Another challenge in lead management is qualifying and prioritizing leads based on their fit, interest, and readiness to buy. Outside sales often deal with a large number of leads, but not all of them are worth pursuing. Some leads may not match your ideal customer profile, some may not have a clear need or budget for your solution, and some may not be decision-makers or influencers. If you spend too much time on unqualified leads, you will waste your resources and miss out on better opportunities.
To overcome this challenge, you need to establish a clear and consistent lead qualification and prioritization criteria and use CRM and lead management tools to apply it to your leads. For example, you can use tools like Pipedrive, Salesforce, or Zoho CRM to score your leads based on their demographic, behavioral, and contextual attributes, such as their industry, job title, website visits, email opens, and stage in the buyer's journey. You can also use tools like Calendly, Chili Piper, or ScheduleOnce to book meetings with your qualified leads and move them along the sales funnel. By using these tools, you can focus on the most promising leads, increase your productivity, and boost your conversion rate.