In the guise of Captain Obvious, I mentioned the importance of working leads, and told you that this would be a significant topic of discussion on this blog. However, before we get into the details of lead following techniques, I wanted to share a bit about our interest in this topic and the position from which we derive our expertise.

Wendover Corporation provides a variety of sales related products and services from appointment setting to sales consulting, but our original and most sought after product is our relocation information. This relocation data provides leads based on imminent moves and/or expansions. We identify companies that are planning to relocate their offices in the next 3-6 months and provide that information to sales teams interested in targeting growing, transitioning companies.

80% of the companies that are relocating are doing so because of growth. These growing companies are often budgeting huge amounts of money for the move that will go to everything from moving services to furniture, phone systems to networking equipment. When companies are moving, they are looking to make changes in equipment and service providers. We identify the companies and the individuals within those companies that are seeking information on those services and products which will fall within their move budget.

The data that we collect is very valuable to those sales teams dedicated to growing their customer base and increasing their margins. The relocation leads have a pretty long lead time and reward those willing to get in early and stay in through the entire relocation process. Properly followed, these leads provide more sales and higher margins than any other leads of their kind. We are, therefore, very interested in seeing them properly followed.

Too many times, however, we see complaints about leads that were never followed. We see sales teams upset by the lead time provided. We see what appears, to us, to be teams less interested in selling than they are in battling over price. Rather than build a relationship with a prospect, they seem to want to come in at the end of the process and chop margins to offer the "best deal." Too often this "best deal" is merely the cheapest possible offer and involves cut corners and unhappiness on both sides of the table. Our client's business suffers. Their customers suffer, and in the end, we suffer as well.

So, basically what I'm saying is that the techniques for lead working we will be discussing will help us as much as they will help you. When sales teams work our leads, they have better results. When they have better results, they come back for more. In other words, when you win, we win. That's as transparent as I can get on this issue. When leads are properly worked, everyone wins . . . even the customer who gets a product they need and the service they deserve.

One of the keys to understanding how to work a lead is the ability to identify the type of sales lead with which you are dealing. Leads come in many shapes and sizes from a wide variety of sources. Some are warmer, more targeted and easier to close, while others may seem to be hardly worth the time and energy, but result in big deals. To simplify we will divide the leads into categories with the understanding that these definitions are not carved in stone. Often one lead will fall in several of the categories we will be creating and must be understood as a combination of many attributes. Sales lead identification is not an exact science, but understanding and applying the information that can be quickly gleaned from a sales lead can definitely pay off.

Today's post is just the beginning of an ongoing effort to identify as many lead types as we can. Add more ideas in the comments and we'll expand this list as we go. So, lt's get the ball rolling . . . 

Leadus frigidus
This ice-cold lead is essentially the same as the information one could glean from the phonebook. This species of sales leads usually consists of a company name and a phone number. Generally, there will be no human being's name in this lead and often it will even be unclear exactly what the contact company makes or does. Company size, industry and location are probably also unknowns. Leads should be approached as a mass and favor efficiency in working them. Speed and rapid information gathering will seperate the good from the bad and flesh out these otherwise scrawny leads.

Interneta contactusicus
These are leads that have their origins in web page forms designed to collect data from interested individuals. The quality of these leads varies greatly with the quality of the site that created them. At their best these leads contain full names and contact information for individuals interested in your product or service. They are individuals specifically asking to be contacted regarding your offering. However, due to poor or misleading web design, this isn't always the case. Be sure to careful examine the environment in which these leads were created before making assumptions about their quality. The exact origin of the lead will have much to do with determining the best approach. This could run the gambit from a straight cold call to a close call. It all depends on how the leads were generated.

Leadus c. levela
These elusive leads contain the full contact info for a C-level executive which might include a CEO, CIO or CFO. In practice leads for presidents or owners could also be included in this category, but generally these leads only come out of large company environments. Included in this leads will be, at the very least, a name, company name and accurate phone number for an C-level executive. The key with these leads is persistence and polite professionalism. C-level execs can take a minimum of 15 calls simply to get on the phone. Messages left should remain professional despite any frustration to avoid scaring off this rare find.

And, there's a beginning for us. We will continue this lead identification process in the coming weeks and will even revisit and revise some of these early entries. Hopefully, by the end of this little project, we can develop a true field guide to help even the greenest of sales people identify and approach leads.