4 tips to overcome common barriers and grow your pipeline
A robust pipeline is always important, but it takes on even greater importance now in an era of uncertainty, where sales decisions will undoubtedly face delays. One of the first ways that sales members traditionally meet and connect with prospects is through a virtual or face-to-face meeting. It’s such an established practice that we often overlook how complicated the process is. From picking a time that works for everyone, to sending invites and then following up, the act of scheduling a meeting takes up a lot of time. But that’s not the only roadblock that exists in the process of turning prospective clients into customers.
Here are the most common challenges that all sales professionals face, and tips on how to overcome those barriers to grow your pipeline.
Convert Web Traffic Faster with Carefully Designed CTAs
Once marketing gets the inbound engine running, take full advantage of the momentum. When a prospect comes to your site and indicates that they want to learn more, it’s critical to respond immediately. However, everything from lag time in CRM systems to understaffed teams have contributed to poor response time in the B2B world. Buyers report extreme frustration with the process.
To close the gap and expedite the engagement process, replace your traditional “Request a Demo” or “Contact Us” forms with a “Click-to-Schedule” button.
Instead of waiting for the assigned sales rep or BDR to follow-up, interested buyers are immediately directed to the appropriate calendar where they can see when the team member is available and select a time that works best for them.
Engageware’s research has shown that sales teams are able to schedule four times as many meetings when the call-to-action in marketing and outbound prospecting efforts was a Click-to-Schedule link as opposed to a static Contact Us form. Even more importantly, those meetings led to a nearly five-fold increase in new opportunities added to the pipeline.
Demonstrate Your Customer-Centric Commitment Before the First Meeting
Today’s savvy decision makers have plenty of options and their expectations for personalized service is higher than ever. They’ve also done their research and are typically more than halfway through the buying process before engaging with your (or your competitor’s) sales team. As they’ve come to expect white glove service from everyone from Amazon to B2B vendors, this is the time for your team to shine.
In addition to letting them take the driver’s seat when it comes to scheduling, you can also demonstrate your commitment by showing up to meetings prepared, knowing what they need from a vendor and understanding key factors to their decision making.
Providing a personalized experience from the very first interaction makes customers and prospects feel more empowered. And brands that deliver exceptional service also reap the rewards of loyal customers who spend more over their lifetime.
Connect with Buyers Faster with Intelligent Online Scheduling
On average, sales professionals need to make 18 calls to connect with a buyer. But that’s just the start of the process because 80% of sales require 5 or more follow-ups after the first meeting to close the deal.
Dramatically cut the time and effort required to do your job and get in touch with decision makers more quickly using intelligent scheduling. While you focus on tasks that require skill and knowledge, like getting presentations together or doing discovery projects, lean on automated scheduling to automate administrative work. Intelligent scheduling works behind the scenes to connect your buyers with all the right people on your team and will even help ensure that everyone is prepared with the right materials at the right time.
Reduce Appointment No-Shows
No one likes to get stood up for a meeting. The same ease of use that makes it quick to connect with potential buyers in the first place, also makes it easy for them to control appointment setting. By sending out custom text or email reminders with a link to the calendar, it’s easy for them to reschedule if needed. And because they’ll only see the times that you or the whole team are all available, rescheduling is done in a flash without a time-consuming back and forth.
In fact, Engageware customers report a 40% increase in meeting attendance after switching to intelligent online appointment scheduling.