Whilst you’re sitting at your desk, waiting for the phone calls to come flying in, your competitor may be building those all-important relationships and stealing the lead from right under your nose. As an effective sales team, you should focus on being proactive, rather than reactive and always engaging with your prospects. According to Hubspot research, sales reps who follow up new contacts within 24 hours are 60x more likely to qualify them to a lead, compared to sales teams who sit and wait longer than 24 hours.
If you are the type of sales team to wait for that phone call to come in, or wait for the tender to land on your desk, you may be losing some gems along the way. According to Jeffrey Lant’s “Rule of Seven”, you must contact your buyers a minimum of seven times, in an 18-month period for them to remember you. How will they remember if you’ve lost touch? Remember, getting in touch with a prospect isn’t just about selling your product or service, it is about educating them and building credibility along the way. Customers feel a sense of reassurance when they see you are active in the market and know what you’re talking about. Calling contacts about new technologies, new services that are on offer and new opportunities will not only educate the prospect, but will also act as a reason for engagement.
We often hear ‘I don’t need to call; I rely on inbounds’. Inbound marketing is a fantastic tool, one that is growing rapidly, however it is just one piece of the jigsaw puzzle. When used alongside outbound marketing techniques such as telemarketing, your message becomes stronger, and so does your relationship.
