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INNOVATE
are helpful in converting your
prospect to a customer. It’s
helpful to have this information
in a white paper format, but it
is most often executed through
one-to-one emails or face-to-
face conversations.
•
Repurchase
— As you better
understand the customer,
you can provide information
specific to their needs. These
communications, both in
person and electronically,
serve to strengthen your brand
and create opportunities for
cross-selling and upselling
other products.
Targeting your follow-up to
the prospect’s purchasing phase
will encourage more to climb
down the sales funnel to that
ultimate purchase.
Which Stage Is
Your Customer In?
The most common way to
segment prospects is to develop
a lead-scoring system. A good
lead-scoring system watches
for online and offline buying
signals, increasing your ability
to pass qualified leads to sales.
Most importantly, it helps sales
focus time and effort on the most
likely buyers.
When a prospect interacts with
you at a trade show, lands on your
website, opens your emails, fills
out contact forms or just simply
interacts with your content, the
prospect is showing an interest in
your company or capabilities.
Creating a set of scoring rules
allows you to identify your
prospect’s buying interest.
A lead-scoring systemgenerally
assigns points to contacts based
on the attributes that make thema
viable prospect including job title,
company size, location, industry
andmore. It also accounts for the
actions the prospect has taken or
not taken. Each lead accumulates
points as they interact with your
company.That might mean
attending events, opening
emails, visiting your website and
downloading content.
Although it isn’t difficult to set
up lead scoring, it is important to
gain consensus on the attributes
that represent a good lead.
Here are five categories you
should consider:
1
What is your ideal buyer?
• What are the common
characteristics shared by
your best customers?
• What types of companies
usually buy your product? In
which industries?
• Which types of people
have the decision-making
authority and budget to
purchase your product?
• Which attributes does your
sales team look at first when
they receive a lead, and what
profile characteristics make
them confident that the lead
has potential?
2
Assign points to each
of the characteristics
you’ve identified.
You can use almost any
point system. Perhaps the
ideal prospect gets 15 points,
a good prospect 10, and if it’s
just average, five. Whatever
you choose, just make sure
that the criteria that have
more points really do indicate
a higher likelihood to buy.
3
Identify behaviors that
indicate interest.
• What content do potential
buyers usually view before
making a purchase?
• Which events, videos
and other assets are
you promoting that
might indicate a high
likelihood to buy?
• What types of behaviors
indicate willingness to
engage with sales?
4
Assign a point value to
each behavior.
Give bigger scores to
behaviors that require more
time commitment or indicate
buying intent.
For example, a form
submission requesting a
personalized product demo
would score higher than a
click on an email.
5
Put it all together.
Since your prospect’s lead
score will be based on their
level of interaction with your
company, the lead score will
be a great indicator of the
sales readiness of the lead.
Develop a Process,
Even if it’s Only Manual
Nurturing leads is a proven
way to increase your business.
Whether you adopt a CRM or
marketing automation system
that helps you organize and
streamline the process, or opt for
a manual system, take the next
step and develop a program.
You’ll generate more leads and
close more business. Just watch
out for the line of reps waiting
outside your door.
John Edmundson is the principal of InterEdge Marketing. Reprinted with permission of
PS Magazine
, PSDA.
A good lead-
scoring system
watches for
online and offline
buying signals,
increasing your
ability to pass
qualified leads
to sales. Most
importantly, it
helps sales focus
time and effort
on the most
likely buyers.