lead management Archives — Method

The top 6 sales lead tracking solutions to never miss an opportunity again

Ryan Flanigan — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 21:33:55 +0000

Does the fear of missing out on a potential sales opportunity keep you up at night? You’re not alone.

Anyone in sales or marketing has felt that anxiety at some point — whether from juggling too many prospects or managing the demands of a growing sales team.

The good news? There’s a solution.

Sales lead tracking software can eliminate those sleepless nights by helping you:

Stay organized.
Close more deals.
Maintain a steady flow in your sales pipeline.

Curious about the top tools to help you manage your leads effectively? We’ve compiled a list of six game-changing sales lead tracking tools for you to make the best choice for your unique needs.

But before we dive into the details, let’s take a moment to understand what lead tracking is and why it’s so critical.

What is lead tracking?

Lead tracking is the process of monitoring and managing potential customers or leads as they move through your sales or marketing funnel. It’s like following the breadcrumbs they leave behind so you can understand their interests and engage with them at the right time. For example, you might track whenever a lead:

Fills out a form.
Clicks on an email.
Visits your website.

Think of it as your way of staying organized and ensuring no one slips through the cracks. Sales lead tracking lets you:

See where your leads are in their journey.
Prioritize the hottest ones.
Guide them toward becoming loyal customers.

Need an easier way to keep your QuickBooks data up-to-date?

Try Method’s two-way sync

Why does lead tracking matter?

Sales lead tracking helps you stay on top of your game when growing your business. Imagine trying to juggle all your potential customers without a way to keep track of where they are or what they’re interested in — it would be chaotic, right?

With lead tracking, you:

Stay organized: You’ll know precisely who’s interacted with you, what they’re looking for, and how far along they are in your sales process.
Save time and energy: Instead of chasing cold leads, you can focus on those most likely to convert.
Build better relationships: Tracking helps you understand what matters to your leads so you can connect with them meaningfully and not just send them generic messages.
Measure success: Monitoring the journey makes it easier to see what’s working (or not) in your marketing and sales efforts.

In short, lead tracking ensures you’re making the most of your efforts and delivering a better customer experience.

Tips for effective sales leads tracking

1. Leverage CRM software

Customer relationship management (CRM) software is your go-to tool for effective sales lead tracking and organization. It centralizes all your lead information — contact details, communication history, and stage in the sales funnel — into one easy-to-access platform. This means you won’t lose track of meaningful conversations or miss out on follow-ups.

CRM tools like Method also offer reporting and analytics features, helping you prioritize leads and make data-driven decisions. Here’s an example of a sales dashboard where you can visualize your leads and opportunities centrally.

2. Implement marketing automation tools

Marketing automation tools take the repetitive tasks out of lead tracking systems. It keeps the process efficient with features like:

Sending follow-up emails.
Segmenting leads based on behavior.
Nurturing potential buyers with personalized content.
Creating and sending invoices, estimates, work orders, and much more.

These tools ensure no lead goes unattended while freeing up your time to focus on building relationships and closing deals.

3. Develop a lead scoring and qualification process

Lead scoring and qualification is like creating a “priority list” for your sales efforts. It helps you identify which leads are most likely to convert so you can focus your time and energy on where it matters most.

To score leads, assign points to leads based on specific criteria, like their:

Level of engagement (e.g., email opens, clicks, or website visits).
Demographic fit.
Interactions with your sales team.

The higher the score, the more qualified the lead is. For example, someone who downloads a product brochure and attends a webinar would score higher than someone who only visited your website’s homepage.

Lead qualification also involves using tools like the BANT framework (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline) or similar methods to determine if a lead is ready to buy. Are they decision-makers? Do they have a budget? Are they actively searching for a solution? These questions help separate serious prospects from casual browsers.

Lead scoring and qualification ensure your sales team focuses on leads with the most significant potential, speeding up the sales cycle and increasing conversion rates. It also aligns sales and marketing teams by setting clear criteria for what makes a lead “sales-ready.”

4. Use UTM tracking with Google Ads

UTM tracking lets you see exactly where your leads come from when interacting with your ads. Adding UTM parameters to your Google Ads campaigns lets you track which keywords, ad creatives, or campaigns drive the most traffic and conversions. This level of insight helps you refine your strategies and invest in what works best to attract high-quality leads.

Social media isn’t just for brand awareness — it’s a goldmine for lead tracking. Pay attention to likes, shares, comments, and direct messages to gauge interest and identify potential leads. Platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram also provide analytics tools to help you track engagement and understand what type of content resonates most. These interactions can offer valuable insights into customer behavior and signal when a lead is ready for more direct outreach.

Ready to start tracking your sales leads more effectively? Try Method free for 14 days.

Sales leads tracking FAQs

What’s the difference between lead management and opportunity management?

Lead management is the systematic process of identifying, nurturing, and converting potential customers, known as leads, into actual buyers. On the other hand, opportunity management focuses on managing specific sales opportunities that are most likely to convert.

How long does lead management take?

The duration of lead management varies significantly based on several factors, including the complexity of the sales process, the industry, and the specific strategies a business uses.

What is a lead vs. a prospect?

The main difference between leads and prospects is how qualified they are. Leads are a wider group of people who have shown some interest in your company, while prospects are those who have been checked out and are seen as more likely to make a purchase.

The post The top 6 sales lead tracking solutions to never miss an opportunity again appeared first on Method.

How to prevent a lost sales opportunity from ever happening again

Ryan Flanigan — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 18:12:54 +0000

Few things are as disappointing as a lost sales opportunity. The time spent nurturing leads and presenting solutions feels wasted when a potential client chooses a competitor or decides not to buy. Lost sales opportunities impact revenue, market share, and team morale.

However, they also offer valuable learning opportunities. In this blog, you’ll learn how to analyze the root causes of each lost sales opportunity and implement strategies to minimize future losses. You’ll also learn how to calculate lost sales opportunities.

Let’s get started.

What is a lost sales opportunity?

A lost sales opportunity occurs when a business loses a potential deal due to various factors that prevent the completion of a transaction. For example, whenever a lead already in your sales pipeline decides not to make a purchase, you’ve lost a sales opportunity.

This can happen for many different reasons—let’s look at some of the most common ones.

Method CRM lets you run your business, your way.

Watch it in action

Possible reasons for a lost sales opportunity

Weak customer service

If your customer service game is poor, you’ll rack up missed opportunities. A potential customer is more likely to refuse to complete a purchase if they are faced with deterring issues like:

Long response times.
Inadequate product knowledge.
Unresolved problems.
Unprofessional staff.
Limited support channels.

Inaccurate demand forecasting

Sometimes, you may simply have missed the mark in predicting customer demand. That can translate into stockouts, meaning you can’t complete a sale even when the customer is willing and ready to buy—in other words, a lost sales opportunity.

Supply chain disruptions

An optimized and stable supply chain is crucial to maintaining steady sales cycles. Breakdowns in that chain often result in delayed production schedules and an inability to meet customer demands promptly.

Suboptimal inventory management

Sometimes, businesses undermine their selling chances with poor inventory management. Seemingly minor issues like improper labeling and store management can lead to avoidable delays and, ultimately, a low level of customer satisfaction.

Pricing strategy missteps

Setting the right price is crucial to every sales strategy. Your product’s or service’s pricing must align with prevalent market rates. Otherwise, customers will gladly seek out your competition.

Insufficient marketing

Insufficient marketing is another common reason for losing sales opportunities. With poor marketing comes poor brand exposure and low customer engagement, ultimately leaving your sales team with a significant hurdle to overcome.

Misalignment with customer needs

Customers make purchasing decisions based on their needs. If your product or service offerings do not fit their budgets or meet their expectations, requirements, or pain points, you are bound to lose sales opportunities. Sometimes, alignment is about getting your timing right to offer potential buyers a good deal when they’re desperately searching for one.

Competitor outperformance

In some instances, you have to admit that an industry competitor is doing a better job of meeting your potential clients’ needs. You can’t be everything for everyone—but in these cases, it’s smart to take a few cues from them to up your own game.

Push QuickBooks Online further than ever with Method.

See all the ways how

How to measure the cost of a lost sales opportunity

The cost of lost sales opportunities represents the potential revenue and profits forfeited when a sales opportunity is missed. Accurately measuring this cost can help you:

Evaluate sales performance.
Identify areas for improvement.
Optimize sales strategies.

Here are the metrics you need to track in order to calculate your lost sales:

USP = Unit selling price.
FAD = Forecasted annual demand.
SF = Shortage factor (percentage of demand that couldn’t be met).
UFR = Unit fill rate (percentage of demand that was met).

Once you have those ready, the formula looks like this:

Cost of Lost Sales = USP * FAD * SF * (1 – UFR)

Multiply the unit selling price (USP) by the forecasted annual demand (FAD) to determine total potential revenue. Multiply the result by the shortage factor (SF) to calculate lost sales revenue. Then, multiply by (1 – UFR) to account for potential upsell/cross-sell revenue lost.

For example, if the unit price is $5.00, demand for the product is 700 units, the fill rate is 90%, and the shortfall is 20%, then the item’s lost cost of sales is calculated as follows:

LSC = 700 units/year x $5.00/unit x 0.2 x (1 – 0.9) = $70/year

7 ways to prevent lost sales opportunities

1. Automate lead generation and nurture

According to our research, 80% of marketers using automation software manage to generate more leads. You’re more likely to let sales opportunities slip through your fingers with manual lead generation and nurturing processes—they are simply cumbersome and time-consuming.

With automation, it’s easier to capture, track, and nurture your leads with custom messages in a fraction of the time. Plus, there’s the added advantage of being able to take on more leads.

2. Stay on top of your inventory

If you get your inventory game right, you’ll:

Forecast demand more accurately.
Minimize stock-outs.
Improve delivery timelines.

Ultimately, you’ll satisfy your customer base more often and never miss a sales opportunity again.

3. Diversify your suppliers

This involves spreading procurement across multiple vendors to avoid depending on a single supplier. Diversifying your suppliers is a preventative measure and helps you:

Minimize disruptions to your supply chain.
Maintain production schedules.
Make products available on demand.

4. Work on customer service

Your sales numbers depend largely on how you treat prospects and customers. Beyond getting the product and pricing right, selling is also about providing customers with an experience that makes your company stand out from your competitors and leaves people wanting more business from you.

You can improve your customer service by:

Acknowledging customer needs.
Providing personalized support.
Making customer interactions effortless and enjoyable.

5. Record and analyze all lost sales

A record of all the sales opportunities you’ve lost can be a goldmine of insights into what your business or firm needs to modify. With adequate analysis of this data, you can identify the reasons for those lost opportunities and chart a new course.

6. Leverage technology

Technology essentially gives businesses superpowers—tap into that power to optimize your sales funnel. If you’re a QuickBooks or Xero user, a CRM software solution like Method can help ensure you don’t miss potential sales due to overlooked or mishandled interactions.

7. Revisit old opportunities

Take another look at lost or stalled sales opportunities to see what went wrong in the past. Analyze previous conversations and reinitiate contact—but this time, focus on helping the customer instead of making a sale. Some cases may have just resulted from bad timing, which you can try to get right as you re-engage.

Get everything you need to run your business in one place.

See what’s possible

Minimize lost opportunities with Method

Method CRM helps prevent lost sales opportunities by automating and organizing your sales workflow, ensuring that no potential deal slips through the cracks. Here are just a few of the features that make it happen:

Automated lead management: Automatically capture and track leads from Gmail or Outlook.
Sales pipeline tracking: Assign probability percentages to each sales stage, helping prioritize high-potential deals and focus efforts on closing them.
Workflow automation: Automate follow-ups, reminders, and task assignments to ensure timely engagement with prospects and prevent missed opportunities.
QuickBooks integration: Sync customer data, invoices, and estimates seamlessly to avoid errors and delays in your sales process.
Customization: With help from dedicated experts, tailor your CRM to your specific business needs and align things perfectly with your sales workflow.

Using tools like Method helps you transform potential deals into successful transactions, ensuring that all your opportunities are recognized, seized, and converted into sales.

Ready to see for yourself how Method prevents lost sales opportunities? Try it free for 14 days.

Lost sales opportunity FAQs

What does closed-lost mean?

“Closed-Lost” refers to a sales opportunity that has reached its conclusion, resulting in the customer choosing not to proceed with the purchase. This outcome signifies that the sales process has ended, and the deal will not be revived or revisited. That said, you can always follow up on closed-lost deals down the line to try to win them over.

What’s the difference between a lost deal and a lost sales opportunity?

