So you’ve got a nice flow of leads coming in…

But what do you do to convert as many of them as possible?

Do this – and your sales will take off:

1. Follow Up with Lightning Speed

Leads 360 did an analysis of more than 25 million email lead data points. They found the following data when converting leads to customers:

  1. Call within a minute of inquiry, and your leads convert at a 391% higher rate
  2. In 2 minutes, conversion rates fall to 120%
  3. Within 3 minutes, that number goes to 98%
  4. Your conversion rate is 62% higher if you contact leads within 30 minutes of their inquiry
  5. You still get a 36% higher conversion rate if you contact those leads within an hour

2. How You Follow Up Makes a Huge Difference

For B2B sales, e-mail followup works, but not nearly as well as the phone. In fact, MarketingProfs says it only works about half as well as a phone call.

What if you follow up an email with a phone call? That gets even fewer responses.

If you’re B2C, research shows you can use either the phone or email with equal effectiveness.

3. Persistence Wins Business

MVF Global did some research on follow-up phone calls made by sales teams they worked with. They found this approach works best for getting in touch with leads:

  1. Make 6 phone calls
  2. Make your first phone call within a minute of being contacted
  3. Call #2 should happen at about the 30-minute mark
  4. Call #3 should happen between 1-2 hours
  5. 3 follow-up calls should be made at your convenience

4. Develop & Test a Script

You don’t want to sound like a robot when making follow-up phone calls. But you do want to be prepared. Develop a script for overcoming client objections.

Prospects are going to make objections like:

  • Why do you cost more?
  • I have to speak with (decision maker’s name and position) before moving forward.
  • You know, we really don’t need your service.
  • Call us back in a month when our important project finishes.

5. Empower Your Buyer – Don’t Sell to Them

In sales, you used to pressure and constantly try to influence your prospect’s decisions. That used to work decades ago because there were far fewer choices.

Now, your leads have an almost infinite number of options. So they’re more sophisticated and have more power to tell you “no” because they know they can always get a good deal somewhere.

Rather than selling, ask as many questions as possible to get an understanding of your lead’s problem. Educate and arm them with the information they need to make a good decision for their business.

This tip sounds obvious – but you’d be surprised how many companies try to sell the old way.

Watch the Sales Flow In…

Follow these research-backed tips with precision, and you’re sure to see your sales skyrocket. Go ahead and try them – you’ll be glad you did.