Tips to Qualify Sales Leads

After someone attends an event, workshop, or webinar, or downloads some piece of content off your website and you've obtained their email address and presumably info about what services they're interested in, it can be tempting to immediately call or email them. Don't do it right away; it will scare the prospect away.  Instead, wait patiently and qualify your leads. When a prospect begins looking into information on a specific topic, they're only at the top of the sales funnel, so to speak, and that means they need to be qualified and nurtured in order to convert them into paying customers. Here are some tips to qualify sales leads at different points of the sales funnel.



1. Create more content - Your leads at the top of the funnel are looking for more information on the services you offer, so create more content. Put out whitepapers, webinars, podcasts, videos, case studies, blog posts, etc. on a regular basis, and your leads will continue to come back to learn more. Soon they'll learn that you are the expert in your field, by reading, listening, or watching the content you produce.

2. Add leads to your monthly newsletter - While still complying with CAN-SPAM (perhaps by adding a line to submission forms that says ex. "by downloading this white paper, you understand you'll be added to our newsletter"), add your leads to your monthly newsletter to continue to nurture the leads. A newsletter is another great way to demonstrate your expertise and leadership within a field. Include in your newsletter information about your services, new content you've posted and ways for leads to find you on social media. These are all useful tactics in nurturing and qualifying leads that have shown significant interest in your services.

3. Invite leads to more free events - If you're using software that allows you track what leads are downloading, reading, watching, or etc. on your site, then you know which leads are interested in which information or services your company offers. With this information, you can nurture your leads that are at this point maybe half way down the funnel, to invite them to attend a free event or workshop, so you can meet them in person. Putting a face to the company is sometimes the best way for a lead to know whether or not signing on with a certain company is a good or bad idea. Demonstrate your expertise and your company's superior services in person, and you'll be very close to closing a deal!

4. Hit them with a special offer - Once you're sure you've got a lead on the hook, hit him or her with a special offer. Offer a free few weeks of service, or a discounted rate to close the deal. Once you've closed the deal, don't forget about retention. You'll always need to nurture your clients and customers in the same ways you do with leads in order to keep them on as paying customers.

*Offer valid through 5/1/13