A lost deal refers to a specific sales transaction that failed to close, resulting in zero revenue generation. This typically occurs when:

A customer chooses a competitor’s offer.
Negotiations break down.
Pricing or terms aren’t agreed upon.
The deal falls through due to external factors such as funding issues.

Lost sales opportunities often result from process issues and encompass potential sales that have slipped away due to various factors, including:

Unfollowed leads.
Unqualified leads.
Misaligned sales strategies.
Poor customer engagement.
Missed follow-ups.

Is a lost sales opportunity gone for good?

A lost sales opportunity isn’t always gone for good. While the initial opportunity may have slipped away, businesses can potentially revive or recapture the sale through strategic follow-up, nurturing, and re-engagement.

The post How to prevent a lost sales opportunity from ever happening again appeared first on Method.

The 7 best tools for automated lead generation

Ryan Flanigan — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 21:02:41 +0000

Running a company means wearing a lot of hats, and let’s be honest: your sales team really doesn’t need another time-consuming task. Lead generation is crucial for attracting new customers, but it often eats up a significant portion of your sales and marketing teams’ time.

So, how can you automate something that, on the surface, seems to require a fair amount of human touch — without losing the quality of your generation efforts?

The answer lies in automating repetitive tasks with software platforms. Automated lead generation fills your pipeline with high-quality leads without manual effort, so your sales and marketing team can focus on what they do best — closing deals.

What is automated lead generation?

When you think about automation, do images of giant factories churning out cars made by robots come to mind? Well, car factories and automated lead generation have more in common than you think.

Both let technology do the heavy lifting on repetitive, everyday tasks, leaving you free to concentrate on those irreplaceably human jobs, like directly interacting with customers.

With lead generation automation tools, you can instantly collect email addresses from prospective customers and enter them into your sales funnel and beyond, all without lifting a finger.

These tools don’t just stop at collecting info, they help convert your prospects into qualified leads, too. All of this means you’ll reduce your marketing efforts and zero in on those potential leads that are more worthy of your time.

The 7 best lead automation tools for your business

Automation and AI are big buzzwords right now, so finding marketing automation platforms that aren’t just the original software with a generative AI bolted on can be difficult.

Luckily, we’ve done the research for you and found the 7 best and most functional automation tools to help your business. Let’s check them out.

1. Method

Method CRM is the #1 CRM and lead management tool for QuickBooks and Xero users. Capture and nurture leads with ease, and when they convert to sales, your accounting software updates automatically — no extra steps needed. It helps businesses nurture and capture leads all the way from first contact to final payment.

Pros

Unbeatable integration with QuickBooks and Xero.
Easy digital smart forms.
Online 24/7 self-service customer portals with integrated payment processing.
Sales and marketing automation tools like invoicing and follow-ups.
Robust third-party integrations with Zapier, Outlook, Google Workspace, and more.
Customizable to your workflows, with one hour of free customization consultation included.

Cons

Most suitable for businesses that use QuickBooks or Xero.
Only available in English.

Pricing

Method offers three pricing plans, billed annually or monthly:

Contact Management: $25 per user/month.
CRM Pro: $44 per user/month.
CRM Enterprise: $74 per user/month.

There is also a 14-day free trial available with no credit card required.

2. OptinMonster

Image credit: OptInMonster

OptinMonster is a specialized platform that helps convert website visitors into high-quality leads with engaging pop-up messages and smart forms that capture contact details and boost conversions.

Pros

Very user-friendly design for creating opt-in forms.
Easy form creation with a drag-and-drop builder.
White label branding for your business.
Advanced targeting and triggers.
A/B testing and analytics to optimize campaigns.

Cons

Manual URL segmentation can be a hassle.
Limited customization of pop-ups and forms.
Pricing might stretch small business budgets.
Support response times can be slow.

Pricing

OptinMonster offers four pricing plans, billed monthly:

Basic: $21 per month for one site and up to 2,500 pageviews.
Plus: $57 per month for up to two sites and 10,000 pageviews.
Pro: $87 per month for up to three sites and 25,000 pageviews.
Growth: $147 per month for up to five sites and 100,000 pageviews.

There is no free trial available, but OptinMonster offers a 14-day money-back guarantee.

3. Leadfeeder

Image credit: Leadfeeder

The next top lead automation tool is Leadfeeder. It helps marketing teams keep better track of website visitors and uncovers B2B prospects who are showing interest in your business.

Pros

Real-time insights into interested companies.
Smart lead prioritization with automatic scoring.
Tailored feeds to spotlight top prospects.
Comprehensive, high-volume tracking across channels.

Cons

High cost for smaller businesses.
Integration capability needs improvement with more popular tools.
Functionality is based on tracking cookies and IP addresses, limiting the ability to retarget.
Reports of unexpected subscription auto-renewals and unreliable support.

Pricing

Leadfeeder offers two pricing plans:

Free: Includes last 7 days of data only and up to 100 identified companies.
Paid: Starts at $165 per month and increases based on your amount of identified companies.

They also offer a 14-day free trial and a 40% discount on annual subscriptions.

Image credit: Sprout Social

As one of the best social media marketing automation and enrichment tools available, Sprout Social simplifies content management across multiple platforms for marketing teams of various sizes.

Pros

Stronger insights into what’s popular with top-notch social listening tools.
Detailed reporting and analytics.
Easy team collaboration with user-friendly workflows.
Powerful scheduling features for optimal post timing.
Solid customer support.

Cons

Limited to 5 social media accounts on the standard plan.
Expensive add-ons required for advanced features.
Steep learning curve for new users.
Limited functionality for LinkedIn tagging and Instagram Reels scheduling.
Smaller businesses might be priced out of even simple plans.

Pricing

Sprout Social has four pricing plans available:

Standard: $249 per seat per month.
Professional: $399 per seat per month.
Advanced: $499 per seat per month.
Enterprise: Pricing available on request.

They also offer a 30-day free trial and a discount on annual subscriptions of up to 25%.

5. Mailchimp

Image credit: Page Flows

Owned by Intuit, Mailchimp is best for sending automated marketing campaigns to email addresses. It can also provide detailed analysis and provide insights on how campaigns are progressing.

Pros

Very easy to use, set up, and integrate.
Automated data cleaning to keep your lead lists tidy.
Robust analytics for data-driven insights.
Solid integrations with other tools.
Wide range of customizable templates.

Cons

Lack of customization for emails, as it’s template-based.
Emails from Mailchimp servers can be classified as spam.
Pricing gets steep for larger lists.
Deliverability rates are sometimes inconsistent.
Customer support varies by plan and can be slow.

Pricing

Mailchimp’s pricing is based on the amount of contacts you need. It offers four base plans, which increase in cost as you add more contacts:

Free: Includes up to 500 contacts, with 1,000 sends per month.
Essentials: Starts at $13 per month for 500 contacts, with 5,000 sends per month.
Standard: Starts at $20 per month for 500 contacts, with 6,000 sends per month.
Premium: Starts at $350 per month for 10,000 contacrs, with 150,000 sends per month.

Mailchimp’s Essentials and Standard plans also offer a free month-long trial before you commit.

6. Brevo (Formerly SendInBlue)

Image credit: Brevo

Brevo, formerly known as Sendinblue, is a versatile tool for B2B and B2C marketing through automated email and SMS campaigns. It’s a powerful tool for converting prospective business customers into high-quality leads.

Pros

Integrates well with Shopify.
Easy to track campaign success anytime.
User-friendly interface that makes navigation easy.
Robust automation features to enhance marketing efforts.
Extensive multi-channel campaign options.

Cons

No design services available.
Reports can be lacking in detail, especially for less expensive plans.
Customer support can be slow and lacks live chat functionality.
Certain features can incur additional costs, such as SMS and WhatsApp campaigns.

Pricing

Brevo offers four pricing plans:

Free: Send 300 emails a day.
Starter: Starts at $9 per month, with 5,000 emails a month.
Business: Starts at $18 per month, with 5,000 emails a month and additional features.
Enterprise: Custom pricing available on request.

They also offer a 10% discount on annual subscriptions.

7. Marketo

Image credit: Adobe

Marketo Engage, now owned by Adobe, is a powerful marketing automation tool aimed at larger companies and enterprises. It excels in automated data analysis and lead scoring.

Pros

Easy setup despite its rich feature set.
Strong integrations with with SAP, Oracle, Salesforce, and NetSuite.
Lead scoring functionality to enhance targeting.
Comprehensive analytics for data-driven decisions.
Powerful marketing automation tools.

Cons

No built-in CRM limits direct customer management.
The landing page builder lacks advanced features.
High cost can be prohibitive for smaller businesses.
Customer support varies by plan and can be slow.

Pricing

Marketo Engage offers four pricing tiers based on required features and business volume. Specific custom pricing for each of these plans is available on request.

Growth: Up to 10 users.
Select: Up to 25 users.
Prime: Up to 25 users.
Ultimate: Up to 25 users.

While user limits stay mostly consistent as you upgrade your plan, you get access to more features and tools.

Stop spending your day sending emails, estimates, and invoices.

Watch Method do it for you

Examples of lead automation

Automation isn’t just a one-size-fits-all approach to lead generation — it’s got options. It all depends on exactly what efforts you’re willing to assign to the software, and what tasks will remain human.

Let’s take a look at some of those options.

Automated cold outreach

While some salespeople do legitimately love it, most people find cold calling to be soul-crushing. With automated email marketing campaigns, you can send hyper-personalized messages at scale, all while still making it feel like a human-on-human chat.

Automation makes it all possible by using generation automation tools that tailor your outreach based on the ideal customer profile you have given it.

AI chatbots

Are you tired of answering the same old questions over and over? Enter AI chatbot pop-ups.

These bots engage with the users on your site, automatically capturing their contact details. You can set them up to learn from and address those common questions and concerns that come in on a regular basis.

Best of all, they can take on the role of salesperson and start turning curious visitors into prospective customers or even qualified leads.

Lead magnets with smart digital forms

Lead magnets are irresistible little freebies that offer up some valuable content hiding behind a smart digital form. Some examples include:

Ebooks.
Checklists.
Templates.
Webinars.
Quizzes.
Podcasts.

Lead magnets are powerful tools because once a prospective customer bites, you can automatically add them to a drip campaign that nurtures them into high-quality leads.

Personalized website experiences

Nothing in the world says “we understand you” like a website that’s completely personalized. A good example of automated lead generation is through dynamic landing pages that are customized to each potential customer’s needs or industry.

Using automation to personalize experiences means your website itself is boosting engagement and moving them further down the sales funnel without you ever having to be there.

Automated ad campaigns

Ever had site visitors that just slipped through the cracks after a lengthy look around your site? Automated ad campaigns bring visitors back into your funnel with retargeted campaigns that follow them around.

The result? Without any human involvement from the sales team, automation is giving them a second chance to say yes.

Lead tracking with a CRM

Forget about tracking every single lead manually. Let automated CRMs like Method handle it for you.

CRMs organize your leads for more efficient generation efforts and keep your sales funnel clean by separating potential sales from paying customers.

So, you can keep your customers’ financial data safe and accurate in QuickBooks, for example, while also using that information in your CRM data to nurture leads better and inform future sales.

Automatic lead scoring and segmentation

Marketing and sales teams know that not all leads are created equal. And if you’re tired of manually scoring and segmenting hot and cold leads, you’ll be glad to know automation has got this covered too.

These features automatically rank your leads based on their likelihood to convert, helping your team prioritize the high-quality leads first.

You shouldn’t only limit your generation efforts to emails and paid ads. According to our research, 62.5% of the world now uses social media. Platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (Twitter), YouTube, and Instagram are filled to the brim with prospective customers.

With so many platforms to cover, manually marketing every single one would be nearly impossible for smaller marketing teams. But with automation and the right generation tools, the leads from social media will keep rolling in.

Need an easier way to keep your QuickBooks data up-to-date?

Try Method’s two-way sync

Benefits of automated lead generation

Most sales teams have felt the burn of frustration when one too many human errors let potential clients slip through the cracks and straight into the arms of competitors.

Let’s take a look at the rest of the benefits.

Send every lead to the correct sales rep

Ever sent an individual customer to the dedicated B2B rep? Or a top-priority lead to the brand-new hire? Mistakes like these are not only signs of disorganization, but you can easily lose a prospective customer because of them.

With automated lead tracking and enrichment tools, leads won’t end up getting sent to the wrong sales rep ever again. This is because advanced algorithms and segmentation can route potential clients straight to the right team member, boosting the team’s productivity.

Personalize your lead experience

Your business isn’t generic, so why should your customers settle for boilerplate messages? With automation, you can segment your leads by important verticals like industry, demographic, or specific interests.

In a nutshell, automation dives deep into your ideal customer profile and sends personalized messages to the right prospective customers at exactly the right time.

