Sales is the lifeline of every organisation. But before we can get to any sales, we need to have prospects or sales opportunities, and even before we get to that, we need to have B2B sales leads.
In this article, we discuss where to find plenty of B2B sales leads and run through how you should execute b2b sales lead generation for best success.
Let’s begin.
How to Find B2B Sales Leads
Directories are the number 1 resource to find leads since they are well organised based on the different business nature of the listed companies. Below are 3 different kinds of directories that are easy to find and target for B2B sales leads.
1) Business Phone Directories
Business phone directories can be found online or traditionally as a thick book. Here, you would be able to find companies of any and all business category. Depending on what you sell, you may want to select which are the relevant business categories to target as sales leads.
2) Industry Supplier Directories
When an industry is big enough, there are industry supplier directories which focus solely on a particular industry. E.g. the marine industry could have multiple categories of suppliers like part suppliers, maintenance companies, machine and equipment suppliers, etc. It is always easier to craft your sales pitch when targeted at a particular industry or niche.
3) Industry Membership Association Directories
Similar to industry supplier directories, some industry membership associations have directories of their registered members with contact person name and details, thus making it even easier to contact the person who represents the company. But it is always recommended to be a member of the association before you attempt to contact members of an association so that there is common ground and you are not just another cold call.
How to Approach B2B Sales Leads
So now that we know there are so many sales leads so easily accessible, you need a plan to reach out to them. Blatantly calling in cold to prospect would likely get you the default answer of ‘No’, so preparation and research is definitely required in order to make the most of your calls.
Below are a few important pointers from our experience.
1. Create a Purpose
Your purpose of calling a cold lead should not come across as selling products and services, but it should be directed towards providing value to the person on the other end of the call. Here’s an example, if your company sells web design services, try to pitch with the benefits of having an up-to-date website which can help to generate more business rather than explaining the service of web design. Remember how to sell a pen? Create the need, amplify the problem, and let the customer buy from you.
2. Follow a Structure
Prepare a brief sales script with overview of the key points you have to pitch. It would be unnatural to follow a script word for word, but having pointers to help guide the flow of the conversation is definitely useful and helps you stick to the plan during the call. Refine the sales script along the way to make it better.
3. Don’t Waste Time
Try not to spend too much time with the wrong people like gatekeepers who say no to everything or ask you to send introductory emails. Always talk to the person in charge of the department who would want to buy your product or service, this way, you can find deals much faster. And if you are being asked to send emails, you know that you are sending to the right person who will be evaluating your product or service.
4. Qualify the Leads
Does the lead have potential need for your product, the right budget, and possibly within a reasonable timeframe? Spending time with the correct pool of sales leads is key to building your sales pipeline.
5. Keep Track of Who You Called
If you or your colleague call the same lead over and over again, the lead could get frustrated at the disorganisation of your sales approach, which could deduct points for you. As such, always record your sales leads and interaction history in a proper Customer Relationship Management system. Other than frustrating the customer, you would also be wasting precious sales productivity time. It is always easy to work with the hot leads, but when the hot leads are taken care of, the CRM system can quickly filter out all the warm leads which you can nurture into actual sales.
Every company has different sales stages and sales reporting requirements. When you engage Bevootech to implement your CRM system, we work with your sales team to understand and streamline their sales workflow. We then work with management to understand the organization’s sales reporting metrics. And with that comprehensive knowledge of your company’s sales operations, we customize a CRM system that your salespeople would love to use.
No company is too small or too simple to use a CRM system to increase sales. Read this article where we share with you how we use CRM to win sales.
If you are interested to find out how your company can increase sales productivity and win more business, feel free to contact us for a free consultation session. Thank you.
70% Grant on for CRM Packages
Eligible Singapore SMEs can apply for grant up to 70% for pre-approved CRM software packages.