The Telephone Prospecting Lead
When you’re in “outbound calling mode,” you’re probably freight forwarders brokers email lists prospecting from a list of contacts. Whether you purchased this list or built it by scouring industry directories online, these contacts aren’t waiting for you to call. When you pick up the phone and start working on them, you’re taking a leap of faith, where there’s a small percentage of people who:
Answer the phone;
They need what you sell;
They need what you sell at the exact moment you call.
Even if you have a valuable offer, most of these people won't care and talk to you because, to them, your call is just another unwanted telemarketing call. Sorry to be blunt.
So, how far can you go with your sales? Well, it depends on a few combinations of the quality of your list, the amount of time you invest in this prospecting session, and how lucky you are on this particular day. But I don’t think this is news to you, right?
The Inbound Lead
An inbound lead is almost the opposite of a sales call. This lead came to you willingly, whether you were expecting it or not. They called or filled out a form on your website because they were proactively looking for something.
1. If he found you through a Google search, this means he searched for something and the results pointed to your website to help him find the answer he was looking for. So he visited your website and then filled out a form.
2. If he found you on Linkedin, it's because he saw something that seemed to fit a need he had. So he clicked on a link, visited your website, and filled out a form.
3. If he came directly to your website, it is because he somehow heard about your company and decided it was worth checking out. He confirmed this expectation when he later filled out a form.
And don't forget: he wasn't forced to fill out this form. He filled it out because he chose to do so.
Maybe he downloaded a white paper because he was looking to learn something - trying to solve a problem in his business. He might have downloaded your case study because he was considering your company to solve a problem. He might have downloaded a product catalog because he was looking for something specific.
Either way, it's as if this lead has raised their hand and said, "I need your help! I may or may not be willing to buy right now, but I need help and you can help me."
So what do you do with an Inbound lead that needs your help?
Help him! Be an available seller.
He gave you his phone number when he filled out that form, right?! Pick up the phone and ask him what questions you can help him with and what you can do to make his day easier. Look at this as an opportunity to build trust and start a conversation with a potential client.
Of course, not all inbound marketing leads are qualified. But wouldn’t it help your prospecting to start with a list of prospects whose needs have already been identified, rather than a list of people whose demographics indicate that they may or may not be interested in your product? Of course it would.
Building a pipeline of inbound leads is hard work, but so is outbound calling. We prefer the former, which is why we practice what we preach, both for our company and for the work we do for our clients. So build a pipeline of your inbound leads and you’ll no longer be an unwanted telemarketing call.