Get a complete view of your leads

Want to know what makes your leads tick? Automated lead generation tools give you the complete lowdown on lead behaviour, including what is driving their decisions and what trends they’re following.

This lets you spot trends far faster than the human eye and fine-tune your approach to push leads further down the sales funnel much easier.

Break down data silos

A marketing and sales team that works together is necessary in getting leads to close, so why aren’t your teams talking to each other?

Automation connects your departments and makes sure your sales and marketing teams are always on the same page. More collaboration, far less chaos.

Improve your speed to lead

When it comes to potential customers, there’s a need for speed. Automated lead generation helps you handle those prospective customers faster, so you can respond while they’re still interested — and not when they’ve already forgotten your name.

Ensure consistent lead quality

Tired of wasting time sifting through junk leads? Automated lead generation keeps high-quality leads flowing steadily into your pipeline.

Low-value leads are given less priority, cutting out the guesswork and saving your sales team a lot of time.

Grow and scale without a hitch

Scared of growing your business because of all the extra work and evolving needs? Scaling your business shouldn’t mean more work for your team.

The processes that may have once worked when you were a smaller business are now not working anymore — but that’s a good sign, so don’t panic. Automation means you can grow your business without adding extra workload.

Save time for your entire team by eliminating their repetitive, manual processes like creating invoices and sending emails. They’ll be able to contribute more to your business growth that way.

Generate data-driven insights

With automation, your team grows smarter with every new lead — regardless of whether they convert. Tracking every single interaction with potential customers means ensuring more insights to draw from for future opportunities.

With so much information at your fingertips, your sales team can make data-driven decisions to improve success rates, and your marketing team can constantly improve and tweak their efforts.

Integrate with existing sales and marketing tools

Automated lead generation tools are powerful, but they can’t (and shouldn’t) operate in a vacuum. The best software developers design these automation tools to integrate and connect with your existing CRM and financial systems to make sure everything is running in sync.

Wrap-up: Choosing the right lead automation tool for your unique needs

Out of these seven automated lead generation tools, you’re bound to find the one that will make your generation efforts faster and far more effective.

But if you’re a QuickBooks or Xero user looking for something that really handles it all — lead capture and management, communications, estimating and invoicing, and integrated payment processing — Method CRM is your go-to.

It integrates perfectly with your existing QuickBooks or Xero financial systems, making it a dream solution for your sales, marketing, and financial teams.

Ready to delegate the repetitive work to technology? Method has you covered.

Try it free for 14 days.

Automated lead generation FAQs

What is AI lead generation?

AI lead generation uses artificial intelligence (AI) to find, qualify, and nurture all prospective customers for you.

From intelligent chatbots that are barely indistinguishable from humans to AI-driven analysis of your hottest leads, it’s a hands-off way to keep your sales funnel full to the brim with high-quality leads.

What is the lead lifecycle?

The lead lifecycle is a journey that takes a curious stranger all the way to a loyal customer.

The first stages of the cycle are when someone first shows interest in your business and its products and services, then moves through stages like lead nurturing, qualification, and finally, conversion.

What is automated lead capture vs. automated lead generation?

Automated lead capture grabs contact details from visitors to your website or social media platforms. There are a few ways that automated capture can accomplish this, including smart forms, chatbots, and sign-ups.

Automated lead generation then takes those leads and moves them through the sales funnel with nurturing strategies like email campaigns and follow-ups. It scores each lead according to how likely they are to convert and then sends them to the appropriate sales rep for the human touch.

Lead capture is often the very beginning of the lead generation process.

The post The 7 best tools for automated lead generation appeared first on Method.

The top 25 lead generation strategies to set your sales up for success

Ryan Flanigan — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 13:52:25 +0000

Lead generation is building a list of prospective customers that could one day become actual buyers — and it all starts with the right strategy.

Nowadays, managing your time and keeping track of every single contact can make or break a sale. So, whether you’re running email campaigns or posting digital content, you need to have a clear plan to capture (and then nurture) those leads.

The more organized your approach, the better your chances of guiding those leads straight through the funnel and onto a sale.

Keep reading for 25 lead generation strategies that will set you up for success.

What are lead generation strategies?

Lead generation strategies are the tactics you use to attract potential customers (your target audience) and turn them into high-quality leads (the kind that are ready to buy).

Think of these strategies as the process of navigating the sales funnel, from grabbing attention to closing the sale. They are usually only possible with a unified approach. Your marketing team draws them in, and your sales team gets them signed on the dotted line.

When both teams are working together in harmony, those leads have a much smoother journey through the sales funnel, setting you up for success.

Sick of missing invoices and other data in QuickBooks?

See Method’s two-way sync

Your top 25 lead generation strategies to ensure conversions

Here are 25 of the best lead generation strategies to help you turn a “maybe” into a handshake:

1. Create quality content across several mediums

Your target audience craves valuable content, and that means mixing it up. Sticking to one medium or one type of campaign gets boring very quickly. For example, instead of pushing out blog post after blog post, you could also create infographics or tutorial videos.

The more variety in your content, the more likely you’ll capture a wider scope of leads. Using different medium types lets you appeal to different engagement styles. The result? You’ll build trust and see engagement soar.

2. Lean on your website and optimize for SEO

Your website isn’t just there for show or for the occasional hit on the “Contact us” button — it’s your 24/7 salesperson, a hub for marketing materials, and a source of truth for potential and existing customers.

Naturally, you’re going to want to drive as much traffic to it as possible, and you do so by emphasizing a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy for your site.

Create personalized landing pages for each of your buyer personas, and make it easy for visitors to know how to take the next step by adding clear calls to action (CTAs).

3. Use digital lead generation forms across your content

Whether it’s on blogs, videos, landing pages, or other site content, you can strategically embed smart lead forms in all your valuable content. These digital forms, known as web-to-lead forms, capture contact information like email addresses from customers when they’re most engaged. See an example below.

From there, you can send personalized email campaigns to the leads your website automatically captures.

4. Publish and promote case studies

Don’t just tell — show. Your buyer success stories are one of the best ways to convert potential leads by showing what’s possible should they choose you.

Share these on your website and across your social media platforms to build up trust and credibility. For an example of a case study, check out this Method customer story.

5. Create an email marketing strategy

While we now see lots of paid digital marketing strategies like influencer marketing and pay-per-click ads spammed across Google, guess what? Email newsletters and marketing still work.

In fact, email marketing attracts an ROI of $36 for every $1 spent. Sounds good, right?

Segment your audience and send targeted messages to really create and convert qualified leads.

6. Conduct paid advertising through PPC (pay-per-click) ads

Speaking of pay-per-click (PPC) ads, these are one of the fastest ways to get your message in front of your target audience.

PPC ads generate traffic quickly and reliably. And best of all, you only pay if someone actually clicks. This means, unlike many marketing strategies, you’re not wasting precious budget on the gaze of uninterested eyes.

The most common types of PPC ads include:

Search ads that appear on search engine results pages (SERPs).
Display ads shown on websites.
Social media ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.

Remember that old saying, “If it’s free, then you’re the product”? Well, with social media platforms, users who share everything about their lives — from holiday plans to pictures of their food — are the product. You can tap into their feeds with information on what you offer and convert them from visitors into leads.

As you already know so much about your potential customers, social media is the ultimate goldmine for reaching your ideal customer profile (ICP).

Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok let you showcase images and stories, and connect directly with your buyer persona. So post those insights, behind-the-scenes moments, and success stories to keep customers engaged. Not to mention, you can leverage paid ads on most platforms too.

8. Organize webinars to capture new leads

Want an opportunity to showcase your business and engage prospective customers? Webinars are the way to go.

A webinar is an interactive online seminar or presentation that lets participants engage with the host and content in real time through videoconferencing technology. This means you can build trust and answer questions on the spot.

Webinars let you share valuable content and, most importantly, collect those contact details for qualified lead follow-ups.

9. Host or attend events

Whether in person or online, industry events are filled with opportunities to connect with people who are likely to become new potential customers. You can even host your own events.

Networking in a space that is full of like-minded businesses and individuals helps your business build trust and show off its products — all of which are bound to generate some high-quality leads.

10. Develop a referral program

Your salespeople are the best at selling your products or services, but coming in a close second are your happy customers.

Encourage your customers (and employees) to refer others to your business and offer rewards like discounts and freebies for some extra motivation.

It’s much cheaper than traditional marketing and will have a snowball effect of new potential leads coming your way in no time.

11. Employ a video marketing strategy

Your potential customers are more likely to engage with an exciting video than a huge wall of text. This is a chance for your marketing team to start getting creative with storytelling, fancy graphics, and of course some strategically placed CTAs for customer interaction.

The key to generating leads with videos is to keep them short, ideally between 15 and 30 seconds. In fact, 44% of consumers prefer to learn about products from short videos.

12. Use AI and automation tools

Do you want to save time and still nurture leads to the same degree as with manual marketing? AI and lead automation tools like Method CRM, OptinMonster, and Leadfeeder use generation techniques like automated follow-ups and email campaigns to do the heavy marketing and sales processes for you.

So, not only do you bring in leads without additional effort, but you also get time back in your day to focus on other areas of your business.

Need an easier way to keep your QuickBooks data up-to-date?

Try Method’s two-way sync

13. Run retargeting and remarketing campaigns

It’s a sad fact of marketing that not every visitor converts the first time. The good news is that retargeting and remarketing can bring them back.

It’s important to distinguish between these two marketing terms:

Retargeting: Typically refers to serving targeted ads to users who have previously interacted with your website or brand. It primarily uses display ads on third-party websites to reach these users as they browse the internet.
Remarketing: Generally involves re-engaging existing customers or leads through direct communication channels like email. It focuses on nurturing relationships with people who have already interacted with your brand, often using personalized messaging based on their previous interactions.

These campaigns should target potential leads who have shown at least some interest, giving you another chance to win them over.

14. Put on contests or giveaways

There’s one universal constant in business, and that’s that everyone loves free stuff. But giveaways shouldn’t be thought of as giving away your products (although that is definitely a part of it), but as getting some high-quality leads in return.

Run giveaways that actually encourage engagement with your brand specifically, and make sure that all participants leave behind their contact details. It’s a win-win scenario: they get free stuff, and you get a shiny new list of leads.

15. Leverage CRM and sales data

Your customer relationship management (CRM) system is so much more than a glorified contacts list. It’s a source of truth for insights into your current customers. With a CRM, you can track every touchpoint, interaction, and transaction for all your contacts — whether they’re leads, customers, or vendors.

Analyze those sales statistics in your CRM and use the results to inform marketing decisions, like tailoring campaigns to diffent lead segments. Tools like Method let you quickly and easily:

Track every opportunity.
Create estimates and invoices.
Convert leads to Quickbooks as soon as they become paying customers.

Learn more about Method CRM in the video below.

16. Cold outreach (email and calling)

Believe it or not, cold outreach, whether by phone or through email, is still alive and kicking. Sure, conversion rates can be low (to the tune of 2%), but with the right script and some solid persistence, it can create a domino effect of incoming leads.

When combined with follow-ups, cold calling is still a great strategy for sales reps.

17. Influencer marketing

Influencers are individuals on social media with influence over a large audience, and digital natives and Gen Z absolutely trust them — in some cases even more than celebrity endorsements.

If you partner with the right influencer, you’re likely to connect with prospective customers you might not even know you had. Influencers can:

Introduce your brand.
Build credibility.
Ultimately drive purchases.

18. Establish authority, expertise, and trust

Everyone knows that people buy from brands they trust — but what is the best way to build that trust?

Other than offering a standout product or service, one of your first tasks when establishing trust is to consistently deliver valuable content that is backed by original research and real testimonials.

Keep your promises, and you’ll start to build long-lasting relationships with high-quality leads.

19. Network online and in person

Networking with fellow professionals in your field is still one of the best lead-generation techniques.

Networks give your business an opportunity to have genuine conversations with both your target audience and big industry peers. Those relationships, if nurtured well, often lead to valuable business opportunities down the road.

20. Look at your competitors

It never hurts to analyze your competitors’ lead generation strategies to see what is and isn’t working for them. Study their tactics, uncover the gaps, and slot your business in to provide a better solution.

21. Offer incentives

As we mentioned earlier, people love free stuff. But what if your product can’t really be given away for free? If your business is online, you can always offer free trials and demos or bundle in some free tools with your platform.

It’s the next best thing to free — try before you buy — and customers just love it and get hungry for more. Some other incentives you can offer include:

Promo codes.
Annual or bulk discounts.
Free consultations.

Incentives are the perfect way to get a hesitant customer off the fence and into your sales funnel.

