When you are a business developer, your mission is to prospect, that is to say, to identify and contact potential customers to turn them into actual customers. To be effective during prospecting missions, it is important to know your interlocutor. In this article, we’ll outline the profiles of the different types of leads and offer solutions for converting each lead correctly.
How to identify leads based on their interests
Before presenting your arguments to your lead, it is interesting to gauge their interest. You can classify your lead into three base categories: are they cold, warm, or hot leads? Depending on the category, the approach and sales technique will not be the same!
Here is the breakdown based on those three categories:
Cold leads: At the start, they have no interest in the product or service being sold because they are simply not aware of it. Most often, they are clients encountered during large-scale prospecting campaigns. The marketing trick is to introduce the product to cold leads for the first time. The main question you need to ask yourself when working with a cold lead is: does he intend to buy your product? It’s up to you to be receptive and to understand if they can become a warmer lead.
Warm leads: This type of client can be compared to the term “lead.” They are interested in the solution being sold. Furthermore, they have more or less expressed their need. The desire and buying intention are much clearer than with cold leads. The marketing technique for this type of prospect is follow-up. We have already had first contact with them, and they are a priority for follow-up by email, phone, or in person. You know their needs, it would be a shame if they went elsewhere.
Hot leads: This client is often a sales contact. We already know they are a future customer, not just potential ones. The buying intention is at its maximum. Here, it is important to master the closing technique, that is, the signature of a sale, as you will quickly be confronted with it.
Adapting sales techniques to your lead’s temperament
We can even go further by observing the temperament and behavior of sales leads and creating typical profiles. We should not generalize, but here are 10 examples of easily identifiable profiles:
• The one who thinks they don’t need anything. This prospect is convinced that they do not need your offer. They respond to you with a lot of courtesy and are not arrogant: they know their needs and often have a budget to respect.
Sales technique:
1) try to find a flaw in their discourse to arouse their interest.
2) kindly end the discussion if there is no flaw, but still leave a business card.
• The one who is busy or simply unreachable: this is a recurring problem that you may encounter when prospecting. Yes, you often call at the wrong time: during a work meeting, a private appointment, etc. The prospect is not available to listen to you.
Sales technique:
1) do not insist, as it could annoy them.
2) schedule a meeting at a time when they will be available.
• The one who likes to compare with competitors’ products. It is quite common to look at what others are doing to compare. This prospect is knowledgeable about what is happening in the market. They will question you on what is different about your product. What is its added value? Why should they choose yours over another?
Sales technique:
1) be knowledgeable about your competitors’ products.
2) prepare your arguments to show the advantages of your product.
• The one who says yes but thinks no: we often encounter these clients on the phone. They may be in a hurry, not argue to counter your offer, or simply want to get rid of you, so they say yes. But you have no certainty that the agreement has been reached.
Sales technique:
1) repeat what you have agreed upon together and have them confirm it.
2) follow up, as it will likely be necessary.
• The opportunist: This client, not very compliant, is the one who always looks for the best deals. Their main objections will therefore be the price, the price, and again, the price. For example, they will point out that it is more expensive than elsewhere.
Sales technique:
1) provide a price range rather than a fixed price in the first instance.
2) highlight any current promotions.
3) fully understand the reasons why the price is what it is (materials, warranties, manufacturing methods, etc.).
• Mr. Know-It-All: This client may come across as highly arrogant because they believe they know everything and may talk down to you. Despite this difficult aspect, you need to learn to manage this type of client.
Sales technique:
1) remain calm and attentive.
2) congratulate the prospect if they really know their stuff, and supplement their knowledge by providing new information related to your offer.
3) if they persist in claiming they already know everything, simply thank them for their interest.
• The Objector: This prospect will find an objection to every quality of your product. They will play with your nerves until the last moment. Objections can become a real strength for selling your product if you know how to counter them. Most often, the objector prospect is interested in what you are selling, but they want to test the product’s capabilities and your abilities as a salesperson. It’s up to you to prove that you are the best person to sell them a product they need.
