B2B lead generation - a growth topic that can seem so daunting when you first start to dream up your strategy, but really doesn’t need to be so complicated! As experts in outsourced lead generation, we know that lead follow-up is just as important as generating new leads (if not more important!)
Inbound lead follow-up strategies also change depending on the type of lead itself. Oftentimes, pitching a sale to new, cold leads will likely not lead to a sale at all and even turn off your potential client from wanting to hear from you ever again. We discussed how to generate and follow up with inbound leads, but if you still aren’t sure about the best ways to follow up based on funnel stage, this blog post will help you work to develop a lead generation and follow-up strategy.
How To Follow Up With B2B Leads
Definition of a B2B lead: Any person who shows interest in your business and what you’re offering/selling. This is the highest level in the marketing funnel and requires nurturing and further qualification to determine if they fit into your ideal customer profile.
Immediate Email Follow-Up with Value
The simplest way to follow up with B2B inbound leads is to send an automated email immediately after they fill out a form. This form can be as simple as asking your potential customer to fill out the form if they want more information on your services or signing up to receive a content upgrade download in your blog post.
According to GetResponse, a triggered email averages an open rate of 46.53% and a click-through rate of 10.98%. This high engagement rate is due to sending relevant information to your subscribers in response to their actions in your emails or on your website.
Client Success: How a Multi-Channel Lead Gen Partnership Led to a 2 Million Dollar Contract
How to Follow Up With Marketing Qualified Leads
Definition of a marketing qualified lead (MQL): A lead who has been deemed more likely to become a customer compared to other leads. This qualification is based on what web pages a person has visited, what they've downloaded, and similar engagement with the business's content (Hubspot)
With a lead that has indicated they are more likely to convert, there are a few follow-up strategies that can be helpful to nurture them further. Internally, when there is a new MQL, we take additional steps to further qualify that lead and ensure that there is a good fit for both parties. We want to ensure that they are at the right stage in their business and our sales funnel prior to pitching a sale because as we all know, a warmer lead is easier to convert than a cold one.
The key is to not make assumptions on whether or not a lead is a good fit for your business because writing them off without further investigation could have you leaving money on the table!
Client Success: Expanding Lead Gen Resources to Achieve Business Goals
Connect on LinkedIn
Our sales, marketing, and lead gen teams have found immense value in utilizing LinkedIn to connect with B2B leads. Because it’s a social platform with a profile picture, you’re able to feel more connected to people in your feed and messages.
Once your lead accepts your connection request, don’t stop there! Shoot them a simple message to start a conversation and continue to engage with their content they share. You’ll be amazed at what this more human interaction can do for your sales funnel!
Enroll Leads Into an Automated Email Workflow
When an inbound lead is interested in your company but not yet ready to buy or hop on a sales call, providing additional information and value that can help them solve their problems is essential to building trust.
An email automation sequence also helps familiarize your leads with your company. When 81% of sales happen after 7 or more touchpoints, automating emails allows you to keep getting in front of leads and demonstrating your thought-leadership.
How To Follow Up With Sales Qualified Leads
Definition of a sales qualified lead (SQL): A prospective client that is ready to talk to a sales team. Typically, this lead has expressed enough interest in your product or service, that they're ready to move into your sales process. Usually, they've been researched and vetted by your marketing department and then handed off to your sales team (Hubspot).
Immediate Outreach
Sending an email instantly after someone raises their hand is key because it reaches them while they are still interested in your business. It also allows your customer to be engaged with while giving your sales team time to personally follow up.
For SQLs, we have indicated in our CRM that they are a more qualified lead based on a variety of indicators, such as types of pages they visited on our website (think pricing) or lower funnel form fills. Rather than continue sending them more marketing information, we make sure our sales team understands how quickly to follow up with leads and outline the specific follow-up cadence they should use.
For sales qualified leads, we also incorporate LinkedIn and automated workflows to keep leads engaged after our initial outreach to follow-up.
Work with B2B Lead Generation Company
On top of lead generation list building, Incept excels at following up with your leads in a timely manner to increase your close rate. While you have a team performing lead gen and appointment setting activity, your sales team is able to spend more time in sales meetings and closing deals - where they excel the most! If you want to learn more about how Incept can improve your sales and grow your business, let’s talk!
Related Post: Why Fractional Outsourcing Client Acquisition Helps Business Growth
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About Incept
Incept is an outsourced call center service and B2B lead generation company that brings the human element of conversations back to customer experience. Our team of lead gen experts partner with your team to grow your sales through lead generation, cold calling, and appointment setting
We’ve worked with some of the largest brands in the world to develop lead generation campaigns with one main goal - strengthen relationships at every touch point. From B2B lead generation, to organic and paid social media campaigns, to live chat, Incept is one of the best call center outsourcing vendors to assist all your CX and lead generation needs.