Which Actions Should Sales Teams Take after Getting New Leads?

Every organization has a different sales team structure; some create a distinction between sales roles, others don’t. An organization with a well-defined structure will have a marketing team that generates leads. their sales development reps hone in on new sales opportunities and pass them on to inside or field sales reps to close deals.

For the purpose of this post, let’s consider a separation between sales roles.

Which Actions Should Sales Development Reps Take?

The article “The Key to Sales and Marketing Alignment: The Sales Development Rep” explains that SDRs fill one purpose: setting appointments with qualified leads for account executives.

Just because a lead downloads a white paper doesn’t mean he or she is a clear-cut customer. It’s up to the marketing team to judge if the lead is hot and send it to the sales team.

Depending on the size of the company and the resources used, the marketing team uses a lead scoring solution such as SalesWings website tracking and lead scoring or a marketing automation solution such as Marketo.

An SDR must nurture and contact qualified marketing leads at the right time.Following up with clients that are not hot leads robs time from a lead that could turn into a customer.  

The marketing team qualifies and passes leads to the SDR. It’s the SDR’s responsibility to do more research and follow up.

Below are some examples of questions to ask yourself when preparing to contact a lead:

• Where do they work?
• Which industry are they in?
• What’s going on the company or industry?
• Content:
  • What type of content did this lead convert on?
  • What other content has he viewed?
• How are they solving the problem? If you are in the software industry and you sell software you can use Datanyze to see if the company is using a competitor’s software or a software complementary to your own.
• Who is your lead? Check their LinkedIn profile and use a personality API like CrystalKnows to obtain details on who they are.

However, waiting too long to follow up has repercussions. So if you don’t prepare yourself properly for the cold calling or cold email quickly, then it is better to approach the client with less information.

Which Actions Should Sales Reps Take?

When a corporation doesn’t have an SDR, the marketing team hands hot leads to the inside and outside sales reps. They will close the deals and maintain contact with customers. Many corporations have both inside and outside sales reps.

Outside Sales

When first interacting with a buyer, reaching out via phone or email can be extremely effective. However, when it comes to closing large deals, face-to-face interactions may be a necessity.

It’s no secret that having an outside sales rep costs more than an inside sales rep because of traveling and living expenses. However, a face-to-face interaction adds value to transactions and usually determines if a deal closes.  

In one day, outside reps will muddle through a swamp of leads. The implication is that they will spend a great deal of time on the road. For this reason, it’s important to stay organized and time efficient. They need to have a friendly CRM and a sales toolbelt  that will make their lives easier.

To give you a few examples:

• FullContact synchronizes CRM and business cards

• Newton is an email app that can boost productivity, and

• Signority is an electronic signature solution. However, even the most organized sales reps can find themselves in an unexpected situation.

For instance, if a client/prospect cancels an appointment, the entire day doesn’t have to be offset. There are technologies such as Badger Maps that can fill valuable gaps in the day. Not only does it allow you to visualize where your leads and customers are and optimize your routes, but it also allows you to find new leads in the area you are visiting.

Instead of waiting for their next meeting, field sales reps have alternatives in case a lead/customer cancels an appointment.  Gone are the days of missed opportunities. With a successful sales toolbelt, an outside sales rep has the chance to redeem lost time and triumph in their territory.

Inside Sales

Inside sales work is very different from outside sales. The main difference is that inside sales reps are in the office and their main communication tool is the phone or email. Video conferences make it possible for inside sales to have face-to-face time with prospects.

If inside sales doesn’t have an SDR team, priority sets precedence. It’s easy to get lost in your leads. There will be heaps of customers that need to be segmented. The first thing an inside sales rep can do is reach out to the most promising leads. Once the first contact has been established, it is important to follow up with new leads. Next, they can speak to prospects who’ve scheduled a demo.

An inside sales rep has an array of tools, including their knowledge and word. Inside sales reps also have technologies that make their day more productive and help them keep track of time spent online with a tool like RescueTime or time spent on emails with Gorgias, an email template creator.

Above all, time and efficiency are the most important skills for sales reps. At the end of the day, sales success will be determined by planning, strategizing, and using tools that help decrease administrative work. Everything needs to be measured and monitored so you know how to increase productivity in the future

About the Author: Sara Sayegh-Moccand is a digital marketing specialist at SalesWings, a website tracking and lead scoring add-on. The software identifies your most sales-ready leads based on their website activity. It analyzes your leads’ past and future visits and scores their level of engagement/interest.