Sales technique:
1) be prepared for recurring objections.
3) don’t panic and listen to the objections so you don’t respond off-topic.
• The Indecisive: You may have already heard phrases like “I need to talk to my spouse” or in the workplace “my colleagues,” in short, your prospect is indecisive and needs someone to reassure them about their purchase. It’s up to you to find a way to get them to make the decision to buy.
Sales technique:
1) reassure the prospect and answer all of their questions to counter their hesitations.
2) congratulate the indecisive prospect if they decide to buy, as this is the first step in building their loyalty.
• The nitpicker: You may be faced with someone who is very methodical and needs to know every detail. For them, nothing should be left out. This prospect has likely already studied your offer before you even meet them.
Sales technique:
1) don’t panic in the face of problematic questions.
2) give the most professional product presentation possible. Enhance this presentation with precise data, such as figures and performance reports.
3) provide the prospect with a dossier containing all the information they may need.
• The loyal prospect: This is every salesperson’s dream because once convinced, this client will become a customer who stays. If you can show them the benefits that your product will bring them and provide good customer support, you’ve got it in the bag.
Sales technique:
1) offer good after-sales service (SAV).
2) Send newsletters to announce new products.
Now you have a panorama of the typical profiles you may encounter during your prospecting missions. All that’s left is to know how to recognize them and adapt your sales method.
The top 5 tips to convert leads into paying customers
1. Find the Right Lead to Become a Customer
It’s essential to research who your target audience is! Knowing what your potential consumers want and how they like to interact with companies is a basic technique for lead conversion.
Targeting prospects early in your lead generation process means you need to research and get to know your target before attempting to contact them. Once you have the information you need, think of solutions that will appeal to your customers, and make sure you have the right “product/market fit” before launching your offer!
2. Use discounts to win the heart of your leads.
Offer them special gifts and personalized discount offers! Getting something for free is always nice. Free offers are a great approach to pique people’s interest in your business and encourage them to make a purchase, such as Black Friday offers on social media platforms like LinkedIn, for example.
The welcome gift doesn’t have to be extravagant or expensive, but it should be a token of appreciation for your prospects. And, ultimately, contributes to fuel their desire to buy your product or service.
3. Follow your sales leads with a CRM
Make sure to track your sales pipeline! It may seem obvious, but following up with a prospect is crucial. A simple email or phone call asking a prospect if they have any questions often leads to a deal.
Save time and money by sending automatic follow-up messages via LinkedIn or email to keep the communication going!
4. Encourage your sales leads to take action
Don’t hesitate to use a “Call-To-Action” during your lead generation! Sometimes, all it takes is a little nudge in the right direction for people to act. A clear call to action in your marketing efforts motivates prospects to take action.
Try to make each message as personalized as possible. So be sure to use targeted CTAs as well. For example, if your ideal prospect works in the human resources field, use a CTA like “Find qualified candidates with our tool, in no time!”
However, if your prospects have a “freelance” job type, use a different approach, such as “Find your next client easily, without spending a euro, thanks to our tool!”
5. Increase your lead conversion rate
Finally, use automation tools to increase your prospect conversion rates! Using automation tools for your prospecting process will not only save you time and money but will also leave you with plenty of time to do other important things in your business.
If you use the LinkedIn website for acquiring new clients, remember that this social network has over 810 million users, making it the largest free B2B database available. You will undoubtedly discover potential consumers, but it takes time to find the right ones!
Using automation tools will save you time and free you from tedious tasks.
Conclusion
In this article, we looked at 10 types of leads and the best marketing solutions for working with them. By following these tips, you will be able to easily identify the type of each lead and turn them into regular customers who will stay with you for a long time.
Finally, don’t forget the 4 steps of the lead conversion process:
Attract > Engage > Convert > Retain.
That’s all. Hopefully, with these simple tips and tricks, you’ll be up and running with lead conversion for your business in no time.
