Do you have leads withering away inside your CRM software? Maybe you
do and don’t even realize it! Your CRM software could be an untapped
goldmine. Mining your software for leads, scoring leads, and taking
action could give your sales team – and your bottom line – a boost. Here
are a few effective ways for effective CRM management.
Whether you purchase new leads from a vendor or have an existing data
set that you’d like to tap into, you’ll want to focus your efforts on
the leads that are most likely to buy from you. This involves:
- Segmenting leads – While you could call every single lead in your CRM, your list is likely extremely diverse. Segment leads into their appropriate buying “personas” so that you can tailor your messages appropriately. For example, your message to a C-level executive will be different than your message to an IT department manager.
- Lead Scoring – Next, assign scores to leads based on criteria such as company size, annual revenues, job role, assumed budget, and other factors relevant to your offer.
- Identifying the most sales-ready leads – Lead scoring is used to determine sales-readiness, among other things. Use the lead scores to rank your leads in terms of sales-readiness.
- Taking action – Once you’ve segmented, scored, and identified leads, it’s time to take action. Which segment makes the most sense to pursue right now? Start with the most sales-ready leads in that segment and craft your offer. Using what you know about your sales team’s skills, assign these leads to the sales representatives with the product knowledge or sales skills most appropriate to buyer’s persona and lead score.
Your CRM could be filled with leads who are ready to buy right now.
By identifying and focusing on those leads rather than playing the
numbers game and calling everyone, you can expect a significant boost in
sales. (Source: IT Sales Outsourcing by AAyuja)
