Software for scheduling meetings like ScheduleOnce, can help recapture lost leads. Read on to learn how to bring cold leads back into the sales funnel.
Any salesperson will be able to relate to the following scenario: a lead visits your website and fills out a web form. You phone them, but they’re too busy to take your call. Or even worse – they don’t answer at all. When you send an email, you never receive a response. The likelihood that you're going to lose that lead starts to sink in.
Losing leads is frustrating, but no shows and lost leads can be turned around. We’ve put together some proven tips including utilizing software for scheduling meetings to help you convert sales leads and meet your targets.
Get ready to follow up
It’s important to not give up after one or two attempts. Something about your initial offer caught that lead's attention. They already expressed interest by visiting your website and even took the time to fill out a webform. You can only guess what happened to change their mind, but it’s not the end of the road by any means. About 80% of successful sales require at least five follow-up calls. Persistence and patience are your allies.
Do some research
According to Salesforce, 85% of salespeople believe data makes them more effective at selling. If your lead filled out a webform, or already exists in your database, you have some basic information to qualify them such as company name, size and location. From this you can quickly conduct a high-level needs analysis.
Why go to all this trouble? This exercise equips you with the data needed to follow-up with that lead and present a relevant value proposition. You will also be able to assign a lead score, which will give you an idea of how likely that lead is of converting.
Reach out with a personalized offer
Now that you have a fairly good idea what your lead is looking for, you can reach out via email and offer your assistance. The quicker you do this, the better. You want to engage before the lead makes contact with a competitor. Your first follow-up email is very important as it forms the basis from where your relationship will grow.
There are several important factors to bear in mind here:
- This is not meant to be a hard-sell email, keep it personal
- Offer to help them get to know your product or service
- Keep it relevant to their specific needs
- Offer a time-limited value proposition
The objective of your personalized value proposition is to trigger a response from your lead. For example, you could extend a free trial or offer a reduced rate on a higher package. Personalization can lead to a staggering 87% increase in uplift.
Launch a re-engagement campaign
Now that you have your lead’s attention and they’ve got your offer top of mind, launch your personalized re-engagement email campaign with educational content targeted to your lead’s needs. You want to draw their attention to the capabilities of your product or service and show them exactly how it will benefit their business. This content can be in the form of helpful, relevant content, best practice scenarios, and case studies.
You can also launch a retargeting campaign that displays your company’s ads on other websites. These ads serve as reminders and ensure your product or service is always visible.
Use software for scheduling meetings
By now your lead has responded or has been warmed up enough to warrant a second follow-up. You can use the opportunity to remind them of their time-limited offer and suggest your own availability for a one-on-one phone call, meeting, or demo. Use software for scheduling meetings to make it as easy as possible for your lead to commit. Online scheduling eliminates back and forth to help you engage quicker. Your lead simply needs to select a time to confirm a meeting.
For B2B sales teams chasing targets, long sales cycles and lost leads are a given. By having a strategic plan in place, you’ll stop seeing lost leads as a problem and start seeing them as a challenge. Simply follow these steps and you’ll see an increase in engagement and conversions in no time.
Taking advantage of software for scheduling meetings removes the friction associated with client meetings and allows you to engage faster. Try ScheduleOnce free for 14 days and keep your prospects moving down your sales funnel.
Looking for more best practice advice? Click here to learn how software for scheduling meetings can help you foster commitment and build relationships with your customers.