You have a bunch of sales leads to evaluate. What’s the best way to make sure you’re not wasting your time?

One thing I found helpful is having an idea of how long ago the lead was obtained. If they recently showed interest, then it might be best to prioritize and focus on those leads first. Another thing that helps is just having a better qualification process, getting an idea of the prospect's current situation early on is ideal. This can sometimes be done within the lead form itself, depending on where the lead is coming from.

Prioritize sales leads based on criteria such as qualification, potential value, fit with your offering, and readiness to buy. Use a lead scoring system to rank leads and focus efforts on those with the highest likelihood of conversion. Regularly review and update lead qualification criteria to ensure efficient use of time and resources.

To further refine your ideal ICP than what was already mentioned in this thread, consider integrating behavioral insights and engagement patterns into your criteria. In other words, pay attention to how potential customers act and what they like. Look at how they use your website, what they buy, and what they say about your products. This helps you understand not just who they are, but what they really want and need. By knowing this, you can talk to them in a way that they're more likely to listen to and respond, helping you find the best leads for your business.

To ensure you're not wasting time on unproductive leads, implement a lead qualification process that assesses factors such as fit with your product or service, budget, authority to make purchasing decisions, and timeline for implementation. Utilize data-driven analytics and scoring systems to prioritize leads with the highest potential for conversion. Regularly review and update your lead qualification criteria based on feedback and outcomes to optimize your time and resources effectively.

Use lead scoring to rank leads based on their potential value and readiness to buy. Assign high scores to leads with clear needs, large budgets, and short buying cycles. Low scores go to leads just browsing, with no budget or immediate buying intent. This ensures you focus on promising leads.

Post lead scoring, categorize leads into groups like: -hot, -warm, -cold, -qualified, -unqualified, -nurtured, or -dead. Tailor your sales strategy to each group. For instance, focus on closing hot leads, nurturing warm ones, qualifying cold ones, and discarding dead leads. This ensures efficient use of time.

To ensure you're not wasting time on sales leads, use Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These include lead volume, lead quality, conversion rate, sales cycle length, cost per lead, and return on investment (ROI). Monitor these metrics regularly. Also, take feedback from leads and customers to improve your sales process. This way, you can focus on what works and discard what doesn't. Remember, constant evaluation is key to sales success.

You have ICP. ICP cuts at least 45% of your "bunch" Also, you can delegate it to others if you have somebody to. Also, you can segment them or score them by how far they are in the funnel.

A combination of 1 and 3 is key here. Develop your ICP and a perfect customer. Get super specific. Then lead score from there to understand your solution can help these prospects from best to worst. You have to define your ICP with what is publicly available to you. You can't define it as "Growth Minded people" because you can't score that until you reach out to those. THEN if you are new to sales or working out your pitch. Flip it and start with the worst leads first then go to the best.