Setting up a project for success

Be sure that your website is finely tuned

Inbound leads are necessary for businesses in the digital space. Today’s buyer can now take themselves 80% of the way through the buyer’s journey, without ever having reached out to a sales rep. It is your website that is conveying information to buyers and it must be on-point. Along with your website, your content strategy, visual design, and overall user experience should also be on-point.

If a potential buyer gets confused, can’t find answers, or has trouble understanding your company’s value, they are as good as gone. When done right, you’ll attract the types of companies and buyers that best fit your ideal customer profile. There’s nothing sweeter than seeing an inbound lead from a prospect who is the perfect fit for your solution.

Do your research beforehand

Once you get that incredible inbound lead in the door, it’s time to set up a discovery call. Now, you can start the process of bringing that prospect from 80% to 100% with a closed deal. Deals can be won or lost on the initial call, so it’s important to do your research ahead of time. Be sure to research the company, the product or solution they provide, the industry they are in, and their audience. Don’t forget about the prospect themselves. Check out their LinkedIn profile, learn about their interests or groups they’re a member of – go ahead, it's okay; we promise.

Ask the right questions

You’ve got the lead, your meeting is set, you’ve done research, now it’s time to ask the right questions. It’s important to get the prospect talking, ask open-ended questions allowing you to dive deep into the current pain that they are experiencing. But first, it’s important to set the foundation by understanding the W’s – Who, What, When, Where, Why?

1. Who exactly is this prospect?
2. What is their problem? And the magnitude of it?
3. Where are they in the process? Where are they getting their information?
4. When will they decide? When does the problem need to be solved?
5. Why now? Why or why not choose you?

By getting an understanding of the W’s, you and your prospect will cover a lot. You should start to form a clearer picture in your mind of how your company could attack and solve this problem. You can further refine this understanding by developing a set of custom questions for each ideal customer profile you work with.

Know what to look for

The step of qualifying or disqualifying a prospect can be a tough one. It’s important to remember what clients, projects, objectives, and goals are best suited for your company. Be bold – it’s important to uncover objections quickly and understand whether or not your company is a great fit. If you are not, no big deal – don’t be afraid to tell your prospect that this may not be the best fit, and to continue with another option. It will be better to make this tough decision up front and respect each other’s time, rather than continuing with a prospect that is not the right fit and trying to squeeze them into your sales process. Releasing this fish back allows you to continue prospecting the right fish you want to catch.

Set up next steps for success

Let’s say you had an amazing call with your prospect, and you’ve qualified them to keep the process going forward – always set up next steps. It is important that you lead this process with your prospect. Be clear, be concise, and be actionable. What are the precise next steps we need to take to progress the sale? Schedule them, set expectations, and bring your new client home!

Need help capturing new inbound leads? The team at Imarc is here to help – Let’s chat!