22. Keep your messaging and positioning consistent

Your target audience should always know exactly what you’re about, so mixed messages are a big no-no. Keep it simple, keep it clear, and most of all, keep it consistent across your entire sales process.

Confusion is costly, but consistency? That’s how cold leads turn hot.

23. Create lead magnets

Sometimes, you have to give something to get something. Lead magnets like free guides, exclusive templates, or video tutorials can be irresistible bait for getting contact details.

Start publishing these kinds of materials and you’ll see your email list grow faster than weeds on a warm spring day. Once you have their info, you can nurture them into those highly coveted qualified leads through targeted email campaigns.

24. Try direct mail

Snail mail still works, and in a world full of cluttered inboxes and easily accessible unsubscribe buttons, a targeted, well-thought-out piece of physical mail is surprisingly fresh.

Reach out to prospective customers with something that they can hold in their hand and make them stop and take notice. It’s personal, tangible, and it’s much harder to ignore than an email.

25. Test and evolve your tactics

Just like everything in marketing, lead generation isn’t “set it and forget it.” Your marketing and sales team should constantly evaluate what worked and what didn’t (hint: software is great for this) and tweak their approach accordingly.

So, keep on evolving. Whether it’s new-generation techniques or fresh tactics dreamt up through an employee advocacy program, you must always keep your lead game sharp.

Online payments, automated leads, and customer management?

See how Method does it all

Lead generation strategies FAQs

What are the top lead generation tools?

Good lead generation comes from automated CRM and marketing tools like Method CRM for follow-ups and tracking leads, OptinMonster for lead capture through smart forms, and Leadfeeder for catching website visits.

What are the differences between inbound and outbound lead generation?

Inbound lead generation is focused on attracting leads through content posting, SEO, and social media — in other words, letting them come to you.

Outbound lead generation involves actively reaching out to potential customers through methods such as email campaigns, cold calling, and pay-per-click ads.

One key difference between the two is that inbound leads are often softer and more long-term, whereas outbound leads are more direct and yield much quicker results.

How do I measure the success of my lead generation strategies?

Success can be measured via:

Conversion rates.
Number of leads generated.
The quality of those leads (high-value vs. low-value).

Conversion rates are the percentage of leads that end up turning into paying customers.

Your number of leads generated tracks how many potential customers your business has attracted over a specific amount of time.

Quality of leads identifies high-value leads – or the leads that are likely to convert, vs. low-value leads – or the leads that have gone cold and are unlikely to get anywhere near a sale.

Ready to generate more leads in less time? Try Method free.

The post The top 25 lead generation strategies to set your sales up for success appeared first on Method.

6 strategies to improve your lead-to-customer conversion rate and how to calculate it

Ryan Flanigan — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 19:51:11 +0000

If you found yourself in a room with 100 people, how many could you convince to buy your product? Your ability to turn leads into paying customers is the backbone of one of the most important key performance indicators (KPIs) in business.

So, what is the metric you should use to track this, and how do you calculate it? Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about your lead-to-customer conversion rate.

What is lead-to-customer conversion rate?

A lead-to-customer conversion rate indicates the percentage of leads that turn into paying customers. In simple terms, it measures the number of people expressing interest in your product who — through visiting your website or signing up for a trial, for instance — end up making a purchase.

How to calculate lead-to-customer conversion rate

To calculate your lead-to-customer conversion rate, you will need two key figures:

The number of leads generated.
The number of those leads who converted to a paying customer.

These can represent your entire business, or you can break them down by things like marketing channel, product segment, or customer demographics to get more detailed information.

Lead conversion rate formula

The formula looks like this:

Lead-to-customer conversion rate = (Number of customers / Number of leads) * 100%

Take the number of leads that converted to a paid customer, divide that by the total number of leads generated, and then multiply this answer by 100 in order to get your answer as a percentage.

Example case

For example, if your business generated 500 leads and 50 became customers, the conversion rate would be:

(50 / 500) * 100% = 10%

Why should you track your lead conversion rate?

Some marketing and sales teams forget that the ultimate goal of their efforts is to secure revenue, and instead focus on generating as many leads as possible. If those leads aren’t progressing through the sales funnel, they quickly become useless to you.

Tracking your lead conversion rate is important for several reasons:

See how your marketing and sales efforts perform

If Marketing generates leads but Sales can’t close them, there’s an obvious mismatch. Your conversion rate is a key indicator of how effectively different teams collaborate, and whether there needs to be an adjustment.

Maximize your return on investment (ROI)

Monitoring your conversion rate helps identify the most effective marketing channels, allowing you to allocate your budget wisely and enhance ROI.

Decrease your customer acquisition cost (CAC)

Getting customers is great — but they can’t be too costly. A high conversion rate means more customers per dollar spent on lead acquisition. It’s essential to reduce your cost of acquiring customers while maintaining a strong conversion rate for efficient business growth.

Identify gaps in your sales pipeline

You can use your conversion rate to help identify where you need to improve your sales funnel. This helps you pinpoint where leads are falling through the cracks and informs your strategy.

Inform your goals

When developing new marketing and sales strategies, your lead-to-customer conversion rate is often a “North Star metric” — one that aligns all efforts cross-departmentally.

Need an easier way to keep your QuickBooks data up-to-date?

Try Method’s two-way sync

Other helpful lead conversion metrics

While your lead-to-customer conversion rate provides critical information, there are other insightful metrics that you should be aware of:

Lead-to-opportunity conversion rate

Your lead-to-opportunity conversions track how many leads become sales opportunities. This conversion rate here helps you understand how well your team is qualifying leads, and can often be thought of as the leads that Marketing gives to Sales.

Lead-to-sale conversion rate

This metric gives you a strategic view of your overall sales performance by measuring how many actual sales you generated. One lead could result in multiple sales, making it a different metric than lead-to-customer.

Lead-to-customer ratio

This ratio is similar to the lead-to-sale conversion rate and often used to identify the balance between lead generation and customer acquisition. Unlike lead-to-sale conversions, one lead can only result in one customer.

Cost per conversion

This is the end-to-end total cost of acquiring one customer, which helps you understand the financial impact of acquiring each lead.

Conversion ROI

If your costs are too high, a conversion may not even be worth the resources you’ve spent to acquire it. Conversion ROI lets you see how valuable the lead-to-customer process is.

Lead value

Your lead value determines the monetary value of each lead based on your average customer value and conversion rate.

Time to conversion

This metric tracks the time it takes for a lead to convert into a paying customer.

Sales cycle length

Similarly, sales cycle length measures the total time it takes from initial contact to closing a sale. This is more of an average or approximation than a specific and exact time-to-conversion metric.

Abandonment rate

This helps e-commerce businesses track when shoppers leave their carts before buying, offering key insights for retargeting campaigns.

Get everything you need to run your business in one place.

See what’s possible

Average conversion rates by industry

Knowing the average conversion rates for your field helps you set realistic goals. For instance, the finance and education sectors often see 5-10%, while e-commerce and retail can be significantly lower.

Industry	Average Conversion Rate
E-commerce	2.0%
Real Estate	4.0%
Technology (Software)	7.0%
Financial Services	5.0%
Healthcare	8.0%
Retail	3.0%
Automotive	6.0%
Travel and Hospitality	4.5%
Education	8.0%
Professional Services	10.0%

Source: Alore

Stages of lead conversion

A sales pipeline consists of several stages guiding a lead from initial contact to final sale. Here’s a general framework common to most businesses:

1. Lead generation

Start by pinpointing potential customers and gathering their interests and demographics. Effective lead generation methods include SEO, content marketing, and paid ads to drive relevant traffic to your site.

2. Lead qualification

Determine if your product or service suits your potential customer’s needs, and whether they can afford (and have the authority) to purchase. Use lead scoring to prioritize high-quality leads likely to convert.

3. Lead nurturing

Personalize your communication to keep leads engaged. Build trust by addressing pain points and overcoming objections, setting the stage for conversion.

4. Close the sale

When the lead is ready to buy, finalize the process by presenting quotes, negotiating terms, and completing the transaction. You should also handle any objections that come from each prospect.

5. Follow-up and retention

After closing the sale, make sure you follow up to deliver customer satisfaction. Happy customers are more likely to become repeat buyers or refer your business through word of mouth to others.

Online payments, automated leads, and customer management?

See how Method does it all

6 strategies to improve your lead-to-customer conversion rate

Improving your conversion rate requires intentional efforts across various parts of your sales process. Here are six proven strategies:

1. Build and optimize your website

Produce diverse, high-quality content such as text, videos, and infographics. Optimize your site for SEO with keyword research and include features like live chat or smart forms to capture leads efficiently. See an example of a lead capture form below.

2. Employ an advertising strategy

Test different advertising platforms and formats like pay-per-click (PPC) and social media ads. Use clear, compelling calls-to-action (CTAs) to encourage conversions.

3. Invest in email marketing

Automate campaigns with personalization and segment your email list to target specific audiences for greater impact. Use tracking codes to evaluate campaign success.

4. Talk to your existing customers

Don’t make decisions solely on numbers. Ask your customers:

What they like about the product.
New ways they’ve used it.
Any issues they have.

Leverage this feedback to refine your marketing strategies, targeting new customers with a more specific experience.

5. Build a community

Boost conversion rates by engaging with your audience both online and offline. Social media and online channels target audiences effectively, while real-world events offer personal connections. You can even host your own events that fit within your industry or target audience.

6. Leverage technology

Research and try out different dedicated tools to make running your business easier. Customer relationship management (CRM) tools like Method can significantly improve your sales cycle. For example, you can increase lead conversion by:

Tracking interactions.
Automating follow-ups.
Managing relationships.

If you’re a QuickBooks or Xero user, Method is a no-brainer to drive growth and profitability without spending too much extra time or money to achieve results. Check out some of the things Method can do for your business in the video below.

Wrap-up: Improve your lead-to-customer conversion rate

Tracking your lead-to-customer conversion rate will show you exactly where things are going right and where things are going wrong. To calculate it for your business, you need your number of leads and number of paying customers in a given time period. From there, just divide your leads by your customers and multiply by 100%.

Ready to build up your lead-to-customer conversions? With Method, you can:

Centralize your lead management.
Automate follow-ups.
Keep your sales pipeline flowing smoothly.

The result? No more missed opportunities to turn leads into customers.

Try Method for free today.

Lead-to-customer conversion rate FAQs

What’s the difference between an inquiry and a lead?

An inquiry is specific expressed interest, like when a potential customer asks for more information about your product or service. A lead, however, is someone who meets specific criteria that indicates they could purchase your product. For example, maybe they’ve given you their contact details by signing up for your email newsletter.

What is a good lead conversion rate?

A good lead conversion rate typically ranges between 2% and 10%, but varies significantly across industries.

How do I find a balance between lead quantity and lead quality?

Striking a balance between lead quantity and quality involves focusing on generating high-quality leads with a higher conversion potential, rather than solely increasing lead volume. It’s a good idea to implement lead scoring to prioritize leads based on their likelihood to purchase.

What are SQLs and MQLs?

Sales-qualified leads (SQLs) are vetted by your sales team and ready for direct sales engagement. Marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) have shown interest in your offering through actions like content downloads or webinar attendance but require further nurturing.

The post 6 strategies to improve your lead-to-customer conversion rate and how to calculate it appeared first on Method.

The best way to convert leads into sales and increase profits

Ryan Flanigan — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 16:02:55 +0000

At the core of every business, it all boils down to sales, doesn’t it?

No matter how innovative your product or service is, how persuasive your marketing is, or how efficient your operations are, the true measure of success is profitability. And that’s where sales come in — the decisive factor that separates thriving businesses from struggling ones.

You know that turning leads into sales is key to driving business growth. But what’s the most effective way to convert leads, and how can you refine your sales process to maximize revenue?

As a business owner, entrepreneur, or sales professional, you’re probably grappling with this question. You may have even already:

Invested in lead generation.
Honed your sales pitches.
Perfected your closing techniques.

Yet, your conversion rate remains a nagging concern.

In this article, you’ll uncover the fundamental principles of turning leads into sales, highlighting proven strategies, tactics, and tools to:

Enhance your sales funnel.
Strengthen customer relationships.
Ultimately increase profits.

Let’s jump in.

Need an easier way to keep your QuickBooks data up-to-date?

Try Method’s two-way sync

What does it mean to convert leads into sales?

Leads are people or organizations who have expressed interest in what you’re selling. For some examples, they may have:

Voluntarily shared their contact information with you through a form on your website.
Made inquiries over the phone.
Interacted with your business on social media platforms.

Turning leads into sales means effectively persuading potential customers to choose your product or service. From there, the idea is to turn these prospects into loyal, paying customers. It’s the crucial step where interest is transformed into action, driving revenue and growth for your business.

