Reasons Why Your Salespeople Can't Convert Good Leads into Customers

Good leads don't guarantee closed deals. And, if you're reading this article, there's a chance you've experienced sending a new set of highly qualified leads to your sales team, thinking that many of them would be active clients, but no actual deals were made instead.

This came as no surprise as 79% of marketing leads never convert into sales . But you don’t have to lower your expectations from your salespeople. And to solve this, it is crucial to understand why your team can't convert good leads into active customers.

Here are the top reasons why your leads don't convert into sales:

1. You’re making your leads wait

Interested customers exert efforts researching, evaluating, and comparing possible options for their purchase. They are in the Awareness stage of their buying journey as they look for a possible solution to their current problem.

However, Harvard research revealed that companies across various industries, like automobiles, services, education, software, healthcare, and many others, simply do not touch base with their leads fast enough. Unfortunately, leads at the Awareness stage want information as quickly as possible. After all, who wants to wait for a long time when they need to address issues?

This is why not answering leads’ inquiries or not reaching out to them quickly during this stage is one of the main factors for lost sales opportunities.

So, to solve this problem, your salespeople should take time to contact your leads within 60 minutes of generating them. According to the research, this practice increases your chances of converting them into active customers by 7x.

In addition, a report also showed that 78% of the customers buy from the first brand to entertain their inquiries.

2. Your salespeople don’t understand that not all good leads are qualified

No matter how good your leads are, even if your team presents the greatest sales pitch in the world, your salespeople won’t convert them if they are unqualified.

We understand. Having leads with enough budget to buy your products and services can be tempting for your salespeople to nurture…and nurture…and nurture them (until they realize it’s worthless.)

A Forrester research highlighted the importance of qualifying leads to close deals. The study showed that businesses that qualify leads generate 50% more sales opportunities at up to 33% lesser costs.

Now, what does it mean to your business?

If your salespeople aren’t qualifying your leads (just because they look “good”), your organization is spending too much time, money, and other resources chasing the wrong clients.?

Remember, it’s not enough that your leads have the money to buy your offerings. It’s also important that they NEED you and that you can really deliver the right solution for their unique needs and situations.

3. Your salespeople don’t follow up with your leads

Buyers go through phases, and constant communication significantly impacts their purchasing decisions, especially B2B sales . Therefore, following up on sales is a crucial part of converting leads. According to Lead Management , sales teams should follow up with leads at least six times before considering them out. With this practice, your salespeople enjoy 70% more chances of contacting them.

How to help your salespeople convert good leads into active customers

Working hard doesn’t always mean working smart. No matter how hard your salespeople try to convince leads, they may lose good leads to a competitor if you don’t give them the proper support. It’s frustrating, but there are things you can do to help them. These include the following:

1. Train your salespeople to ensure they have the most up-to-date knowledge and skills needed in your industry.
2. Ensure a fun yet competitive experience for your people through the gamification of some of your business operations.
3. Equip them with a business solution, guiding them through the customer journey of your leads.
4. Boost accountability and competitiveness by providing them with a platform that delivers data-based insights into their KPIs, goals, and overall performance.

Fortunately, you can do those mentioned above through a business platform, guiding your sales team to change strategy and improve operations, just like The Sales Machine .

Unlike conventional CRMs for salespeople, The Sales Machine is there to support them and not feed people with metrics they don’t need. And at the same time, it does not give managers insights that won’t work.

The Sales Machine lets you strategize, ensures team alignment with your strategies and goals, checks its success through the right metrics, and gives you straightforward visualization of whether it is working or not.

In addition, its customizable dashboards won’t just tell if your salespeople are failing to meet their goals. Instead, it shows you where they fell short and what they can do to improve.

To learn more, visit us at www.thesalesmachine.com and get our FREE resources . You also listen to our podcast on Spotify , Apple Podcasts , and YouTube .