Getting a highly qualified opportunity is hard but losing one can be easier than you think.
At the Launchpad, we focus on the hard part, so our clients win and win big.
As innovators in the space for well over a decade now, we’ve learned a lot on what works and what doesn’t. We hear tons of feedback from our IT community and lately, there has been a trend that speaks to a gap where sales reps are losing very engaged buyers, resulting in the potential loss of revenue. The reality is, a few very simple changes to a reps approach can drastically change the experience and keep them on the prospects short list.
Our partnerships are built on success so here are a five core guidelines that we know will help elevate your sales team’s engagement strategy. Not implementing these best practices will result in losing leads and revenue.
Prepare
We provide a fully detailed lead sheet to help you close the deal. Please read it thoroughly and prepare yourself. Because here is the deal: our job at The Launchpad is to find a technology partner who is a match to the IT customer’s needs. If you drop the ball with that customer, they are still in buying mode and will ask us to find another match.
Study up on the material provided and show up to the call ready to win!
Focus on the Buyer’s Actual Needs
To successfully engage and win the trust of your prospective customers, make sure you understand the IT leader’s challenges and meet them where they are. Ensure your pitch is solution-oriented and focused around the IT buyers’ needs.
Sell different products when the time is right. Land and expand. Land with the lead we’ve sent you – this is focused specifically on the IT buyer’s needs. That’s what they need and plan to purchase. Win that customer on their current needs and you’ll have the opportunity to expand and service other needs later.
Stop trying to “sell.” Just focus on connecting and solving their pain. If your offering can solve their problem or alleviate their pain, just share with them how.
If it can’t directly address their current pains, then continue to open up the dialog to determine ways your organization or product can help move them forward as part of a larger, overarching strategy.
In other words, read and stick to the lead sheet we provide, and you will be fine.
Review Quickly and Assign Your Resources
Review the lead notes within 48 hours of receiving the lead and accept or decline as soon as possible. If you accept the lead, do your best to assign a partner or sales rep right away. If you review the lead, decide it’s not a fit and decline it, please do so immediately. Accepting or declining the lead is a benefit that’s rare in the lead generation space, however we’re happy to do it to make the best matches between IT providers and IT buyers. We just ask that you make this decision as soon as possible to provide us time to find another partner who can service the customer and give them enough lead time to respond.
Show Up
Just show up. The appointment has been set. The calendar invite has been sent to both you and your prospect. The lead sheet has been sent to you. We ensure plenty of lead time before the appointment. You have 48 hours to decline the appointment when you receive it, if you feel it is not a fit. All of the heavy lifting has been done. We just need you to show up for the appointment. Prepared, of course.
Follow Up
First, be very clear before the end of that first appointment call on what next steps are. Send an email recap to the customer to put next steps in writing. Make sure every stakeholder is crystal clear on what the next steps are and who owns them.
Then, simply keep your commitment to follow up and complete next steps.
Bottom Line
To find success with leads from The Launchpad, simply follow the best practices outlined below:
Read the lead sheet when it is first sent over. Review the details and make sure it’s a fit. If it is, accept the lead. If it isn’t, make sure you let us know within 48 hours. It’s helpful if you tell us why it’s not a fit so we get better at matchmaking in the future for you.
Read the lead sheet and prepare for the call. Lots of detail from the original conversation with a Launchpad Account Manager are provided so review in detail.
Show up for the call on time and prepared. Make sure you focus the conversation on the customer’s needs, pains and challenges. Make sure you position your product or service as a solution to those particular pains, challenges and needs.
Firm up next steps. At the end of the first appointment with your prospect, firm up next steps and follow that up with an email detailing next steps to all stakeholders. Then follow through on your commitment.
For more information on what you can be doing, watch this video.