Is there one single best way to convert leads into sales?

No, there isn’t one best way to convert leads into sales. The conversion process differs from business to business. However, a good tip to remember is that turning leads into sales generally requires a multi-level strategy that spans multiple channels and media using the best marketing and sales practices.

Some effective strategies for converting leads into customers include:

Focusing on solving prospective customers’ problems.
Creating engaging, visual, and educational content.
Using clear calls to action.

Ultimately, the best approach combines a deep understanding of your leads with a robust sales process that nurtures and converts them effectively.

MQLs vs. SQLs: What’s the difference?

Marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) are leads who have shown interest in your business offerings by performing actions like:

Downloading content.
Signing up for newsletters.
Engaging with your social media posts.

However, they are not ready to buy from you because they are still in the “early awareness” stage of the buyer journey.

Sales-qualified leads (SQLs) are leads who have shown that they want to purchase from you. They may have:

Requested a quote.
Scheduled a meeting with a sales rep.
Tried out product demos.

Your sales process, and ultimately your business, will benefit from a clear understanding of the difference between MQLs and SQLs, as they each require different nurture strategies.

When dealing with MQLs, provide relevant content and engagement opportunities, and they can become SQLs over time. When dealing with SQLs, your sales team must approach them and encourage them to make the final buying decision. Read on to discover how you can turn sales-qualified leads into loyal customers.

Stages of lead conversion and best practices

No two companies’ sales pipelines are the same. You’ve got to define yours clearly to see how leads move down the funnel. Here’s a broad framework that describes most businesses’ pipelines.

1. Lead generation

This is the first step in your sales pipeline. It’s where you prospect and capture the right leads. Prospecting refers to activities aimed at identifying, researching, and engaging potential customers who may be interested in your product or service. Its goal is to fill your sales pipeline with potential customers.

Traditionally, prospecting relied heavily on cold calling the target audience. However, an effective lead generation strategy today should incorporate a variety of strategic activities, such as:

Relevant content creation.
Marketing automation.
Targeted outreach on various platforms.

Capturing is where you convert interested prospects into leads. Common ways of doing this include collecting contact information (like email and phone number) through marketing strategies like:

Encouraging sign-ups (newsletters, free trials, etc.).
Offering valuable gated resources (eBooks, webinars, etc.).
Creating engaging experiences (events, contests, etc.).

See an example of how you can capture leads on your website below.

The fate of your lead generation strategy rests solely on targeting and capturing the right market and understanding your customers’ needs.

2. Lead qualification

Lead qualification is evaluating generated leads based on their likelihood to purchase your product or service. This stage answers a simple yet crucial question: is this lead worth pursuing? If you get this answer right, you’ll prevent your business from wasting resources on prospects unlikely to convert.

Also known as the “needs analysis” stage, this is where you determine if your product or service solves the pain points of each lead and if they can pay for it. To get the most out of this process, it’s essential to segment leads by:

Industry.
Demographics.
Company Size.
Behaviour.
Firmographics.

With proper segmentation in place, you can:

Develop customized messaging.
Focus on high-potential leads.
Use lead scoring (a point system) to prioritize leads.

With this strategic approach, business owners can save resources while improving customer engagement and increasing conversion rates.

3. Lead nurturing

Now that you’ve determined the leads worth pursuing, it’s time to nurture them. Lead nurturing involves engaging with leads, addressing their pain points, and providing them with personalized interactions in line with their needs and interests.

If your lead is part of an organization, you want to first identify the key business decision-makers and address them directly to cut out the middleman. Then, find out your lead’s preferred communication method (face-to-face, email, phone calls, Slack, WhatsApp, etc.) and establish contact.

These tips can kick your lead nurturing process up a notch:

Make it a conversation — a sales pitch can be off-putting.
Offer relevant value propositions to show your leads you’ve done your homework.
Weigh client perceptions against reality and handle any objections that come up.
Be clear about what action you want your lead to take.

4. Closing the sale

You’ve nurtured your leads and built trust, and they’re ready to buy. Now it’s time to seal the deal! Keep these key points in mind:

Provide a clear, concise quote outlining:
- Product/service details.
- Pricing and payment terms.
- Delivery timelines.
- Any warranties or guarantees.

Finalize and agree on the details with the customer.
Deliver high-quality products or services.
Create FOMO (fear of missing out) and a sense of urgency.
Make opt-ins and purchases easy.
Make payment terms clear and use reliable payment processing.

5. Follow-up and retention

Sealing the deal might leave you feeling your job is done, but it isn’t. You want to start a dialogue with your leads as soon as they convert. As a part of this conversation:

Make sure they are happy with their purchase.
Address concerns or issues.
Offer support and resources.
Collect feedback and insights.

With CRM platforms like Method, you can automate follow-ups to ensure you’re always engaging with customers — without having to spend too much time on them.

As each customer relationship develops, it’s a good practice to identify complementary products or services you can upsell or cross-sell to enhance their experience.

Finally, measure performance using reporting and analytics to track metrics like:

Customer retention rates.
Satisfaction scores.
Upsell/cross-sell success.
Return on investment (ROI).

Stop spending your day sending emails, estimates, and invoices.

Watch Method do it for you

Technical strategies for how to convert a lead into a sale

Lead generation and conversion rely on a combination of factors, not just one magic solution. Think of it as adjusting various levers to fine-tune your sales machine. Here are some levers you can pull to get your conversion ratio up:

Build and optimize your website

Your website is often the first impression potential customers have of your business. To make it count, start by crafting a solid SEO strategy. This isn’t just about stuffing keywords — it’s about creating a smooth user experience that search engines will love, too. Use thorough keyword research to identify what your customers are searching for. This will inform your content creation and ensure you’re speaking their language.

But SEO is just the beginning. To truly improve your website’s performance, you need to test and refine it. Run A/B tests to compare different versions of pages, CTAs, and content. This will help you identify what resonates with your audience and what doesn’t. Use data-driven insights to inform design and content decisions.

Another crucial element is an effective FAQ page. This goes beyond providing responses to common questions, as it’s about showcasing your expertise and building trust. Use research and clear, concise language to address customer concerns, and you will be converting visitors into leads in no time.

Develop your content marketing

Content marketing is the unsung hero of lead generation. It can help you build trust, establish authority, and attract potential customers through valuable, relevant content.

Start by using your SEO strategy to inform your content creation. Use keyword research to identify gaps in the market and craft content that resonates with your target audience. Produce high-quality, engaging content that addresses their pain points and interests.

Educate and inform with blog posts, exploring topics such as:

Industry trends and insights.
Problem-solving guides.
Thought leadership pieces.
Success stories and case studies.

But don’t stop at written content. Explore different mediums to reach your audience, such as:

Video: Explainers, tutorials, and testimonials.
Long-form content: E-books, whitepapers, and guides.
Live webinars: Interactive sessions and Q&A.
Podcasts: Interviews and industry discussions.
Social media: Snippets, stories, and behind-the-scenes.

Social proof is powerful. What others are saying about you and your business can help you attract more leads. Share positive customer testimonials, reviews, and ratings to build credibility and trust.

Invest in advertising

Advertising can boost your lead-generation efforts. When deciding how to advertise, consider digital and local options. If your business type allows for it, a blend of both would be ideal.

Behavioral ad campaigns

To get the most returns on your digital advertising investment, run behavioral campaigns, which target individuals based on their actions and behaviors online, such as:

Search history.
Page visits.
Abandoned carts.
Product interests.

With this approach, your ads can reach high-intent prospects and increase your chances of converting leads to sales.

PPC

Similarly, conducting PPC (pay-per-click) keyword research can contribute to boosting your conversion metrics. It helps you to:

Identify relevant search terms.
Create targeted ad groups.
Improve ad copy and landing pages.

Retargeting

Finally, another form of online advertising you should use is retargeting ads. These ads target users who have previously interacted with your brand but haven’t yet converted. With retargeting ads, you can remind them of your brand and encourage them to revisit your website or complete a desired action. That way, you’re more likely to:

Increase conversions.
Improve brand recall.
Enhance customer engagement.
Get a better ROI compared to traditional advertising.

Whichever advertising you choose to invest in, use clear and concise calls-to-action (CTAs) in your ad copy to drive action and conversions.

Optimize your lead-scoring model

Lead scoring is a dynamic process, not a one-time setup. To maximize its effectiveness, continually refine, build upon, and reevaluate your lead-scoring model.

Your ideal customer profile (ICP) can evolve as your business grows. Market trends shift, customer needs change, and your value proposition must change too. Regularly reassess your lead-scoring criteria to ensure alignment with your updated ICP.

Here are a few questions you must ask regularly about your lead-scoring approach:

Are we scoring leads based on relevant behaviors?
Are our thresholds too lenient or too strict?
Are we prioritizing the right demographics?
Are we neglecting crucial qualification factors?

Your answers to these questions will give you data and insights for refining your lead-scoring model and improving your conversion strategies.

Employ an email marketing strategy

Email marketing remains an effective channel for lead nurturing and conversion. To maximize its potential, start by choosing the right email marketing tool for your business, such as:

Method.
Mailchimp.
ActiveCampaign.

These tools offer features like:

Contact management and segmentation.
Automation workflows and triggers.
Email builders and templates.
Performance tracking and analytics.

If you want to get the best results from your email campaigns, remember to use tracking codes to:

Monitor open rates, clicks, and conversions.
Identify top-performing subject lines and content.
Segment audiences based on behavior and preferences.
Refine targeting and personalization.

Social media is a powerhouse for lead generation and brand awareness because of the sheer number of users and how much time they spend on those platforms. If you want to tap into its potential, you must approach it strategically.

For starters, identify the right channels based on your buyer persona. Each platform is most suited to different audience profiles and marketing content:

LinkedIn for B2B connections and industry insights.
Facebook for broad reach and targeted advertising.
Twitter for real-time engagement and news.
Instagram for visual storytelling and influencer marketing.
YouTube for long-form content and educational videos.

Whichever platforms you decide to use, here are a few strategies you can use:

Create content calendars for consistent posting.
Design engagement campaigns to spark conversations.
Partner with influencers to expand reach.
Use paid advertising for targeted lead generation.
Track for performance optimization with analytics.

Make phone calls

Sometimes, the most effective way to connect with a lead is through a simple phone call. If you have a phone number in your lead records, consider reaching out.

While cold calling success rates only average, according to our research, around 2%, it can yield significantly better results as part of a targeted outreach to warm leads. Done right, it can also create a domino effect of word-of-mouth referrals.

Phone calls offer a personal touch, letting you:

Build rapport and establish trust.
Address concerns and answer questions.
Provide personalized solutions.
Move leads closer to conversion.

Also, pay attention to your leads’ preferences. Some may prefer to speak to you or your team directly. In such cases, a call might be the only way to nudge them forward in their customer journey.

Try out influencer marketing

Another way to boost your conversion is through influencer marketing. This lets you promote your brand by tapping into the credibility and reach of experts and leading voices in your industry or community.

Here are two major types of influencers you can partner with:

Macro-influencers: Established thought leaders with large followings (typically 100,000+), often across multiple industries. They are often costly but have significant influence and recognition.
Micro-influencers: Niche experts with smaller, highly engaged audiences (typically 1,000-100,000). They offer authenticity and targeted reach, as well as more affordability.

Influencers give your brand access to an audience base who already trusts them. Some of this trust will be transferred to your brand simply because you associate with the influencer.

That’s why it’s important to select influencers that:

Are aligned with your brand values and target audience.
Have high engagement rates and good content quality.
Are relevant to your industry or niche.
Have positive reviews from past collaborations.

Network to make partnerships and build community

Networking is also a powerful way how to convert a lead into a sale. With it, you can:

Expand your reach.
Foster collaborations.
Establish thought leadership.

Connect with fellow industry professionals on social media platforms like LinkedIn to build meaningful relationships. Online forums are another digital option for demonstrating your expertise to your target audience.

You may also want to seek out and attend local events in your niche, both online and offline. You can even go a step further to create your own events and community. Just try to work with others in your field while at it.

Leverage software

Thanks to technology, you can do almost everything faster and better, including converting leads to sales. You can tap into that technological advantage with CRM, AI, and automation tools, for example.

With such tools, your sales team can build their lead lists faster by automating lead collection with digital forms. They can also track and manage leads and send follow-ups all in one software, like in Method.

Top tips for turning leads into sales

The more, the merrier

In lead generation, rejection is inevitable. In fact, 80% of new leads never translate into sales. So don’t feel dejected when the majority say no — every “no” brings you closer to a “yes.”

Remember, every conversion is a win, regardless of how small it may seem. The key to success lies in diversification and persistence. The more strategies you use and invest in, the greater your results will be.

