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As we all know, lead generation is the marketing process of stimulating and capturing interest in order to develop a pipeline for Sales. But in most B2B businesses, their marketing funnel is more like a leaky colander. So I've perfected: 'The definitive 6-step B2B inbound sales check-list'! There's a wealth of information available online nowadays, buyers do a lot of their research online before ever wanting to speak to someone in the Sales team. Today's buyers are able to research and shop around for services so that the purchasing cycle is increasingly directed by THEM NOT YOU. But that doesn't mean that your sales team is obsolete, far from it! A survey by Acquity Group revealed that more than 95% of corporate buyers still call upon the assistance of Sales in the purchasing process. inbound leads, B2B sales leads What this means is that sales and marketing teams must work together to drive decision making with a joined up process. So if your marketing team are generating inbound sales leads, how do they join-up activities to sales? The jargon calls this "alignment of the sales and marketing cycle to that of the buying cycle'. Put more simply; it's a consultative sales process where you don't sell, you help the customer buy. It's a subtle but important difference: According to Hubspot, there are six key principles to the inbound sales process: Research - use wisely the lead intelligence gathered by your inbound marketing Ask - when about this insight to make sure you've got everything you need Listen - active listening, making sure you hear and understand what they say Teach - respond to what you hear and how you can overcome their challenges Qualify - make sure you're indentifying the right fit for your services Close - making this the natural consequence of the previous stages How to implement the six-step inbound selling checklist: This may all sound wonderful in theory but what practical steps can you take to transform your sales tone from an intrusive nuisance to a wise and trusted adviser? Establish trust: You'll be reaping the rewards of inbound marketing whose regular production of helpful content has made your sales team's job a whole lot easier. Weaponise yourself with content: You have the appropriate sales content to match the buyer's challenges and level of commitment - think ROI calculator rather than service data sheet. Do you know everything marketing has available? Does marketing know what's missing? Sales and Marketing, synced: Use the knowledge and history a marketing campaign has gathered when it comes to closing the sale-continue the story marketing have told with your sales pitch. The 'assignment selling' effect: Send literature in advance of a meeting so your prospect can read up, this is especially good for answering questions they may have to make your meeting more productive. Identify the right prospect: Focusing on those contacts showing the right level of interest (online and offline) means you can quickly figure out if you think you can help them, great. If not, walk away. Engage across multiple channels: Use the appropriate social media channels to keep your contacts engaged. See: The Sales Director's guide to LinkedIn for more tips). React quickly to interest: According to the Aberdeen Group, a staggering 69% of leads are never followed up, even though the likelihood of conversion is much higher at the stage where a lead establishes contact with you directly. Good manners cost nothing: But they can help you sell. Sales expert and consultant Frank Belzer writes, customers appreciate a follow-up call from a genuinely consultative salesperson. Regardless of where and why your prospect has entered the pipeline, the key to inbound selling is that the raison d'etre of your Sales team will be to fuel the customer make up their own minds about your service or product, rather than tell them what to do.
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