How to Implement an Effective Lead Scoring Sales System

How to Implement an Effective Lead Scoring Sales System

What is Lead Scoring 

Lead scoring is a methodology that is shared between both Marketing and Sales that determines a lead’s sales-readiness. The process ultimately creates a list of leads that are compared and ranked based on which are most ready to purchase, also known as the “hottest leads”. The rank is assessed by the Marketing team and, when appropriate, turned over to the Sales team to engage the lead. Walk away from this article with at least this one action item: Rate each prospect A, B, or C for better segmenting in the way they are given attention. 

The basics of lead scoring compares explicit and implicit information, as well as active and latent behavior. Explicit data refers to the information about the physical company you are prospecting, and can be broken down into two categories: firmographic and demographic. Firmographic information consists of the company’s location, the industry they are in, the number of employees they have, and other things about the company. Demographic information measures how the prospect fits your targeted audience by investigating specific job title or role, purchasing power, and the years of experience. On the other hand, and according to Nurture, implicit information analyzes the behavior of your prospects. This can be extracted through their actions, so if your prospect has registered for a webinar or your newsletter, it shows they may be interested. If your prospect has unsubscribed from your email, however, that would show they are not interested.  (more…)

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20 Things We’ve Learned in Sales Prospecting Over 20 Years

It’s hard to sum up 20 years of industry experience in one article, but we are going to try. We are so excited to celebrate 20 years of providing B2B Appointment Setting & Lead Generation services, as well as Integrated Marketing solutions! Over the years, we’ve gained extensive sales knowledge that helps us provide continued value to our clients. After brainstorming as a team, here’s a summary of what we learned, particularly as it relates to the prospecting bucket of the sales process: 

1. Maintain a Clean CRM.

Without a well-designed and well-utilized CRM, there is no way to organize a productive day. If you don’t know who your prospects are, how do you expect to nurture them and build brand recognition with them? If you don’t have a CRM, work on getting one, and use Excel for the time being.

2. Take Great Notes on All Prospect Conversations. 

You may have a great memory, but why would you crowd your brain up with information from hundreds of conversations or rely on it, for that matter? Reflect on the interaction and enter all relevant information they relayed to you. Before your next call or email, revisit your notes to be precise and show you were listening.

3. Quality Prospect Lists Yield Better Results. 

While purchasing a third-party list might be appealing cost-wise and a time-saver, the data will be outdated and require hours of thorough qualification work to update. Be prepared to Invest in a quality list – the growth of your business relies on it. Whether your team organically builds it in-house, purchase a list or have it vetted by a skilled call team like MarketReach, better data yields better results.  (more…)

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Prospect Qualification and Appointment Setting to Land More Meetings

Prospect Qualification and Appointment Setting to Land More Meetings

This article was published on December 21st, 2020 in Insurance Journal.

The objective of prospecting is to find quality opportunities to narrow the sales funnel, and then consistently target that focused group with marketing messages to get noticed. For insurance brokers, you have the luxury of finding third party list sources that start you off knowing key data about your prospect universe. Instead of chasing non-qualified prospects — or worse, not even knowing who your prospect universe even is — prospecting followed by properly executed appointment setting leaves no rock unturned.

Every prospect on your list is a new opportunity to qualify, disqualify, set a callback or land a sales meeting for a producer. Phone outreach is the best way to land more sales appointments and the only way to determine if, in fact, the opportunities in your local universe or target industry are sellable. Phone outreach is also one of the only ways to incite two-way communication between a buyer and a seller, which will then lead to more closed deals.

What Is Strategic Prospecting Through Appointment Setting?

Appointment setting, also known as telemarketing, is based on strategically conducting calls in order to schedule introductory sales meetings with decision-makers. For best results, the prospects are pre-qualified through a qualification process, based on specific parameters set by your agency. Typically, to get in the door with workers’ compensation or property/casualty insurance, the qualifier is either total premium, or at least, staff size. Chasing opportunities that equate to less than $1,500 in annual commission is not good use of time or marketing dollars. Instead, reserve those opportunities to close for inbound only… Read more

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Your Prospect Demographics Have Changed, So Re-Qualify!

Your Prospect Demographics Have Changed, So Re-Qualify!

Your prospect list should always be a living document, but right now, more than ever, it needs a check-up. The companies that are back at work must be re-qualified before prospecting can be performed successfully; this task can be performed by either your salesman or by MarketReach. There are three prime areas that require a re-qualification in the face of changes that COVID-19 brought on, and they are (1) the decision-maker’s name and title, (2) staff size if that is relevant and (3) how to get in contact with the decision-maker if they are working remote.  Salespeople will be frustrated and, may in fact, become demotivated to prospect if their whole world is turned upside down — who they thought their prospects WERE, are NOT targets anymore. A salesperson’s job has become monumentally harder.   (more…)

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Qualifying sales prospects more important post COVID-19; how to prepare

Published on June 8, 2020 in Vending Times

 

As locations start to reopen for business following the COVID-19 quarantines, now’s a good time to strategize your sales calls.  

Companies that do their homework about their prospective customers before calling them usually have better results, but in an environment where businesses are in a reopening mode, customer research is especially important. 

Businesses that employ people need refreshment services, but they might have other priorities at the present time. In addition, they might not know how many employees they will be rehiring. How can you best “break the ice”? 

It’s all about the “warm” call over the “cold call”: research your prospects. Research will allow you to have a better understanding of the company you’re calling on, which will lead to a successful conversation with your prospect.  (more…)

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Prospect Qualification for Breakroom Suppliers

Prospect Qualification for Breakroom Suppliers

One of the most important topics you can cover with your sales reps: the effect that a successful qualification call can have on the sales process. The impact is inimitable. Proper qualification saves the sales team time, so that labor that can be properly allocated to pursuable opportunities. This process prevents pipelines from getting filled with an abundance of unqualified, or more so underqualified, prospects that drain your sales rep’s time and energy. Imagine dialing in multiple times over to the same prospect that is estimated to have 120 employees, only to reach them and find out they actually have 22 on-site! Or making 6 calls over 3 months to Suzie, who turns out to be a “coordinator” – hardly a decision-maker.

Although certain criteria requirements vary from Operator to Operator, the importance of an effective qualification call remains constant.

(more…)
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Hubspot Report Part One – The Hard Truth About Acquisition Costs

The Hard Truth About Acquisition Costs (and How Your Customers Can Save You) – Part 1

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Hubspot Report Part Two – The Hard Truth About Acquisition Costs

Hubspot Report: Part Two – The Hard Truth About Acquisition Costs (and How Your Customers Can Save You)

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10 Tips to Take Aim at Your Target Market

10 Tips to Take Aim at Your Target Market

Written by Amanda Puppo
Published in Business Brokerage Press
Who are your best clients? Wouldn’t you like to have more just like them? Most of us would. (more…)

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Opportunity Knocks: Setting Qualified Appointments Is Key To Micro Market Success

Opportunity Knocks: Setting Qualified Appointments Is Key To Micro Market Success

Have you hopped aboard the fast-moving micromarket train? More and more operators are eagerly adopting this new approach to self-service, 24-hour delivery of fresh food, snacks, drinks and more as an alternative to traditional full-line vending service. (more…)

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