Offer expert advice

Building trust with potential customers requires more than just a sales pitch. Don’t think only in terms of sales. Instead, offer free advice and assistance to establish your expertise and authority. Wow your audience by offering:

Expert advice and guidance.
Exclusive resources and informative guides.
Personalized solutions to common problems.
Responsive engagement on social media.

While at it, demonstrate your understanding of customers’ needs and show your product or service’s value.

Have your sales and marketing teams work together

Even if you have your sales and marketing teams operating separately, their ultimate goal is the same: driving revenue growth. Too many leads may slip away during hand-offs if both teams don’t work together to achieve the goal. To prevent this, get rid of silos across your business and let ideas flow across the organization.

Respond in a timely manner

When leads reach out, timing is crucial. Promptly responding to their questions and inquiries not only makes them feel valued, but also enhances the perception of your customer service.

Offer specials, discounts, and freebies

Let’s face it — everyone loves a good deal! Offering specials, discounts, and freebies is an effective way to capture attention, build excitement, and spur leads to act. For example, you can offer a discount code or a two-week free trial of your product or service. You can also offer seasonal promotions to take advantage of regular holidays and festivities.

Use appealing calls-to-action (CTAs)

A well-crafted call-to-action (CTA) can make all the difference in converting leads. Effective CTAs combine clarity, conciseness, and active language to prompt action. While you’re at it, use “you”-centric language to put the reader first.

For example, instead of saying “Click here,” you might consider “Start your free trial today.”

In addition, be sure the lead is ready before asking for an action, or you might lose them altogether.

Use visuals

In today’s visually driven world, a wall of text will get you nowhere. You want to break up content with engaging images, videos, and graphics to capture attention and convey your message.

Listen to your unhappy customers

Negative feedback isn’t always all bad. Don’t ignore or skip over them. Unhappy customers can give you valuable insights into strengthening your sales process. Even negative reviews can help you grow, evolve, and address issues with your product or service.

Online payments, automated leads, and customer management?

See how Method does it all

Best way to convert leads into sales FAQs

What is a sales funnel?

A sales funnel is a model that represents the journey a potential customer goes through, from their first interaction with a company to the final purchase.

What is the difference between prospect stages and pipeline stages?

Prospect stages refer to the early phases where potential customers are identified and their interest is gauged. Conversely, pipeline stages refer to the entire sales process, detailing each step from initial contact through to the closing of a sale.

What is a good lead conversion rate?

A good conversion rate varies by industry and specific business goals. Average conversion rates are between 2% to 5%, while anything above 5% could be seen as strong performance.

Ready to turn more leads into sales without the extra effort? Try Method free for 14 days.

The post The best way to convert leads into sales and increase profits appeared first on Method.

What is a lead follow up system? And how does it help close deals?

Filipa Alves — Fri, 13 Jan 2023 14:44:21 +0000

Are you looking for a way to close more deals? If so, consider using a lead follow up system.

A lead follow up system is a set of processes and tools that sales reps use to stay in contact with leads and keep them engaged with the sales process.

By staying in touch, you continue nurturing the relationship until they’re ready to buy.

In this article, you’ll learn what a lead follow up system is and how it can help you close more sales. You’ll also discover some of the best follow up systems.

Let’s get started!

What is lead management?

Lead management is the process of capturing leads, then qualifying and nurturing them to turn them into business opportunities.

Managing leads can be a complex process as your lead count grows. Having a lead management system in place helps you make the most out of prospects interested in your product or service.

Why it’s all about the follow up

Usually, the salesperson stops interacting with the lead after handling their initial request.

More often than not, however, your leads are not ready to make a decision on whether to purchase your product or not yet.

As a result, converting a lead to a customer may not happen instantly. Instead, it could take days, weeks and even months.

It all depends on the lead’s decision-making process and urgency.

Why follow ups are crucial in sales

As the frequency of follow up on sales leads increases, so do the chances of a successful sale. This is due to several reasons including the fact that constant communication keeps you top of mind for potential customers.

Plus, more opportunities for future communication opens the door for customers to sway away from hesitation.

“Only 2% of sales are made during the first point of contact. This means businesses stand to lose potentially 98% of their sales leads if they do not follow up.”
— IRC Sales Solutions, 2022.

How much time does it take to implement lead management?

The most direct path to a sale depends on effective lead management.

If you manually follow up with leads, it can take a huge chunk of time out of your day, especially if you have a lot of leads. You have to remember to follow up with each of them, and then actually do the follow up.

From disorganized Excel spreadsheets to losing track of emails sent back and forth, lead management can really become overwhelming and inefficient.

However, there are lead management systems out there that automate the follow up process for you. These systems allow you to set follow up tasks, so you don’t have to remember to follow up with each lead yourself.

They also automate actual follow up tasks, such as sending emails or making phone calls. This saves you time, allowing you to focus your energy on other tasks.

Next, let’s answer the question of why you need a lead follow up system.

What’s a lead follow up system?

A lead follow up system is a method businesses to use to track and move leads through the sales cycle.

Whether your sales leads come to you through referrals, networking events, search engines or social media, you need a system that helps you interact with your leads.

The goal of a lead follow up system is to nudge your prospects towards sales conversions.

An effective lead follow up system allows you to:

Follow up with an interested lead swiftly.
Increase revenue and win more deals.
Automate your tasks to save costs and hours of work.
Invest solely in value-generating activities for your business.

Why automation is the Best way to follow up with leads

Rejections happen when following up with prospects.

Although it may start to make you feel hopeless and a bit too persistent at times, it’s important not to give up! Instead reframe and focus on finding creative, new ways to connect.

Better yet, automate some, if not all, of your process.

Here are some of the top benefits of a strong lead follow up system that involves automation.

1. Save time on follow ups

By automating your lead follow up system, leads are instantly handled from the first connection.

From there, reminders and automated communications flow all the way up until the sale based on the cadence you build.

Automation eliminates the tedious manual work of setting up each email from scratch and inputting each lead into your system.

2. Extend your reach

While humans are restricted in terms of the amount of hours they can work, automation software offers your business limitless potential.

This potential is best seen in your customer reach as interactions such as calls and emails are fully automated.

Thanks to an automated lead follow up system, you’ll never have to worry about feeling overwhelmed by your number of leads.

3. Eliminate human error

Mistakes are removed from the equation with an automated lead follow up system.

This is because automation follows tasks exactly the way you set them, making sure you never have missed connections or human error when following up.

What’s more, setting campaigns from the start allows you to analyze your follow up system as a whole, so you can remove redundancies.

4. Reduce overhead costs

Automation takes the burden of tiresome and time-consuming tasks off your employees’ shoulders. As a result, your employees can use time more efficiently to improve business processes.

Lead management and tracking software

Managing lead records can be done in one centralized database, a lead management and tracking software.

These help you keep track of leads and manage the process of turning them into a customer.

But the best lead management systems do much more than that.

They automate many of the tasks associated with lead management, including:

Lead capture.
Lead segmentation.
Lead nurture.
Lead scores.

This allows you to focus your energy on selling, rather than on administrative tasks.

When choosing lead management software for your business, it’s important to consider your specific needs and goals.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but by carefully considering your options, you can find a lead management system that helps your business close more deals and drive long-term growth.

Best lead follow up systems

There are a lot of different systems out there, and it can be tough to choose the right one.

However, there are a few things that you should look for in a good lead follow up system. First, it should be automated. This saves you time in the long run.

Second, it should effectively keep track of your leads so you can follow up with them quickly.

Third, it should be easy to use and understand. Fourth, it should be affordable. You don’t want to spend a fortune on a lead follow up system, but you also don’t want to skimp on quality.

Lastly, it should be reliable. You don’t want a system that is going to crash or lose data. Choose a lead follow up system that meets all of these criteria, and you have success following up with your leads.

It’s up to you to prioritize what’s important when evaluating a CRM, but the top lead follow up systems are listed below!

Method CRM

Method CRM is rated by QuickBooks users as the most powerful lead management system to organize your leads.

You can manage your leads in Method CRM, which automatically syncs them to QuickBooks once they become paying customers to eliminate double data entry.

Method CRM makes it easy to nurture your relationships with leads with features such as:

Automated lead collection with web-to-lead form.
Easily sync estimates to QuickBooks with a click.
Online portals to help leads self-serve and approve estimates.

What’s more, you can personalize your sales process in Method CRM to make it exactly how you want.

Method CRM has three pricing plans:

Contact Management: $25 per user per month.
CRM Pro: $44 per user per month.
CRM Enterprise: $74 per user per month.

Method offers a free trial with no credit card required. Get started with better lead management today!

Pipedrive

Image credit: Pipedrive

Next on this list of top lead follow up systems is Pipedrive. Pipedrive provides sales pipeline automation with an easy-to-use interface.

Some of Pipedrive’s features include:

A live overview of what your leads are doing in an in-app center.
Manage leads from your inbox with an email sidebar.
Track the source of your leads.
View your leads in multiple drag-and-drop pipelines.

Pipedrive has four pricing plans:

Essential: $14.90 per user per month.
Advanced: $24.90 per user per month.
Professional: $49.90 per user per month.
Enterprise: $99.00 per user per month.

Pipedrive also offers a 14-day free trial.

HubSpot

Photo credit: HubSpot

HubSpot is a top lead management software for growing businesses. It offers an all-in-one solution including marketing, sales, service and operations.

HubSpot allows you to:

Send automated email sequences until leads reply.
Digitize all your business leads with a built-in scanner.
Track leads with integrated email and website tracking.
Manage leads more efficiently with templates from your Gmail inbox.

Pricing:

You can get started for free with HubSpot’s lead management software: Sales Hub.

If you want more advanced features to automate your sales operations, you can access them via the Starter, Professional, and Enterprise editions of Sales Hub.

The plans are priced as follows:

Starter: starts at $45 per month.
Professional: starts at $450 per month.
Enterprise: starts at $1200 per month.

However, it’s important to mention that HubSpot sells its software in bundles or “hubs”. Pricing depends on how many business tools you need, and the final cost can quickly add up.

Salesforce

Photo credit: Salesforce

Salesforce allows you to track all the important information about your CRM leads.

Some of its features include:

Rich activity timeline with a view of the most up-to-date contact information.
Automated tracking of calls, meetings and emails.
Customizable reports and dashboards.
The ability to track marketing campaigns across all channels including social media.

Pricing:

Prices start at $25 per user per month, with discounts available for larger teams.

Salesforce offers four pricing plans:

Essentials: $25 per user per month.
Sales Professional: $75 per user per month.
Service Professional: $75 per user per month.
Pardot Growth: $1250 per month for up to 10,000 contacts.

There’s also a free trial available so businesses can try out the software before making a purchase decision.

Monday Sales CRM

Photo credit: Monday CRM

Monday Sales CRM is next on the list, with an intuitive and powerful lead management solution with multiple functions all in one platform.

Import leads through integrations with multiple platforms.
Deals board to track progress of every lead.
Centralized communication to track interactions with leads.
Send quotes and invoices to clients.

Pricing:

Up to 2 users can use the free version of Monday Sales CRM with limited features. They offer four paid pricing plans, which include:

Basic: $10 per user per month.
Standard: $14 per user per month.
Pro: $24 per user per month.
Enterprise: Contact them.

What makes Method lead management popular?

You may lean towards using Excel spreadsheets as a way to track sales leads. But when leads start coming in rapidly, and you’re flooded with potential business, you want to make sure no one slips through the cracks.

This is where Method CRM comes in. It is a popular lead management tool because it captures and organizes your leads in an effective way.

Rather than passing disorganized spreadsheets and emails back and forth, Method CRM captures them automatically through a web to lead form. See an example below.

It also allows you to manage and track the incentives your sales reps earn by selling your product.

Method CRM’s integration with QuickBooks and Xero is also stellar.

Instead of cluttering your accounting data in QuickBooks or Xero with leads, you can manage your leads in Method CRM and have them sync to your accounting software when they are customers.

Next, Method quickly turns the estimate into an invoice and reflects that in QuicKBooks or Xero. As a result, your time is no longer consumed by repetitive administrative tasks.

Key takeaways

The main goal of every lead management system is to turn your leads into customers.

The follow up process can become tough and time-consuming when done manually.

A follow up system like Method CRM enhances your process with capabilities such as:

Custom fields creation to fully capture your leads’ needs and details.
Powerful workflow automation. Two-way, real-time sync with QuickBooks and Xero.

Lead follow up system FAQs

How do you keep track of leads and follow ups?

If you’re in the business of generating leads, then you know how important it is to follow up with those leads in a timely manner.

