What are Qualified Leads?
It’s no secret that developing an effective lead conversion strategy is a difficult task. This is particularly true if you’re marketing to people who have never heard of your brand.
But, every business is capable of acquiring qualified leads, and it’s crucial to capitalize upon them if you’re looking to maximize your total number of sales.
Not every entrepreneur knows all that they should, but we’ve got the information you should keep in mind. Let’s explore what you need to know.
So, What Exactly Is a Qualified Lead?
A qualified lead is somebody who has previously expressed an interest in your brand. The term ‘qualified’ here refers to the fact that they have already proven they’d like to make a purchase and aren’t just reading your blog posts.
It’s important to note that in order for quality leads to be considered qualified, they need to engage with your brand in a specific way. More often than not, this will involve them coming to you on their own as a result of a marketing effort. They would be an ideal buyer.
There’s also a difference between a marketing qualified lead and a sales qualified lead. Put simply, marketing qualified leads are interested in learning more about what you have to offer, while sales qualified leads have already decided to make a purchase.
What Type of Actions Does a Qualified Lead Exhibit?
Luckily, there are objective ways that you can tell that you’ve got a qualified lead on your hands. From here, you can take the appropriate action to facilitate the greatest chance of making a conversion.
Let’s take a brief look at a few of the most notable.
Adding Items to Their Online Cart
This is perhaps the most significant sign that you have a qualified lead. The issue here, though, is that this individual didn’t follow through with their purchase.
Perhaps this potential customer intends to come back later, or perhaps they found a better deal somewhere else at the last moment. The good news, though, is that you offer something they’re interested in.
Signing up for a Free Trial
Although not quite as far along the buyer journey as someone who has a product in their online cart, someone who signs up for a free trial deserves special attention. Their level of interest is still high.
This means that they are looking to make a decision about whether or not the premium version of your product or service is right for them. If your trial is sufficiently convincing, they are likely to make a purchase on their own afterward. It’s important to understand where they are in the sales funnel.
Joining a Mailing List
This is often considered an entry point for someone becoming a qualified lead.
They prefer to receive updates about your products and services periodically through email as opposed to researching on their own. But, they’ve still expressed interest in what your brand can offer.
Contacting You for More Info
This is a situation that could easily lead to a sale. When someone gets in touch with the company, they’re more or less ready to make a purchase — they simply need more information.
Even if they don’t convert after the conversation concludes, they will be likely to in the future.
How Should I Approach Them?
Once you’ve identified your qualified leads, you’ll need to approach them appropriately in order to ease them into the transaction. Otherwise, you run the risk of deterring them and eliminating any chance of them making a purchase.
It’s also important to note that a qualified lead achieved through marketing will not always convert to a sale, so you shouldn’t expect this occurrence during every scenario.
Listed below are a few key strategies you should keep in mind when handling a qualified lead.
Don’t Push
This is essential to remember, as pushy sales tactics can easily render a qualified lead irrelevant.
Instead, you’ll want to keep things simple when communicating with them. For example, let’s assume that somebody left items in their online cart without finishing the transaction.
You could send them a message that says something along the lines of ‘hey, we notice that you were interested in the following products. They’re still in your cart whenever you’re ready.’
Since they are already interested in what your company can provide, they likely only need a gentle reminder.
Showcase the Benefits of Your Products and Services
Many times, someone who is interested in your brand also doesn’t know everything they should about what you have to offer.
Fortunately, relaying this information is relatively straightforward. A method like sending an email to someone who signed up for your online newsletter is the perfect opportunity to do so.
After briefly illustrating what your product or service is capable of, provide them with a link to your site where they can learn even more about it.
Leave the Ball in Their Court
After you’ve reached out once or twice, it’s up to them to take action. The more often you get in touch with them, the more invasive you will seem.
This can easily cause someone to lose interest in your brand entirely. But, there’s nothing wrong with sending a simple follow-up to someone who you haven’t heard back from.
In the event that your qualified lead didn’t convert, establish that they are able to reach out to you at any time in the future should they have a further interest in your brand.
Leveraging Qualified Leads Is Essential
So, be sure to take the above information seriously. From here, you can be sure that you take full advantage of your qualified leads and lead generation to reach revenue metrics like never before.
Want to learn more about what we have to offer? Feel free to reach out to us today and see how we can help.
We hope you enjoy this [Infographic] by Andy Crestodina at Orbit Media Studios.
Allan Todd is CEO of Pagecafe Digital Marketing. In 2022, Allan teamed up with Infront Webworks to provide digital marketing, website design, content marketing, SEO and strategy and solutions to local businesses. Allan lives in Colorado Springs.