SDR researches the lead on social media and the internet, learning about the lead and the business behind the contact information
- SDR engages with the lead to better understand needs, budget, timeline, and interest level.
- The most qualified leads are warm-passed to the AE, while less qualified leads are worked directly by the SDR or an Inside Rep.
- The AE specifically focuses on the most interested, most complex, and most time-sensitive leads.
- Disqualified leads are sorted into data buckets for nurture, with clearly defined behavior paths back to the qualification cycle (a process which is both instant and automated).
This plan uses the SDR to his/her fullest potential, gives the more experienced AE’s the best possible uses of their time, and handles new potential from old leads automatically.
2. Your messaging sucks.
What you say, how you say it, and when you engage are just as important as the features and benefits of the product you’re selling. Does your messaging match your industry? How skilled are your reps at crafting the perfect email? What are your SLA’s for engaging? Do you wait too long, or seem too eager? What platforms are you using to engage? LinkedIn? Email? Cold calls? Buy now buttons?
Answer these questions by trial and error, gaining an attitude/culture of continuous improvement, and by collecting better data. Collect feedback from your customers. Messaging is a forever project, so don’t expect perfection over night.
3. Your reps are out of practice.
Are the leads weak- or are your reps weak? How often do you give your reps a chance to train each other? Sales is a learned skill, and like shooting a free-throw or dicing an onion, doing it well without crying takes practice. Give your reps the opportunity to increase their craft through role plays and sales training- they will think faster on their feet and sound better on the phone. They will write better, negotiate with more precision, and demonstrate value more effectively. 
Remember the anecdote often accompanied by a Richard Branson quote:
CFO: What happens if we spend money training our people and they leave?
CEO: What happens if we don’t and they stay?
4. You bother your leads too often, or not often enough.
There is only one thing worse than being spammed by a pushy salesman- being the pushy salesman. That being said- according to the Harvard Business Review- up to 71% of qualified leads go unanswered.
Clearly you want to avoid either extreme, but finding the right line for your industry and targets can be tricky. As with getting the right messaging, learning when and how often to engage with your targets will require a combination approach of customer and sales rep feedback, trial and error, and time. You can also use data to help drive your frequency decisions, which is a nice way to transition to the next topic…
5. You don’t collect enough data.
In today’s world of marketing automation, CRM, pivot tables and social media metrics- there is little excuse for not collecting and using as much data as possible. Getting better data and using it to make business decisions will make every portion of your lead game stronger. Data instantly gives you better qualification. Bad messaging? Your response rate data will tell you. How are your reps really performing? It’s in the data. How often should you call? You get the idea.
Good hunting.
Christian McCall 