Lead tracking is a phase in the lead strategic plan that entails following lead behavior across all sales channels and taking steps to seal prospective deals. It also involves locating lead sources, selecting appropriate lead tracking software, assigning leads to teammates, and nurturing and prioritizing leads.
To thrive in this phase, implement the five steps below for organizing and monitoring your sales leads.
Choose And Define Your Lead Sources
The first step in organizing your leads is to determine and define your lead sources. There are many ways to attract leads for your business, but the most common include:
- Social media. Facebook and Twitter are the two most popular platforms for generating leads.
- Online advertising. Websites such as Google Ads can be used to target specific audiences based on keywords they search.
- Email marketing. Email marketing enables you to communicate directly with your current and prospective customers.
A lead tracking tool is required to accurately measure how many leads are generated from a source and how many are converted into customers. CRMs, marketing software, and sales software frequently have these features. To measure lead source data, they track email opens, social activity, page visits, and content downloads from your leads.
Examine And Choose Lead Tracking Options
Consider several factors while selecting a lead tracking tool. First, think about the size of your database and how much time you have to spend on the tool. For example, if you’re a small business with a small number of leads, then an Excel spreadsheet would be fine. However, if you’re a large real estate business with thousands of leads. You might find it useful to utilize a proper real estate database solution, specifically made for these businesses.
Lead tracking is an important part of your lead management process. Whether you’re a sales team or a marketing agency, having a good lead tracking tool can make all the difference in the world.
If you’re not sure where to start, here are some of the top options:
- Lead Tracking CRMs. Integrate all of your lead management tools into one platform so that it’s easier to keep track of all aspects of your business.
- Spreadsheets. Use spreadsheets to store information such as contact details and communications history with each prospect so you can easily refer back to past interactions when needed.
- Email Campaign Tools. Create email campaigns that will automatically send out pre-written messages based on certain criteria such as when someone has visited your website or clicked on one of your ads.
Set Up And Test Your System
Before you start organizing your database, it’s important to set up your system for tracking your contacts. This will make it easier for you to add new information, update old information and keep track of who has been contacted and what they have said in the past.
Make sure that everyone in the office knows how to use the system so that no one gets confused when trying to add new contacts or access existing ones. After you have finished setting up everything, you need to test it by adding at least five or six new contacts to the database. This will help you see if everything is running smoothly and if each contact is correctly added.
Input And Assign Leads
The data can be manually entered into your lead tracking system or imported from another application, such as a spreadsheet or a current CRM. Distribute the leads to the appropriate sales team members for nurturing and closing.
You may create tailored marketing emails based on lead attributes if you use a lead tracking system or CRM. CRMs, unlike spreadsheets, can track these efforts and tell you which prospects are most inclined to answer favorably.
Prioritize Your Leads
To make sure that you don’t lose track of your leads, you need to prioritize them. Here are some ways to organize your leads:
- If you’re going to spend money on a lead, make sure that it’s worth it—that is, that the prospect will be likely to buy from you and become a customer.
- Let’s assume someone has shown interest in what you have to offer by clicking on a link or filling out a form. In this case, you can conclude that they probably want to learn more about what you do (and may even want to buy).
- Where did your lead come from? When someone found you on a search engine like Google or Bing, that person could be looking for the kind of information you offer.
Final Thoughts
If you cannot keep track of your leads, then you’re likely to miss out on opportunities to nurture them into clients. While most of the above may seem simple enough, implementing an efficient system for organizing your leads can be a challenge. That’s why we created this list of five steps to help you get started.