As an inside salesperson, you understand that it is your job to push leads to the next stage in your company’s sales process. But for many sales organizations, the criteria for what constitutes a qualified lead are inconsistent, vague or argued. The first step you need to take is to set up a service agreement between inside sales and sales follow-up that clearly states the criteria for qualification and the stage of the lead (e.g. target, active, or primed for sales-ready activities).
Then, as you learned in your inside sales training, you will be ready to get to work on your end of the sales process by:
- Staying customer-focused.
Be ready to deeply listen to customers’ questions and provide the timely and relevant information they need to take the next step.
- Being accountable to established metrics.
Know how you are being measured…not for simple activities but for delivering results. Strive to deliver leads that make sense.
- Knowing how to convert.
Understand what you need to do to take prospects to the next level. Be ready with a follow-up email or call that will move the prospect to the next step in their buying decision.
