It’s impossible to acquire new customers without follow-up on leads. B2B buyers in particular require multiple interactions with sales teams at every stage of the buying journey (and different types of information at each stage). This can be complicated to manage! and businesses need the right processes and tools to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
Set priorities with lead scoring
Not all leads are created equal! and you can optimize your marketing and sales team’s time by focusing on the leads with the highest likelihood of conversion first. The way to identify these is through lead scoring! or using a points system based on lead behavior and how well they match your Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs) and buyer personas.
Specific lead scoring models should be unique to your business and customer! but companies use general criteria such as: professional characteristics (job title! title! etc.)! demographics (such as age! gender! location)! online activity (e.g.: website visit! email click-through)! and source (e.g.: direct referral vs. lead magnet download).
To build the right lead scoring model for your business! you need to know your ideal customer well and build scoring into your sales process. Most CRM and Sales Management Systems have automated lead scoring features that make this easy.
Add valuable content
Content is a critical component of lead engagement. Research shows that nearly three-quarters of B2B buyers view more than 3 pieces of content before making a purchase decision. In other words! sharing quality content can make the difference between a lead choosing your company or a competitor.
Email is the most direct and effective way to share content as part of your lead follow-up strategy. Downloadable lead magnets (think eBooks! whitepapers or guides)! videos! blog posts and infographics can all be included in the body of the email or as an attachment.
The benefits of content are numerous: demonstrating expertise! helping prospects solve problems or complete important tasks! building buyer knowledge! and showing that your company can deliver value.
Personalize communication
Personalization in the B2B world is almost a given! and not just in the form of auto-filling first names in subject lines. B2B buyers today want experiences that are completely tailored to their needs and preferences.
When it comes to lead follow-up! a strong personalization strategy can set you apart from your competitors. Personalization is an early indicator that your company is seeing each customer as an individual! and that your products and services are also designed to solve your customer’s unique challenges.
Standardize the process
While your lead follow-up strategy should retain some flexibility to meet the needs of the customer or prospect! it is important to build standard steps into your marketing and sales processes.
For example! you could set up a lead-nurturing email campaign that new leads receive after they show their initial interest. You could send a personalized video follow-up after each consultation or demo. These steps can still be customized! but building them into your sales process creates consistency and a consistent baseline for measuring sales performance.
Automate as much as possible
Automation is a huge time saver and can be done in ways that still keep your lead follow-up strategy personalized. Automating welcome messages! email campaigns! follow-up messages! and meeting reminders keeps your follow-up on track and ensures that there are no unintended gaps in communication.
In addition to saving time (one of the top benefits in our opinion)! automation has also been proven to improve lead generation! drive revenue for businesses! and shorten the sales cycle.
Use multiple channels
Email is an important part of lead follow-up and business communication in general! but it shouldn’t be the only channel you use. Phone calls! WhatsApp messages! and in-person meetings are all effective ways to engage leads! build relationships! and keep them moving through the pipeline.
Determine where you will use each communication channel in your lead follow-up strategy and adjust as needed based on lead preferences.
Be consistent and persistent
Leads require multiple follow-ups before they make a purchase decision! but most sales teams aren’t persistent enough to close the deal. While 80% of sales prospects won’t say yes until the fifth (or more) contact! only 8% follow up that many times.
