Roger pulled out the monthly income statement he’d just received from his accountant. His eyes bounced between the revenue and his expenses. He furrowed his brow. In spite of his recent marketing efforts, the revenue and commissions were much lower than he’d hoped. This troubled him. He’d heard marketing was an investment, not an expense. “If that’s the case,” he wondered, “why isn’t it working better?”
His eye caught a business card sticking out from a corner of papers on his desk. He pulled it out.
The business card was for a software company. He suddenly remembered getting it in a gift package from his business peer group. He thought for a minute. He’d used software to straighten out other parts of his business. Was there some way it could help his sales?
Since the phone call was free, he figured he didn’t have anything to lose. And besides, it would be nice to get someone else’s perspective.
Four days later, he found himself in a video call with Luke, an advisor with the software company. After just a few minutes, Roger knew he was learning things he had to share with his team. He grabbed a notepad and started scribbling down ideas.
Roger needed a new perspective on the goals of marketing.
Is Marketing Doing Its Job?
Roger had thought that marketing was “getting his name out there.” He pictured billboards, signs, trucks, logos, and promotional pens. He was now realizing that those things are only the visible parts of marketing. It was becoming clear: “The job of marketing is to lead people to talk with your sales team.”
Roger kept listening as Luke popped open a demo on his screen share. “Some businesses build big tracking systems,” he explained. “You don’t need anything that complicated to get started. It can be as simple as having software that helps you track how people are hearing about you. You can add the most common answers into the software. Then, with the click of a button, your sales reps can record a new lead’s answer.”
“Gather that information first. Then, start talking with your marketing agency. Let them know which leads turn into sales.”
Roger scratched his head. It was such a simple concept. He had thought about doing something like that before, but he’d gotten busy with other things and never pursued it.
“If that’s the job of marketing, then what should a sales rep be doing?”
Luke smiled, paused, and then continued.
Is Sales Doing Its Job?
“Let’s make this simple. Sales is about having quality sales conversations with as many people as possible. Keep talking with those who need and can afford what you have. Don’t spend your time on the people you can’t help. Most people don’t fail because of the nuances. They fail because they’re not doing the basics.”
Roger nodded. That made sense to him. He liked keeping things simple and clear.
Luke continued, “What happens when someone calls you?”
Roger paused. “Well, it depends. Some of them reach us through a shared email account that any of us can open. Others call the front desk. Our secretary takes their message and puts it on a sales rep’s desk.”
“What happens if you’re not able to reach someone right away?” Luke asked.
Roger thought again. “I don’t know. Usually we wait for them to reach back out.” He squirmed—uncomfortable, yet grateful for the chance to improve. He knew they could do better.
Luke probed some more. “What happens if they’re not ready to buy for a few months or more?”
Roger flinched. “I have no idea. Most reps try to stay on top of it. Usually, we wait until work slows down. Then we try reaching out to the people we can remember.”
Luke flipped to another screen. “Let me show you something.”
Well-tuned software keeps leads from slipping through your fingers.
Simple, Effective, Sales Software
On Luke’s screen was a list of leads. “Every time someone reaches out, whether it’s by email or by phone, we create an opportunity for them. The first thing we do is schedule a call with them.”
“If it’s clear we can’t give them what they need, we let them know and close them out. If we’re not sure, we’ll schedule a quick call to get more information. If they won’t be ready for a few months, or even a few years, we set a follow-up date and get automatic reminders to reach out on that day.”
“Every time you create a sales opportunity, the software automatically includes a basic checklist based on the type of customer. This way, the sales rep has an easy-to-access guide. They can also type up short notes after the call.”
Luke paused. “Imagine you would reach out to all your leads. What if you could stay in touch with them until they’re ready to buy? What do you think that would do to your sales?”
Roger guessed he could add 20% more sales if they did only that.
With a smile, Luke asked, “And what would that mean for your marketing expenses?”
“Well,” he replied, “it would finally take them from an expense to an investment.” A smile spread across his face.
“What would it take to get started?” he asked.
Once he added lead-tracking software, Roger’s numbers started changing.
The Sales Transformation
Two months later, Roger sat at his desk once again. He looked over the same monthly report from his accountant.
He thought back over the past couple months. He’d trained his secretary and sales staff on their new software. It wasn’t fancy, but he preferred that. It was simple and easy to use.
He started having more intentional conversations with his marketing agency. He shared with them what worked and what didn’t. His marketing expenses had stayed the same, but his revenue was up. Already he heard his sales team comment on the quality of the leads they’d been getting.
Best of all, the attention he’d been giving the sales reps paid off. He knew that he was finally taking care of the customers. When people reached out, they got a call back. When they weren’t ready to move forward, the sales reps stayed in touch with them until they were. His sales reps followed the process they’d built out together. They took notes for others to go back to.
And the income statement proved it was working.
The one place he missed his mark? His prediction had been wrong. Revenue was up 30%.
He tossed the report into his trash, leaned back in his chair, and smiled. That was a mistake he could live with.
Silverloom is there to help with every step of your customer journey process.
The Takeaway
If you’re like Roger and have been losing track of leads, we’d be happy to talk with you. Advanced, automated lead-tracking is just one of the ways that Silverloom can help you as you guide customers through their journey.