Many entrepreneurs patiently wait for sales to come to them. They don’t market aggressively or compete for their share of business against competitors until they are notably underwhelmed by they inbound leads they get.
This isn’t surprising when you consider how so many digital marketers are promoting inbound marketing strategies focused around branding and content, and plastering articles and eBooks all over the internet about cold calling is dead.
These approaches suggest that the seller doesn’t need to have an active role in the buyers journey until the lead is ready to enter their sales pipeline; until it “falls into their hands”.
In the live business settings I engage in every day, this is the way things can go…
If you are a top executive faced with changing these dynamics in your organization, I’m happy to be a sounding board to help you get started.
Now it’s time to introduce Sales Pipeline methodology. Notice how the last pipeline stage is “Sale”, and the lower Marketing Funnel stage is, “Purchase”? These two methodologies both focus on driving a lead from inception to close.
Marketing owns the Marketing Funnel. When a new lead enters the Marketing funnel, it’s up to marketers and salespeople to draw them out with targeted marketing efforts. Once they’re engaged enough we can convert them into qualified leads or Marketing Qualified Leads(MQLs). This is where the handovers start to happen in the Sales Pipeline where further qualification takes place before an offer is made, finalizing your deal.
The pipeline is a way to draw in leads from various methods and sources, including your marketing funnel’s contribution.
…and remember, no matter what your sales results show quarter over quarter or fiscal year-to-date, your sales team should always be prospecting.
I also invite you to follow me on LinkedIn to gain exposure to future article posts that will offer more valuable selling insights.
I am part of a national group of Senior Sales Leaders who collaborate to share insights like the examples shown in this article. We formed because of our shared passion to help business leaders exponentially grow their revenue.