While there are many ways to keep track of leads and follow ups, an automated lead follow up system is the best way to manage your sales pipeline.

By using an automated follow up system, you can stay in touch with your leads without having to invest a lot of time or money.

In addition, automated lead follow up systems usually have built-in CRM features that make it easy to track progress and follow up activities.

As a result, businesses that use an automated lead follow up system often enjoy higher close rates and improved customer satisfaction.

What are lead tracking systems?

A lead tracking system is a follow up system that is used to track potential customers, or leads. The system is used to follow up with leads to turn them into customers.

Lead tracking systems save businesses time and resources, as they no longer need to manually follow up with each lead.

In addition, lead tracking systems typically provide users with data and insights about their leads, such as:

When a lead was contacted.
What interactions were made.
Whether or not the lead converted into a sale.

This can be valuable for understanding what works and what doesn’t work when following up.

Overall, lead tracking systems are a helpful tool for businesses of all sizes. If you want to improve your lead follow up process, a lead tracking system is right for you.

What is the main purpose of follow up?

TThe main purpose of follow up is to:

Make sure that no lead falls through the cracks.Build relationships and trust with sales prospects.
Keep your business top of mind for potential customers.

By staying in touch and providing valuable information, you can build relationships that last, turn one-time buyers into lifelong fans and turn your business into a powerhouse.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that follow-up is always easy. It can be time-consuming and sometimes leads can be difficult to reach. That’s why many businesses choose to use an automated lead follow up system.

Better your lead management with a free trial of Method CRM.

Photo credit: Andrea Piacquadio via Pexels

The post What is a lead follow up system? And how does it help close deals? appeared first on Method.

Top 10 best lead management system software for 2024

Filipa Alves — Fri, 13 Jan 2023 14:43:31 +0000

Are you looking for the best lead management system software for 2024? If so, you’ve come to the right place.

Here, we’ll discuss some of the best options on the market and what makes them stand out from the competition.

So, whether you’re a small business owner or just starting out, read on to find out which lead management system is right for you.

What is a lead management system software?

A lead management system software is a tool designed to help generate and nurture leads throughout the sales cycle.

It helps you track and manage leads from first contact to conversion and provides marketing teams with insights into which campaigns generate the most qualified leads.

Benefits of using a lead management system software

A lead management system software can help streamline your sales process and give you an edge over your competition. Here are some of the benefits of using a lead management system software:

– Helps you prioritize and manage your leads more effectively.

– Enables you to track your leads throughout the sales funnel.

– Automates repetitive tasks such as sending out follow-up emails.

– Gives you valuable insights into your sales pipeline.

As a result, investing in a lead management system software can help you close more deals and grow your business.

What are the components of an ideal lead management system software?

There are a lot of lead management system software programs out there. But what separates the best from the rest? Here are some key components of an ideal lead management system software:

– It should be easy to use and intuitive. Inputting and managing data should be a breeze, so you can focus on selling, not data entry.

– It should provide real-time insights. This gives you up-to-the-minute information on your leads, so you can prioritize and follow up accordingly.

-It should offer features to automate repetitive tasks, such as emailing leads or sending them reminders about upcoming events.

– It should offer a free trial. The best lead management system software allows you to get a good feel of the program before you buy it.

– It should also be easy to add new leads and import existing ones from other sources.

Lead management system software can help you close more deals and grow your business. When choosing a program, make sure it has the key components that will make it easy to use and effective.

How we chose the best lead management system software

Below is a list of the top 10 lead management system software of 2024. Each of the following has unique features that improve your business to make it more efficient.

We chose the best lead management software based on their:

Features.
Price.
Pros and cons.

What’s important when evaluating a lead management system depends on you and your business needs, but the top ones are listed below to help guide you!

The 10 best lead management system software

Here are the best lead management system software:

1. Method CRM

Key Features

Method CRM is rated by QuickBooks users as the most powerful lead management system to organize your leads.

You can manage your leads in Method CRM, which automatically syncs them to QuickBooks or Xero once they become paying customers to eliminate double data entry.

Method CRM makes it easy to nurture your relationships with leads with features such as:

Automated lead collection with web-to-lead form.
Easily sync estimates to QuickBooks or Xero with a click.
Online portals to help leads self-serve and approve estimates.

What’s more, you can personalize your sales process in Method CRM to make it exactly how you want.

Pros

Ease of use and integration.
Unlimited customization.
Reusable email, report and transaction templates.
Convert estimates into invoices in a few clicks.
Several third-party integrations such as Gmail, Zapier, and Outlook.

Cons

Only available in English.

Pricing

Method CRM has three pricing plans:

Contact Management: $25 per user per month.
CRM Pro: $44 per user per month.
CRM Enterprise: $74 per user per month.

Method offers a free trial with no credit card required. Get started with better lead management today!

2. Pipedrive

Photo credit: Pipedrive

Next on this list of top lead follow up systems is Pipedrive. Pipedrive provides sales pipeline automation with an easy-to-use interface.

Key Features

Some of Pipedrive’s features include:

A live overview of what your leads are doing in an in-app center.
Manage leads from your inbox with an email sidebar.
Track the source of your leads.
View your leads in multiple drag-and-drop pipelines.

Pros

Affordable paid plans.
Unlimited customizable sales pipelines.
All plans include machine-learning powered sales assistants.

Cons

Free plans are not available.
Most plans have limited custom fields and reports.
Phone support is only available on the highest tier.

Pricing

Pipedrive has four pricing plans:

Essential: $14.90 per user per month.
Advanced: $24.90 per user per month.
Professional: $49.90 per user per month.
Enterprise: $99.00 per user per month.

Pipedrive also offers a 14-day free trial.

3. Zendesk

Image credit: Zendesk

Zendesk Sell streamlines your sales workflow by working through routine tasks efficiently with lead management system features such as:

Key Features

Some of Zendesk’s features include:

Sales reporting and analytics metrics on pre-built dashboard.
Email sync, alerts, templates and automatic tracking.
Connect all apps to Zendesk marketplace with one click.

Pros

User-friendly and easy to navigate.
Ability to set triggers to track incoming events.
Extensive time tracking options.

Cons

Costly for small to medium-sized businesses.
The number of options are overwhelming to new users.

Pricing

Zendesk Sell has three pricing plans:

Zendesk Sell Team: $19 per user per month.
Zendesk Sell Growth: $49 per user per month.
Zendesk Sell Professional: $99 per user per month.

4. HubSpot Sales

Image credit: HubSpot

Key Features

HubSpot is a top lead management software for growing businesses. It offers an all-in-one solution including marketing, sales, service and operations.

HubSpot allows you to:

Send automated email sequences until leads reply.
Digitize all your business leads with a built-in scanner.
Track leads with integrated email and website tracking.
Manage leads more efficiently with templates from your Gmail inbox.

Pros

All-in-one platform for marketing, sales, and customer support.
Easy to use and can be used as a CMS for content marketing or website building.
High quality tools across the board.

Cons

Free version offers very limited features.
The prices increase steeply as your business grows.
Lacks flexibility of customization.

Pricing

You can get started for free with HubSpot’s lead management software: Sales Hub.

If you want more advanced features to automate your sales operations, you can access them via the Starter, Professional, and Enterprise editions of Sales Hub.

The plans are priced as follows:

Starter: starts at $45 per month.
Professional: starts at $450 per month.
Enterprise: starts at $1200 per month.

However, it’s important to mention that HubSpot sells its software in bundles or “hubs”. Pricing depends on how many business tools you need, and the final cost can quickly add up.

5. Act! CRM

Photo credit: Act! CRM

Act! CRM is one of the best lead management software for small to medium businesses that are seeking solutions with easy-to-use marketing tools.

Key Features

Some of the features Act! CRM offers include:

Ability to design email templates.
Easily create, track and send emails.
Trigger actions that save time in your sales efforts.

Pros

Savings and affordable premium account.
Tight integration with Microsoft Outlook for emails.
Highly customizable CRM and flexible deployment.

Cons

Weak report-building feature.
Slow customer service response time.
Lacks advanced functionality needed as your business grows.

Pricing

The following pricing plans are available:

Starter: $12 per user per month.
Professional: $25 per user per month.
Expert: $50 per user per month.
Act Premium: $37.50 per user per month.

6. Zoho CRM

Photo credit: Zoho

Key Features

Zoho’s CRM lead management system moves your leads through the sales pipeline with proper follow up and unique features:

Scoring rules to prioritize sales leads for faster conversions.
Omnichannel communication including webinars to communicate with leads.
Convert leads into from live chat windows on your website.
Scan business cards and QR codes through app.

Pros

Fully customizable dashboard and interface.
Includes sales, marketing, and service functionality.
Free trial available.

Cons

Customization is challenging
No spam prevention on web forms
Onboarding assistance costs extra

Pricing

Zoho CRM allows users to choose from four pricing plans:

Standard: $19
Professional: $33
Enterprise:
Ultimate: $47

7. Freshsales

Photo credit: FreshSales

Freshsales (formerly known as Freshworks) is another top CRM lead management that can transform your selling experience with its powerful features.

Key Features

Map your unique sales process with contact lifecycle stages.
Enrich your contacts and accounts with their public information automatically.
Auto-assign leads to handpicked salespeople.

Pros

Clean and simple interface.
Multi-currency and multi-language for localized sales.
Extensive reporting functionality.
Good customer service options including AI assistant.

Cons

Fewer customization options than competitors.
Few social media integrations.
Strict limit at 1000 for marketing action.

Pricing

Freshsales offers four pricing options:

Free: $0 per user per month.
Growth: $18 per user per month.
Pro: $47 per user per month.
Enterprise: $83 per user per month.

8. ActiveCampaign

Photo credit: ActiveCampaign

Active campaign provides a CRM lead management system that keeps your entire sales process moving smoothly with the following features:

Key Features

Auto-send a personal 1:1 email to every new lead you get.
Trigger Dynamics contacts and emails after you book an appointment.
Automatically create a Salesforce contact on a page visit.
Easy to build automated campaigns and customize them.

Pros

Powerful and versatile email builder.
Great email deliverability.
Wide range of features for advanced users.

Cons

Long wait time for customer service.
Advanced features can be hard to wrap your head around.

Pricing

The following pricing plans are offered:

Lite: $9 per user per month.
Plus: 49 per user per month.
Professional: $149 per user per month.
Enterprise: Contact them.

9. noCRM.io

Photo credit: NoCRM.io

NoCRM.io provides a simple and effective CRM lead management system to work with on a daily basis.

Key Features

Each lead is always assigned a next action to prevent leaky sales pipelines.
Completely customizable sales funnel.
Visual sales pipeline to see where exactly your leads are in your sales cycle.
Ace sales leads calls with Sales Script Generator.

Pros

Affordable and unique pricing model.
Simple and intuitive interface.
Multiple lead creation options including card uploads.
User-friendly and effective task management.

Cons

Weak reporting feature.
Not very flexible with third-party programs.

Pricing

NoCRM.io includes adaptive pricing options that include:

Starter kit: $10 per user per month.
Sales experts: $20 per user per month.
Dream team: $32 per user per month.

10. Monday Sales CRM

Photo credit: Monday CRM

Key Features

Insert product shot with image credit below here

Monday Sales CRM is next on the list, with an intuitive and powerful lead management solution with multiple functions all in one platform.

Import leads through integrations with multiple platforms.
Deals board to track progress of every lead.
Centralized communication to track interactions with leads.
Send quotes and invoices to clients.

Pros

Able to automate any workflow.
Extremely easy to customize.
All plans come with 24/7 support.

Cons

The UI has too much information which confuses users.
Recurrent performance issues.

Pricing

Up to 2 users can use the free version of Monday Sales CRM with limited features. They offer four paid pricing plans, which include:

Basic: $10 per user per month.
Standard: $14 per user per month.
Pro: $24 per user per month.
Enterprise: Contact them.

Which lead management system software should you use?

With so many options, it can be hard to choose which software is right for you. A few key factors to keep in mind include features, cost, and ease of use.

Your specific priorities and business needs will help guide you in making a decision.

If you’re looking for affordable options for example, you may want to consider CRM lead management systems like Act! CRM which offers savings and adaptive pricing plans.

Method CRM also offers affordable pricing plans. It tends to be a popular lead management tool because it captures and organizes your leads in an effective way.

If lead generation is your priority, you’ll find that Method CRM is your best bet!

Rather than passing disorganized spreadsheets and emails back and forth, Method CRM captures them automatically through a web to lead form. See an example below.

What’s more, it allows you to manage and track the incentives your sales reps earn by selling your product.

Method CRM’s integration with QuickBooks and Xero is also stellar.

