5 Best Practices for Following up with Leads

So, your marketing campaigns have paid off and brought in some great, new leads... Now comes the most important part – following up with them.  

According to Invesp, a mere 20% of leads turn into sales. It’s all about what happens next so an effective and strategic lead follow-up approach is essential.  

That’s why we’ve put together some key, simple best practices to help you convert more leads into sales.  Read on to learn five top tips for lead follow-up...

1. Pick up the phone

Whilst most business communication is conducted via email; it can prove effective to call the lead first to build trust and rapport and understand their specific needs.  

Make the call within 24 hours after the lead has come in. This will demonstrate not only your efficiency but also reflect the company’s image and the product or service you’re trying to sell. 

Calling your lead allows for real-time communication, personal connection and moves the sales process along more quickly.  

2. Be persistent but respectful

It can take multiple interactions before a lead is ready to hand over their money. Sometimes they might have other priorities, so you need to keep the conversation and momentum going.  

While you do need to follow up with a lead consistently (and through multiple channels), it’s important to respect their time and preferences. Try to avoid being overly pushy and instead focus your attention on providing value and building a good relationship. 

3. Keep it simple and personal 

Try to send a clear and concise message to your lead - simple and relatable language helps avoid confusion and ensures that the message is easily understood.  

An extra touch is personal language. Addressing the lead by their first name and emphasizing the word “you” makes them feel like they are being spoken to directly. What’s more, this tone will help create a strong sense of familiarity. More familiarity means more chance of the lead responding positively.

4. Connect with your lead on LinkedIn 

LinkedIn can act as a great tool to establish a connection with a lead – and allow you to stay top-of-mind. Connecting within a professional context helps build trust and credibility.  

A lens into your lead’s professional profile and updates can provide valuable insight into their current needs. Being aware of this information can in turn help you tailor your follow-up approach and reach out to them in a relevant way.  

5. Use a CRM system to log and manage the lead 

Using a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system provides a centralized hub to store all your lead information, making it easily accessible and updatable. This includes details about the lead’s preferences, interests and interactions with your company.   

Additionally, a CRM can automate workflows, such as sending follow-up emails and assigning tasks to sales reps, helping you stay on stop of your follow-up strategy and ensuring no leads fall through the cracks.   

So, to wrap things up, when it comes to effectively following up with a lead, you’ve got to keep things personal, be persistent, communicate clearly and make use of your CRM system. By implementing these best practices you can build strong relationships with leads and ultimately drive more sales for your business.