By Manpreet Singh
Just about 100% of the world’s salespeople prefer following warm leads to cold calling, and it’s easy to see why. Warm calling is less stressful and has a higher conversion rate but, like everything in sales, it has its nuances. The essentials of following up with warm leads can be distilled down to three principles: responding promptly to an expression of interest, cultivating a personal relationship, and giving a trustworthy impression. There’s a catchier name for these principles: Time, Talk & Tone.
Time
Nothing kills interest like being kept waiting. Once a prospect has expressed interest, your aim is to quickly provide them with additional information that validates that interest, so have it ready. People are forgetful and easily distracted – more than a couple days’ wait and your warm lead may go cold again.
Talk
A warm lead is warm because the prospect wants to communicate with you; they want to get a sense of what you’re about and then possibly do business with you. While business calls and emails can serve as the means of communication, you can get more mileage from a more personal context. Try meeting with a warm lead in a casual setting, like a party or a coffee shop. If you can learn something about the prospect’s lifestyle and establish a personal connection with them, it will be harder for them to break off their interest in working with you.
Tone
One of the reasons sales can be difficult is because very few people enjoy being sold to; unfortunately, this applies to both warm and cold leads. However, warm calling gives you the unique opportunity to portray yourself differently. If you can show genuine concern for the issues faced by your prospect, you can give the impression of an advisor, not a salesperson, and earn the trust that comes with it.
Warm leads are a precious thing, especially if you’re used to the trial-and-error of cold calling. It’s important that you get the most out of your interested prospects, and remembering these three easy words can help you do just that. However, if your business needs a faster way to find and capitalize on warm leads, try TalkLocal to get real-time service requests from nearby consumers sent directly to your phone.
