Are you giving up on a qualified lead too soon?

Everyone in the sales department is probably guilty of one thing; giving up on a qualified lead too soon. Many factors can stall the sales process and some of those factors don’t have anything to do with you or your services. In fact, studies done by the Harvard School of Business indicate that the average number of contacts required on a qualified lead before a sales closes is, are you ready for this? 12! That’s right, on average, 12 contacts are necessary on a qualified lead before you should expect the sale. Most salespeople give up on contact three or four. Are you giving up too soon? Are you asking the right questions throughout the sales process? Things that could be holding it up are:

• It takes time for the prospect to feel comfortable with you, your product/service and your organization.
• Prospect’s company internal decision process/budgetary issues/timing
• Prospect has other priorities (other “stuff”)
• Need to displace an incumbent or beat other competitors

Of the 12 contacts required, the average buyer requires seven quality contacts prior to a sale. These quality contacts should be:

• Face to Face or Phone Discussions
• Active email exchange

Keep the number 12 locked into your standard follow up processes!