Instead of cluttering your accounting data in QuickBooks or Xero with leads, you can manage your leads in Method CRM and have them sync to your accounting software when they are customers.

Next, Method turns the estimate into an invoice and reflects that in QuicKBooks or Xero. As a result, your time is no longer spent on repetitive administrative tasks.

Key takeaways

The main goal of every lead management system is to turn your leads into customers.

The best sales lead management system is one with features that best suit your business needs.

A lead management system like Method CRM enhances your process with capabilities such as:

Custom fields creation to fully capture your leads’ needs and details.
Powerful workflow automation. Two-way, real-time sync with QuickBooks and Xero.

Lead management system software FAQs

Which is the best lead management software?

With so many lead management system options available, it can be hard to know which one best meets your needs.

The best lead management software depends on the size and scope of your business, budget constraints, and the specific type of leads you’re handling.

Ultimately, you need one that provides personalized experiences with a range of features and capabilities to best suit your needs.

By doing so you’ll make sure that any sales lead management system will best maximize ROI from any money spent.

How do you build a lead management system?

Building your best lead management system takes planning and trial-and-error— but having thoughtful processes in place will pay off in the long term!

These are some important processes to consider:

Collecting, tracking, and organizing leads efficiently.
Being informed on best practices for connecting with leads in innovative ways.
Capturing leads from a variety of sources across multiple platforms like social media, email campaigns, website forms, etc.
Keeping the data safe and secure by tracking contacts in an organized CRM software.
Managing this data throughout their journey in your lead funnel.
Compiling reports on the effectiveness of your campaigns by recording how leads land at each funnel stage.

Is lead management part of CRM?

Lead management is an important part of any CRM system, since the best sales leads are arguably those that come from customer relationships.

To get the best results, it’s important to choose the best lead management system for your needs.

While this will depend heavily on individual preferences and circumstances, some of the best sales lead management systems combine data tracking with automation tools for efficient task and contact management.

Having a reliable lead management strategy embedded into your CRM is essential for sustained success.

With careful consideration and planning, you can enjoy all the benefits of an effective CRM-lead relationship.

Better your lead management with a free trial of Method CRM.

Photo credit: Karolina Grabowska via Pexels

The post Top 10 best lead management system software for 2024 appeared first on Method.

6 Lead Generation Tips for Accounting Firms

Eilis McCann — Thu, 08 Nov 2018 13:15:00 +0000

Every business, large or small, needs a quality accounting firm to help them manage their finances. While this creates a lot of opportunity for accounting firms seeking new clients, it also creates plenty of competition. In order to stand out among your competitors, your firm needs a well-developed lead generation strategy.

Of course, finding new accounting or bookkeeping leads can be a challenge, especially if you’re used to relying on client referrals. To help you mix things up, we’ve compiled this list of lead generation tips for accounting firms. Put these tips into practice and you may be pleasantly surprised by the amount of new, high-quality business you’re able to drum up.

1. Focus Your Lead Generation Efforts

Far too many accounting firms take a generalist approach when it comes to targeting new clients. However, most clients in search of an accountant are going to be looking for a very specific set of services. If you can target your lead generation efforts to focus on specific industries or specific problems that your firm is able to address, you’ll have an easier time convincing potential clients to hand over their contact information.

Depending on the services you offer and the type of clients you want to attract, you can create any number of targeted campaigns to achieve your desired results. Each campaign should have its own dedicated marketing materials, such as blog posts, emails, or pay-per-click ads.

For example, you might create one campaign aimed at small business owners in the restaurant industry who need payroll services and a separate campaign targeting self-employed individuals who need help with their taxes. The goal is to let your prospective clients know that you understand (and can help with) their specific pain points.

2. Create Effective Landing Pages

On the whole, digital marketing is an area that is underutilized by accounting firms. However, putting together compelling landing pages remains one of the most effective ways for businesses of all kinds to generate new leads.

Ideally, you want to create landing pages that excite visitors about the benefits of your services. You should also encourage visitors to take a specific action while on the page, such as filling out a contact form. Offer a clear incentive for visitors to provide you with their information, whether that’s a follow-up phone call or a special discount upon signing on with your firm.

Once you have your landing pages in place, use targeted advertising through services like Google Ads to target your ideal clients and drive them to the relevant pages. Keeping the previous point in mind, develop specific ads and landing pages for each type of client you want to attract. This classic lead generation strategy may not be new or groundbreaking, but it’s still one of the most effective ones out there, particularly given that many accounting firms fail to take advantage of it.

3. Engage in Content Marketing

In addition to using paid ads to drive traffic to your landing pages, you should also make use of organic forms of digital marketing. Content marketing is one such example. This type of marketing involves creating and distributing relevant content to your target audience, with the ultimate goal of bringing in new business.

Accounting firms are well-positioned to take advantage of content marketing. After all, most small business owners aren’t accounting experts, but they need to learn more about managing their finances. This leads them to search online for helpful resources. If you can provide those resources in the form of blog posts, you’ll attract plenty of visitors to your website. These visitors can then be directed to your landing pages and contact forms.

What you write about will depend on the time of year and your firm’s expertise. For example, you could write about how to prepare for tax season, commonly overlooked deductions for small businesses, how to find the right accounting firm and more. The possible topics are nearly limitless – as are the possible rewards of effective content marketing when it comes to attracting traffic and generating new leads.

4. Build a Presence for Your Firm on LinkedIn

Social media marketing is an incredibly effective way for companies to generate new leads. But if you have limited time to devote to social media, choose your platforms wisely. As a B2B company, your accounting firm will likely have an easier time reaching its target clients on LinkedIn (a highly business-oriented platform) than it will on, say, Instagram.

Create a detailed LinkedIn profile for your firm and start connecting directly with small business owners. You can also incorporate LinkedIn into other aspects of your lead generation strategy. For example, you’ll want to develop a regular posting schedule to drive your LinkedIn audience to your blog posts. You can also make use of paid advertising on LinkedIn (in the same way you would use Google Ads or Facebook Ads) to drive prospective clients to your highly targeted landing pages.

5. Give Something Away

Giving away freebies is a common method used by businesses to convince visitors to hand over their contact information. After all, people love free stuff! However, this tactic isn’t often employed by accounting firms…for obvious reasons. Compared to a product-based company that can offer free samples, it’s a little more difficult for an accounting firm to come up with a relevant freebie to draw in potential clients.

If you get a little creative, though, there are plenty of ways for your firm to entice website visitors. In exchange for signing up for your mailing list or submitting your web-to-lead form, you can offer these leads access to an exclusive blog post or webinar, a downloadable resource like an ebook, preferred pricing on certain services and more.

Don’t be afraid to test different strategies to see what gets results. Once you have a well-received offer, promote it frequently: on your landing pages, on your blog, and on social media.

6. Make Use of Lead Management Software

There’s no denying that once you ramp up your lead generation strategy, it can be difficult to keep your prospective clients organized. This is especially true if you’re targeting different groups for different types of services. The last thing you want is to miss a follow-up or send the wrong message to the wrong person. But with so many prospects in your pipeline, simple spreadsheets are no longer going to cut it.

Lead management software goes hand-in-hand with the lead generation strategies described above. For instance, using a contact form that syncs directly to your software allows you to easily capture web leads from your landing pages. Meanwhile, automated reminders ensure that you never forget to follow up with potential clients. By streamlining repetitive tasks, you can convert more of your leads to paying clients with less time and effort required.

Conclusion

Don’t rely on referrals alone. In order to grow your accounting firm’s client base, it’s important to develop a multi-faceted lead generation strategy. By following the six tips outlined above, you can start generating high-quality leads that ultimately become loyal, paying clients.

The post 6 Lead Generation Tips for Accounting Firms appeared first on Method.

New! Updates to the Web to Lead App

Eilis McCann — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 12:15:00 +0000

New leads are the lifeblood of any business — but who has the time to manually enter lead data?

Method’s web to lead app is a great solution for anyone who wants to spend less time capturing sales info and more time closing sales. With the app, you can embed a public form on your website to capture new leads 24 hours a day. When a potential customer fills out the form, Method automatically logs their information in your CRM and sends an email to your sales team.

We’re pleased to announce that we’ve recently released several updates to the web to lead app to improve our users’ lead management experience.

What Has Changed in the Web to Lead App?

New form preferences

When you create or edit a web to lead form, you will see several new preference options. These preferences give you greater control over how your form behaves and how the data submitted through the form is tracked in Method.

Here are some of the new preferences available:

Opportunity Stage: Set the default stage for opportunities created from the submitted web to lead form. Previously, this was always set to Prospecting.

Lead Source: Set the default source for leads created from the submitted web to lead form. Previously, this was always set to Web.

Redirect to a URL after submission: When checked, leads will be redirected a certain URL after the form is submitted. When unchecked, a thank you message will be displayed. Previously, a thank you message was always displayed.

Send an email to the Customer or Lead / Send an email to the Assigned To user: When checked, an email will be sent to the lead and/or the assigned Method user after the form is submitted. Previously, you could not opt out of sending these emails.

Create multiple forms with unique URLs and preferences

Previously, the web to lead app was only set up to manage one web to lead form. Now, you can create multiple forms within the app. Let’s take a closer look at how this works.

Can each form show different data fields?

By default, each form will show the same standard data fields (name, phone, email, etc.). For advanced users who wish to add or remove certain fields from one of their forms, this can be done by creating a copy of the “Customer Form” screen and customizing that copy.

In the future, all users will be able to manage which fields are shown on which forms directly within the web to lead app — stay tuned!

What are the benefits of creating multiple forms?

Previously, your single web to lead form captured lead information and it was assigned to one Method user with one lead source. But what if you wanted to distinguish between different lead sources, or assign some leads to different users?

With the updated web to lead app, you can create multiple web to lead forms, each with its own URL and unique preferences like those described above. This gives you greater control over how you track and manage your leads within Method.

When could you use multiple forms?

Here’s an example: imagine you’re running lead generation campaigns on Twitter and Facebook. Naturally, you want to track which leads come in through each platform. You also want to divide the workload amongst your sales reps, so Alanna handles the Twitter leads and Errol handles the Facebook leads.

Now it’s easy to set this up! Simply create two forms and set your Lead Source and Assigned To preferences as desired. Each page will have a unique URL that you can share on the designated social platform. When someone clicks one of these links and submits the form, Method will automatically label and assign the new lead appropriately.

View form response metrics

When you open your web to lead app, you will see a list of all of your forms. This list displays new metrics for each form, including number of views, number of responses, and response rate. These metrics can help you assess how each of your forms is performing.

If you have any questions about the updated web to lead app, check out our help center or contact our team!

The post New! Updates to the Web to Lead App appeared first on Method.

lead management Archives — Method

The top 6 sales lead tracking solutions to never miss an opportunity again

What is lead tracking?

Need an easier way to keep your QuickBooks data up-to-date?

Why does lead tracking matter?

Top 6 sales lead tracking solutions

1. Method

Pros

Cons

Pricing

2. Leadfeeder

Pros

Cons

Pricing

3. Zendesk

Pros

Cons

Pricing

Get everything you need to run your business in one place.

4. LeadSquared

Pros

Cons

Pricing

5. Keap

Pros

Cons

Pricing

6. ClickPoint

Pros

Cons

Pricing

Online payments, automated leads, and customer management?

Tips for effective sales leads tracking

1. Leverage CRM software

2. Implement marketing automation tools

3. Develop a lead scoring and qualification process

4. Use UTM tracking with Google Ads

5. Use social media engagement as a tracking metric

Sales leads tracking FAQs

What’s the difference between lead management and opportunity management?

How long does lead management take?

What is a lead vs. a prospect?

How to prevent a lost sales opportunity from ever happening again

What is a lost sales opportunity?

Method CRM lets you run your business, your way.

Possible reasons for a lost sales opportunity

Weak customer service

Inaccurate demand forecasting

Supply chain disruptions

Suboptimal inventory management

Pricing strategy missteps

Insufficient marketing

Misalignment with customer needs

Competitor outperformance

Push QuickBooks Online further than ever with Method.

How to measure the cost of a lost sales opportunity

1. Automate lead generation and nurture

2. Stay on top of your inventory

3. Diversify your suppliers

4. Work on customer service

5. Record and analyze all lost sales

6. Leverage technology

7. Revisit old opportunities

Get everything you need to run your business in one place.

Minimize lost opportunities with Method

Lost sales opportunity FAQs

What does closed-lost mean?

What’s the difference between a lost deal and a lost sales opportunity?

Is a lost sales opportunity gone for good?

The 7 best tools for automated lead generation

What is automated lead generation?

The 7 best lead automation tools for your business

1. Method

Pros

Cons

Pricing

2. OptinMonster

Pros

Cons

Pricing