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As a sales rep or manager, understanding what makes up a Sales-Qualified Lead (SQL) and grasping what it means to be categorized as one is key to succeeding with any sales team. It's more than just the number of leads you generate each week that determine whether or not you meet your goals - it's about generating quality, qualified leads that will later become customers. In this article, we'll provide an overview of what constitutes an SQL and why being able to classify these types of leads is important when reaching out to prospective buyers.
A qualified lead is an individual or company genuinely interested in your product or service. To qualify as a lead, they must meet certain criteria, such as having contact information, being open to connecting with salespeople, and expressing some need or requirement. These leads can be nurtured through email marketing, social media campaigns, and other methods of communication. Knowing which leads are most likely to convert into sales is key for any business development strategy, so it's important to develop quality criteria for identifying these qualified leads.
Many qualified leads can come from the marketing department as they're also actively looking for them through paid advertisements and your website.
A sales-qualified lead specifically focuses on your ideal customer profile and might also have a prospect prioritization sheet when working with multiple profiles. In sales, we refer to leads as prospects, as many of the people you will be in touch with have not shown any indication of interest. Though you have researched before contacting them, you know they could at least benefit from your product or service. Also, make sure to use a good email finder tool so you are sure to be in contact with the right people.
To qualify leads within sales, it's essential to do enough research to make sure they fit your ideal customer profile and your ideal account profile so that both the person you contact and the company are a fit.
Not doing this results in calling a bunch of people who would be unqualified to buy your product/service in the first place. Or even worse, contact companies that don't need your product/service. This would be a waste of time and effort, so play it smart, so your revenue grows as quickly as possible.
Sharing this data regarding your perfect customer with marketing is also invaluable information for them to improve their inbound marketing. So though it is more important to sales than marketing to stay aligned and grow revenue faster, sharing all the information you obtain about your perfect prospects is important.
Regarding lead qualification, having the right assurance makes all the difference in securing quality leads. To guarantee the best possible results, qualified leads should have a comprehensive overview of their industry, customers' needs and preferences, and their competition in the market. They should be able to provide well-researched details about prospective clients, demonstrate familiarity with new technologies that could help further a business's objectives, and showcase strategic thinking. Furthermore, a high level of urgency and commitment is needed for successful lead qualification; time restraints must be taken into account, and adjustments must be made to pursue successful deals down the line. With these steps taken into consideration, businesses can ensure that they get the highest quality lead for optimal success.
The two main ways to qualify your leads are through online research and having discovery calls with potential customers. It all starts with research. We can find a lot of information about a company and its employees online. Very often, you can also find information on their website. Some companies have their employees listed on their “about” page. Once you know your contact person, you can also look at their LinkedIn account to find their interests and what type of news and information they interact with. You never know if something might be relevant regarding what you are selling.
Discovery calls are essential to understand your leads' positioning and struggles. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, they might not be the perfect qualified lead if they cannot answer your questions. However, that can also be an opportunity to educate them and give them extra information to think about.
When you've found a qualified prospect who isn't interested, it may take education and persuasion to get them interested in your product or service. One strategy is to research the prospect's needs, enabling you to craft an offer that caters to them. Additionally, by addressing potential problems before they arise, you can establish trust and demonstrate value. Adding them to a well-managed sales pipeline can be an essential step. Finally, you may need to adjust your pricing or offer additional incentives or services for the prospect to see the benefit of working with you. Understanding their wants and needs and educating them on how you can solve these issues is key to gaining interest in your product or service.
If these steps are faithfully executed, the likelihood of successfully qualifying a lead will be greatly increased. Remember, a qualified lead is essential to the success of any product or service. By qualifying your leads, you increase your chances for success and ensure your time is well spent. Qualifying leads can be difficult, but by following these steps and using a good sales tool to follow up on your prospects, such as Leadcamp, you can ensure your sales process is as effective as possible.
