4 Steps on How to Manage Leads

Once you’ve established your blog or newsletter, your readership will begin to grow. What do you do with the leads that have trusted you with their contact information?

Manage Leads in 4 Easy Steps

1) Capture – Initially someone will have downloaded your free report or signed up for your newsletter in exchange for providing their name and email address. You will receive an email notification of this or your database will be automatically updated with the contact information.

2) Score – When reviewing the leads, you will determine where they may fall in the buying cycle. Develop a scoring system (such as A for hot leads, B for warm leads and C for cold leads). You may want to consider how often or how frequently they have visited your site, what the nature of their business is, if you’ve had any historical dealings with them or if they were referred by someone etc.

3) Route – Once the leads reach a certain score and make it to the A category, they can be considered ‘sales-ready‘ and can be funneled to the sales department for follow up. You want to ensure that sales activities are concentrated on winnable opportunities.

4) Nuture – Leads that fall into the B or C category will be placed in a nuturing program that involve a number of pre-determined communications. This helps to raise awareness of your brand and service with the prospect. Meticulous record keeping is helpful to avoid duplicate efforts or annoying someone too frequently. You want to be the first person they think of when a need arises for your product or service.

The most important thing to remember is that your prospects with only want relevant, timely information based on their individual needs and interests. Don’t do a generic eblast to your entire list hoping something sticks. Remember to do your homework and personalize wherever possible.

Marnie Hughes is an SEO copywriter, author and online marketer. She works with small and medium-sized businesses to develop their marketing and communications and expand their customer base.