Sales Leads – Using Small Means To Achieving Bigger Sales Success

On Inc.com, Harvey Mackay just shared how two simple words that can help close more sales. The article itself seems to be targeted towards salespeople but who is to say that marketing can’t get something out of this too? More specifically, it might give you your own small means to qualifying sales leads that will result in bigger and more successful sales.

In the article, Mackay states that it starts in getting a prospect to agree with the sales representative throughout the entire discourse of the appointment:

“By getting your customers to agree with you in small steps along the way, you have a better chance of reaching agreement when it’s time to do business.”

You might not find any purpose in using tie-ins in your marketing message but the real point is for it to ask questions. It’s the marketer’s job to first ask about any needs and if these needs would signify any possible interest a prospect might have. It can also prevent them from making mistakes like:

• Assumptions – Asking questions first implies that a confirmation must be made. This could be something as a simply asking if they have the right business name and contact details to something more complex like if they’re in any need of new and improved forms of management.

• Pushiness – When you’re asking a question, you don’t automatically sound like you’re trying to promote something. For example, in B2B telemarketing, a phone conversation has the flexibility to ask questions and then quickly adapt to responses. This spurs a dynamic engagement that can have value to both yourself and to the prospect.

• Static messages – Having a repetitive marketing message loses its charm fast in B2C and it only gets worst in B2B. Such messages tend to be generic and barely tailored to the needs of both potential customers and even current ones. Asking simple questions can lead to the need for receiving different responses and thereby resulting in a more dynamic message. This can apply even if you just use something as plain as an online quiz or a FAQ page to help prospects identify their needs.

Another important benefit you get from asking questions is that you’re letting a prospect engage in the process and are not just mindlessly spoon-fed:

“Too often, sales reps simply regurgitate their presentations and expect to land the sale. It doesn’t work. Prospects tune out because they aren’t engaged in the process. The remedy is to ask little questions along the way and monitor the feedback.”

See that? Monitoring feedback isn’t an exclusive sales activity. It’s also required in marketing! It not only needs to be done fast but it also indicates how qualified your B2B leads are. In addition, engaging with your market keeps you in the loop on what they want and when they want it. Tools like social media have risen in popularity solely because of this. However, that doesn’t mean it’s the only way to engage. The small and simple act of making a phone call and asking questions can already spark an engagement which can lead to higher quality lead generation, accurate appointment setting, and higher chances for successful sales.