Lead Management Follow-up call process

George Clay

Effective lead management begins with finding the right prospects.

A method I favor is over-the-phone sales prospecting with real-time follow-up calls.

It’s simple and easy to manage because you can do it on your own time.

But how to do it. Where to begin?

Start with introductory cold calls that qualify each prospect to determine if your business is a good fit for what they need. Make your introduction specific and brief…twenty seconds or less.

Keep your call relaxed, almost informal tone. A sales script you write yourself and are comfortable using will help you accomplish this by giving you confidence and the ability to control each call.

Lead Generation Development by phone is about information gathering. That means finding out if the person you are calling is a qualified sales prospect. Your lead generation sales script guides you into asking specific questions that properly qualify —or disqualify— each prospect.

Picture a crowded room. Your goal: find the folks interested in your offer. How to do it? Ask for a show of hands. There, that’s the goal of your cold call — (1) finding the right prospects; (2) separating them from the crowd; then (3) qualifying their interest level.

It’s here the weak prospects are weeded out…and the better qualified prospects are engaged for methodical follow-up calls.

Lead Generation Development requires educating your prospects — over time — on on why they are better off buying from you rather than from your competitors.

Use contact management programs. Generating qualified B2B sales leads from contact lists scattered about on scraps of paper or on business cards is fine. But enter these prospect names into your contact management program for effective sales prospecting follow-up.

Be patient. Your lead management follow-up call process is not one call telemarketing. It’s a methodical process in which you are creating trust and building credibility with your prospects.

Lead Generation Development by phone marketing is a form of direct marketing. And buildinga highly targeted database is the key to any successful direct marketing campaign.

Therefore, view each call as a means for fine tuning your customer development database. It’s a work in progress that never ends!

George Clay

Get updates on ways Acquiring New Customers by Phone Marketing can help your cold call sales process —especially in this economy.

Also, go here for DMA 2012 response rate reports for lead generation marketing media. Plus this Advertising Age update on B2B phone marketing.

Also, for further study: