May 20, 2009

Sales Lead Tracking

Sales lead tracking is a very important part of the remote sales process. Without it, it is impossible to ensure that the most amount of contacts and leads convert into profitable clients. With it, a remote sales organization can really flourish. There are many B2B software solutions available to help with sales lead tracking. This includes Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems that track and calendar all of the processes associated with lead tracking.

Sales lead tracking starts with importing sales leads from the CRM to prospecting teams. These individuals are responsible for qualifying leads before they are handed over to the men and women on the sales teams. Power dialers help with this process considerably by increasing the number of leads each member of the prospecting team can contact and qualify. Often this number is three or four times greater than what any particular sales individual can call manually. Once these leads are qualified they are transferred from leads to prospects in the CRM.

These prospects are then routed through to available sales representatives. The customer relationship management system can be set to record any or all of these phone calls. These can be saved with an individual’s contacts information within the CRM for future reference, or can be reviewed for quality control. Each action that a sales agent takes with the contact is recorded within the CRM as well, tracking where in the sales process each lead is. Future tasks that need to be completed concerning that lead, such as a follow up call, can be calendared by the CRM. The CRM will automatically remind the sales representative when that scheduled item needs to be completed.

Real time statistics and analytics are an important part of a CRM’s sales lead tracking functionality. These reports are highly customizable so the configuration can be altered to best suit any remote sales organization. The sales lead tracking software built into a CRM can import, export, organize, format, and forecast all of the data it collects through the sales process. By creating visibility reports for management, individuals, teams, or companies can each be accurately evaluated based on their return on investment. By using forecasting reports, in both graphical summaries and detailed sales deal records, sales representatives can accurately forecast revenue flow and prepare the organizations support teams to adequately support the sales and marketing efforts.

Even sales leads that do not instantly convert should be kept track of by the CRM. These contacts often become valuable clients in the future. Sales lead tracking software can make sure that these individuals are kept in regular contact with the company.