You know what they say: Sales is a numbers game. When you have a great lead list at the ready, you’re primed to make those calls and hit those numbers. A lead list is simply a collection of prospects who might be interested in working with you. Most lists include prospects’ names, contact information and notes about how you found them.
Want to get organized with your lead list? Mark Burdon, a contributor to the HubSpot Sales Blog, recommends starting with a blank spreadsheet and going from there. In this issue of PromoPro Daily, we outline his go-to process for building a lead list, whether you’re starting from scratch or want to refine an existing list.
1. Capture prospect data in a spreadsheet. In addition to the basics like name and company name, Burdon says you could include column headings like lead source, pain points identified and decision-making process. Interaction history and marketing campaign engagement could also be useful to include in this spreadsheet.
2. Supplement lead profiles with high-quality intelligence. Once you create your spreadsheet, fill in as many details as possible and then upload to your preferred CRM. Burdon says he has worked with colleagues across sales development and marketing to add richer context to leads from other sources.
3. Build relationships with prospects. Get to know your prospects and take a relationship-first approach. Burdon says making this investment will help you, even if you don’t generate revenue right away. The relationships you’re building will generate advocacy for your promo offerings and company over time.
4. Define your personas. Who’s the best fit for your promo offerings? Clearly outline the characteristics of the organizations and contacts that are most likely to value your products and services. Burdon recommends having fun with it by giving these personas catchy names and compelling backstories. You can then segment leads based on how close they are to how you define an ideal prospect.
5. Explore sales lead enrichment services. There are many tools out there that can save your team time on tasks like market research and lead enrichment. Use what you learn to build out your personas.
6. Identify and engage with market sentiment through Reddit and LinkedIn. According to Burdon, listening to customer sentiment on channels like Reddit, LinkedIn and Facebook can be key to identifying and enriching lead information. He says that many subreddits consist of prospects asking existing customers for their views on products and services from many industries. When you pay attention to these conversations, you can engage in a consultative rather than a salesy tone.
It takes time to build and regularly maintain a lead list, but it can get you the results you’re after. Instead of wasting valuable time looking up information between calls, you can maintain momentum and stay in the zone when you can turn to a well-crafted lead list.
Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Mark Burdon is a certified content marketer and contributor to the HubSpot Sales Blog.
