Emedia advises on converting B2B leads to sales

Emedia has released five quick tips for converting e-mail leads into sales, enabling organisations to maximise their conversion rates and leverage e-mail sales leads effectively.

Create a great follow-up message.

You may have managed to get the customer to pay attention to your marketing message once - but it becomes harder the second time.

Because of the complex nature of most business-to-business (B2B) sales processes, in the beginning it is best to focus on connecting with the contact rather than explaining the features and benefits of your product or service.

Keep conversations and e-mails light and demonstrate to the sales prospect that you are interested in helping them solve a problem their organisation is having.

Ask questions and listen - the aim is to figure out the prospect's problem then present them with a solution: yours.

Figure out how your sales leads found you and make it work for you.

Your prospect downloaded your marketing offer for a reason - you should find out why.

If your lead found you via a demo or trial, chances are they know more about your product than someone who read one of your whitepapers.

You do not have to directly reference the marketing promotion as they might not have had time to read it or review it.

Instead, offer to answer any questions they might have about the product and service and look to get to the root of why this prospect was interested in your collateral.

Even if a sales lead does not seem like it fits at first, talk to the prospect before dismissing them.

Adapt your follow-up to the lead.

Every sale you make is going to be different, so do not fall into a rut by using the same sales approach for everyone.

Take a look at the role of your contact within their organisation - find the pain points they experience and show them how your solution can fix it.

By approaching the prospect with a tailored message, you are more likely to get the response you are looking for.

For example, be prepared with financial facts and figures for financial directors, with holistic strategies for top executives and technical details for IT staff.

In addition, make sure you follow up promptly.

Make a follow-up schedule and stick to it.

Staying in the forefront of a customer's mind will ensure that your solution is given top consideration.

Do not let sporadic communications be your downfall.

When ending a sales call, offer a follow-to time frame.

This gives your contact time to learn more about your solution, their needs and budget.

Use different methods to follow up and stay in touch.

For example, an e-mail introducing yourself, a telephone call followed by an invitation to a networking site such as Linkedin after your conversation.

Make the most of every sales prospect.

Just because a contact does not have a current need for your product or service doe not mean they won't in the foreseeable future.

By keeping in contact with your sales prospect over time, you will create a rapport that could turn into a sale.

Moreover, the more contacts you nurture, the better your chances of penetrating the account over time.

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