Although Best In Class does use email for this purpose [lead qualification] with some regularity (41%), 61% of Best In Class companies use a telephone follow-up as a way of qualifying lead and enter them into a CRM system. –
Finance Companies Nearing BIC Status in Lead Generation, Aberdeen Group, September 2007
CRM applications are only as good as the human intelligence that support them.
A lead isn't an opportunity until it's been qualified and that involves education, patience, discipline and creating a space for that sales opportunity to grow in. We've built a business on helping sales teams face the fact that most buyers aren't ready to buy when you're ready to sell, that a no only means not right now, and staying with them until they are ready to buy from you.
Lead qualification helps you build corporate resilience. You stay responsive – no more long lag times between trade show leads and follow up. This leaves you in a strong, ready position to seize opportunities and innovate faster.
At this stage leads are qualified, scored and moved through the sales pipeline according to pre-determined guidelines. Typical lead process points and triggers are defined, including qualifying questions, distribution rules, lead scoring, (specific definitions of A, B, C or Archived leads), components and duration of the sales cycle, how to deal with out-of-profile leads, and ownership of each stage of the process. |
