One of the trickiest parts of dealing with sales leads is knowing when they’re done talking and are ready to take action. Push a sale prematurely and they might get scared off or feel pressured and leave it too late and they might forget your business and go to one of your competitors. Here’s how to strike while the iron is hot so that you both get a result you’re happy with.

• QUALIFY YOUR LEADS

All leads must be thoroughly qualified before they hear any sales pitch. Signs that an incoming lead could be ready includethem visited your website and requested more information via a contact form, written a post on your social media page orprovided their email address in exchange for a download. In terms of email marketing, they will be opening and reading your mails and not deleting them, or even better, responding to them directly.

Maximise your chances of success by focusing on inbound and outbound marketing efforts that actively pursue idea customers who might not know of your business offering but could benefit from it. A common mistake here is having a generic profile of an ideal customer and not going into as much detail as possible. The more detailed your profile is, the more you’ll be able to match it to someone who’ll be responsive to your efforts. A great way to increase your chances of success that many forget about is bynarrowing your focus to those with decision making and buying power.

• REFINE YOUR PROCESS

To make sure potential customers are as prequalified as possible before you say hello them, refine your inbound and outbound marketing efforts as much as possible. Ask more specific questions in your contact form or in exchange for a download. If an email database customer hasn’t asked for content, ensure that you offer it to them as part of a nurturing campaign. Ensure all communications use as targeted and location specific targeted keywords as possible.

Last but not least, ensure your qualified leads list is being constantly audited so that unresponsive customers are removed or directed towards nurturing instead of moved on towards your sales team.

With a little preparation, you’ll find that you’ve found a way to target clients who’re as ready to seal the deal as you are.