Monthly Archives: September 2024

Sales enablement – what is your bigger issue lead numbers or conversion?

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Photo by Evan Dennis on Unsplash

In the fight for sales growth businesses struggle with two fundamental challenges: generating a steady stream of qualified leads and effectively converting those leads into paying customers. While both are indispensable for a thriving sales operation, identifying the point at which you have the least success is crucial for optimising your sales enablement initiatives.

Generating enough leads

This can be a sticking point for many businesses. The problem can stem from several issues, including lacklustre marketing campaigns, a failure to precisely target the right audience, or simply not having a strong enough presence in the marketplace. When the number of leads entering the business decline, the entire sales pipeline suffers, as there are simply fewer opportunities to nurture and close.

Converting effectively

Some companies excel at generating leads but fall short when it comes to converting them into paying clients. This also has several potential causes. There can be misalignment between sales and marketing strategies, insufficient sales training, or a failure to cultivate relationships with leads throughout their buying journey. Even with a large pool of prospects to work with, a low conversion rate can severely hinder revenue growth.

Uncovering your block.

Deciding which of these problems poses the greater threat to your business requires detailed analysis of your sales data and processes. You can do this by asking two questions.

  • Are you attracting a sufficient volume of leads to meet your sales objectives? If not, your primary focus should be on revamping your marketing and lead generation tactics.
  • Are you successfully transforming an adequate percentage of your leads into enough new clients to achieve your growth targets? If not, your sales enablement strategy should prioritise refining your sales process and equipping your sales team with the skills and resources necessary to close deals.

Tailored Sales Enablement Solutions

Once you’ve identified your primary challenge, you can implement appropriate sales enablement initiatives to address it.

If lead generation is your sticking point:

  • Improve and increase your content marketing and social media engagement to expand brand visibility.
  • Fine-tune your ideal customer profile and craft messaging that speaks directly to their pain points and aspirations.
  • Leverage lead generation tools and automation to enhance efficiency and maximise your outreach efforts.

If conversion is your block:

  • Ensure collaboration and communication between your sales and marketing teams is clear and consistent.
  • Invest in continuous sales training and development programs to elevate your team’s skills and expertise.
  • Implement a robust CRM system, supported by a clear sales process to track leads, personalise interactions, and guide them seamlessly through your sales journey.

Both lead generation and conversion play pivotal roles in your sales success. The key is to recognise where your business needs the most attention. By identifying your primary challenge and implementing strategic sales enablement solutions, you can streamline your sales funnel and achieve sustainable growth.

Remember, sales enablement is an ongoing endeavour. Continuously track your progress, adapt your approach based on data-driven insights, and empower your sales team with the support they need to thrive. By proactively tackling your lead generation and conversion hurdles, you’ll pave the way for increased sales, enhanced customer relationships, and long-term business growth.

YBDT’s sales enablement programme is built on our own experience of lead generation and improving sales conversion for our clients. By helping you build an understanding of your markets and then creating the processes that support your sales growth we can support you in creating content, generating, and nurturing prospects and guiding your team towards improved sales conversion.

YBDT’s business development process has supported sustainable development for countless companies over many years. Get in touch to book a discovery call today and have the conversation that starts your journey to sustainable growth.

The power of persistence – Nurture your leads for long enough to convert them

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Photo by Keith Lazarus on Unsplash

There’s a quote that we repeat often in our blogs and emails. It’s from Wanda Allen:

“80% of sales are made between the 5th and 12th contact, yet 90% of salespeople make 3 contacts or less.”

This contrast between sales effort and client expectations underscores a reality: too many salespeople abandon their efforts prematurely, costing them orders and their businesses growth.

Several factors might contribute to salespeople abandoning leads prematurely:

  • Fear of rejection: Nobody enjoys hearing “no,” and repeated rejections can chip away at confidence.
  • Impatience: The desire for quick results can lead to frustration when sales don’t materialise instantly.
  • Misplaced focus: Some salespeople prioritise chasing new leads over cultivating existing ones.
  • Lack of a system: Without a structured follow-up plan, it’s easy to lose track of leads and let opportunities slip through the cracks.

While the first three points are important, it’s the lack of a clear system driving the follow up process that allows the element of uncertainty about when and how leads need to be tracked to creep in.

What are the key benefits of having a clear follow up plan in place?

Consistency and efficiency: A structured process ensures that every lead receives timely and appropriate follow-up, preventing potential customers from slipping through the net from inaction on the sales team’s part. This consistency helps build trust and keeps your brand top-of-mind.    

Personalised communication: A structured process can be more personalised, allowing you to tailor your follow-up messages and calls to the specific needs and interests of each prospect. This increases engagement and demonstrates that you’ve taken the time to understand their unique situation.  

Improved lead nurturing: A well-defined process allows for strategic lead nurturing, guiding potential customers through the sales funnel with relevant content and offers. This helps build relationships and positions your product or service as the solution to their problems.

Data-driven optimisation: By tracking the effectiveness of your follow-up process, you can gather data on email open and click-through rates, and conversion rates from your calling. This allows you to identify areas for improvement and optimise your strategy over time.

Clearer forecasting: A structured process eliminates guesswork and streamlines the sales pipeline. By having well qualified and nurtured leads to bank on cash flow forecasting and sales targets can be more accurate.

Overall, a structured sales follow-up process provides a framework for consistent and effective communication with prospects, which increases the likelihood of converting them into paying customers.

So why don’t more businesses do it?

The big issue as always is time and resources. Your sales team have numerous, often conflicting, demands on them. The one that is often let slip is follow up which is where YBDT come in. Our proven lead nurturing service will see us take over the initial follow up of new leads taking the pressure off your team, until it’s time to convert. We can help you increase your sales conversion through applying the appropriate follow up based on each enquiry. Because it is what we do for our clients every day we never give up too soon.

That Wanda Allen quote serves as a powerful reminder that persistence is not just a buzzword, but a proven path to sales success. The sales journey as we have suggested in previous blogs is often a winding road, filled with twists, turns, and unexpected challenges. By developing a persistence mindset and following a clear strategy, you can navigate this journey with confidence and achieve the results you desire.

YBDT have been supporting business’s pipeline development for many years. By investing in well-defined lead nurturing support, you can ensure a consistent flow of new business opportunities, improve customer relationships, and achieve greater predictability in your sales and revenue. Learn more about our processes by booking a discovery call with YBDT today.