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Salespeople often have more "sales leads"
than they can possibly pursue. So how do you decide where to spend your time?
It’s easy. All you have to do is measure the heat of your sales leads, and
you’ll know exactly which ones to concentrate on.
Icy sales leads
Someone who knows you and your company suggests to you: "You know Bill
over at TimePlex. He really could use your products. Why don’t you give him a
call?" Unless you’re desperate for sales leads, don’t bother. You
don’t know Bill and his priorities; more importantly, Bill doesn’t know you
or your company. If you have the time, drop Bill a letter or note. If he
responds, then maybe something can happen. But don’t waste much of your time
on this one.
Frosty sales leads
But instead you might hear: "Companies like TimePlex are all having
trouble with their telephone systems. They could probably use someone like you
to help them out." This lead is still pretty cold because you don’t know
if TimePlex has the problem or not. If you have time, you may want to follow up
with this one, and talk with someone at the company to find out if this is a
problem. Then if it is, you might want to contact Bill, and find out if this is
a problem for him. It’s still a frosty lead, because you don’t know if Bill
has the problem for which you have the solution. The likelihood of reaching Bill
and convincing him that you can solve the problem is still slim, but worth a
shot.
Cool sales leads
That same person tells you: "I was talking with Bill over at TimePlex
yesterday, and he told me they’re having problems with their telephone
equipment. They’re very unhappy with their current supplier." Now,
because you sell telephone equipment, you have something to talk to Bill about.
Ask the person giving you the lead if you can use his name when talking to Bill.
Then, call or write Bill about how you can help him solve this problem.
Warm sales leads
Your referring source tells you: "I was talking with Bill over at
TimePlex yesterday, and he told me they’re having problems with their
telephone equipment. They’re very unhappy with their current supplier. Why
don’t I call Bill and tell him that he should talk to you? Then, you give him
a call." You’re getting warm now. You have a personal introduction to
Bill by someone he trusts enough to confide in about the problem. Be sure to
call Bill using your referring source’s name, and set up an appointment to
talk to Bill further about the impact of the telephone system on his company and
his goals.
Hot sales leads
You know you’re beginning to get hot when your reference tells you:
"I was talking with Bill over at TimePlex yesterday, and he told me
they’re having problems with their current telephone equipment and need to fix
it. When I told him about you and your company, he said that he'd heard very
good things about you and wanted you to give him a call." The lead is
getting hot. Not only do you know what the problem is, but you and your company
have been recognized as possible solutions. Give Bill a call and get him to talk
a little more about his problem. Then, set up an appointment to explore the
problem in more depth and to look at possible strategies for a solution.
Sizzling sales leads
You get a call from Bill, saying: "I have a problem with my telephone
system. I’ve been told your company makes the best equipment to solve this
problem. I’ve got to do something soon. Do you think you can help me?"
Don’t wait a minute. Set up that appointment to find out the details of
Bill’s problem and put together your best solution. This is the one you want.
Cooking-with-gas sales leads
You get a call from Bill saying: "Help! My telephone system is just not
doing the job. Can you come in today and help me figure out a solution? When are
you available?" Now, Bill is selling to you. Go get the order.
Look at your own leads and compare them to this chart. How hot are your
leads? What are you going to do to heat them up?
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