Meeting your company’s sales goals starts by generating leads, but that’s really only a first step. To convert those interested prospects into closed sales, the marketing and sales teams need to collaborate and move each lead forward.
In other words, it isn’t enough to simply generate leads. Just like seeds in a garden, every opportunity needs regular attention, proper conditions and plenty of nurturing before it will bloom into a sale.
If your promising leads aren’t growing and blossoming into sales, consider these best practices and adjust your strategy accordingly.
It’s also smart to work with an outsourced call center like Volkart May. We represent leading brands around the country with dedicated resources focused on generating leads, qualifying inquiries and setting appointments.
How to convert more leads to closed sales
1. Speak with the right person
The initial inquiry about your product or service can come from many sources. Often, a lower level employee or administrative assistant researches options online or requests information through your website. These leads are a great starting point! But, to move the process forward, you need to speak to a decision-maker or key influencer within the organization. Start by confirming you’re talking to the right person—or identifying that individual by name, title and role.
2. Create a connection
People buy from people—even when it’s on behalf of their company. That’s why the power of outbound calling and one-to-one, human conversation can accomplish far more than digital campaigns. A key part of any medtech or B2B sales cycle is building a solid working relationship and establishing trust between your company and your potential client. Calling gives you the best opportunity for these important sales conversations because you can listen, learn and customize your approach to the exact needs of each prospect.
3. Properly qualify leads
All leads aren’t created equal. Determining how viable they are requires some prep work. Typically, this process happens before they’re handed off to the sales team. A lead scoring framework helps you ask the right qualifying questions to assess each opportunity objectively.
4. Describe your solution clearly
Medtech and B2B decision-makers—especially executives—have limited time in their schedules. To stand out, use it wisely. That means having a succinct, relevant and compelling story about your solution. This value proposition should be consistent across your communications. Focus on how you help solve your customers’ challenges and clearly outline what makes your offering different than alternatives in the market.
5. Define next steps
Don’t leave it up to the B2B or medtech prospect to follow up with you. When you connect, define potential next steps and agree on dates and actions. That could be setting up another phone call, scheduling a web demo, meeting additional decision-makers or creating a proposal. Send a calendar invitation and reminder emails to reduce no-shows and miscommunications.
6. Make multiple follow-up attempts
How many times do you or your sales team reach out before marking a lead as dead? If it’s only one or two, there’s definite room for improvement. Studies show salespeople routinely give up after just three attempts—even when six or more are needed with a complex B2B or medtech sale. Tenacity and persistence definitely pay off. Apply both calls and emails in a regular cadence to break through and get on your contact’s schedule.
7. Leave a voicemail
When you can’t get through with a call, but still want to make a quality impression, leave a professional inside sales voicemail. It’s one more way to keep your brand top-of-mind with prospects. Be clear about why you’re calling, leave a reason to call back and speak slowly when sharing your contact information.
8. Nurture leads at all stages
When you do connect with a lead, but their buying timeframe is in the future, that doesn’t mean moving on to the next lead. It’s critical to have a lead nurturing strategy that provides regular outreach for when the time is right. We recommend sending relevant content on a regular basis with a marketing automation platform or email system, then following up with inside sales telephone calls that continue to provide personal contact.
Add capacity and strengthen your outreach
If you’re struggling to find the internal resources to effectively qualify and nurture the leads you generate, consider an outbound lead generation service like Volkart May. We’ll keep your lead pipeline moving smoothly and give your field sales team time to do what they do best: close more deals. Learn more about our services.
