Types of Leads and How to Handle Them

There may be days where it seems like you have spent all your time on the phone and gotten nowhere. B2B telemarketing can be a complex system at times, and you may not always know how to handle each situation. After you have gotten past the lead generation part of the process, you have to start making calls. It is at this point where many people get lost. Before you pick up the phone, it is important to know who you’re calling and when you should call them. You should have a system in place for all your potential customers that will make sure you get the most out of your prospect list. Here are some tips on how you should group your leads and when you should reach out to them.

Low Priority

The bottom of your list won’t have any customers that are a sure thing, and it won’t be the most exciting part of your day. The businesses that are a low priority for you are not likely to make a purchase, but still deserve an introduction. There are certain qualities that a company needs in order for your services to be useful. Those in the low priority category probably won’t have many of these qualities but should have something that makes you want to get in touch anyway. They might be in your industry but are too small of an operation, or they might be able to use your products but are under contract with someone else. The goal when you call this type of lead is to set yourself up for future success. The company might grow, and their contract will run out at some point. By making a connection early on, you will put yourself in the running if they ever do need your services.

Medium Priority

You will come across prospects that will always be a firm maybe. These companies will look decent enough on paper but are still not a sure thing. If you had a certain type of business in mind when you started selling your products, the ones in the middle of the list will have a few similarities, but not all of them. There will be a limited amount of information available making it hard to judge how effective a cold call will be. These calls are also the most difficult to predict. Some may hang up on you, and others may make a purchase right away. It may be frustrating to go into a call with no idea how it will end, but it is still worth some time and effort. Save these calls for slower times when you don’t have many new prospects and you need to see what else is out there.

High Priority

This portion of your leads will include the best of the best. Write down any sure thing or perfect match. No prospect is guaranteed to make a purchase right away, but your high priority leads are your best bet. Find out as much as you can about these companies and use that information to your advantage. By already knowing a good deal about who you are contacting you will come across as prepared and dependable, which are excellent qualities to have when a buyer needs to make a decision. Set aside some time every day to call these leads first. You want to reach out right away to make sure they do not lose interest or get snapped up by your competitors. High priority customers also have the potential to provide other leads. If they have a good experience with you, they could recommend your services to others. Any names at the top of your list should are the ones who will end up boosting your sales numbers. Give them the attention and recognition they deserve.

Organization is an essential point in any good B2B telemarketing campaign. By taking your list of prospects and dividing them into sections you can see where your focus should lie. All leads are important, but when you only have a certain number of hours in the day, some names need to be prioritized over others. Order your potential customers from those who are a perfect match for your products to those who don’t really have a need to talk to you right away. When you have taken care of leads that are more likely to buy from you, reach out to the others. While many of them may not engage with you too seriously, others may surprise you. In the end it’s all about the numbers, and the more connections you make the stronger your numbers will be. Before you begin dialing, take some time to get organized. When you start to feel more confident and less scattered, you will be happy you did. Your leads are what is going to make your company successful, always give them the attention they deserve.