How to organize and track your sales leads in listed steps

Leads, customers and prospects are important stages within your business cycle. When you track properly, business results become more apparent. In addition, properly tracked leads reflect how much better a seller is doing their job and how to improve their sales process for better results.

 

Leads must be organized by source, level of interest, and other prioritized metrics. Organizing leads by these categories allows you to track and manage deals in your pipeline. While it is possible to set up and track leads with a spreadsheet or other tool, using customer relationship management (CRM) software is by far the best way to organize and track leads.

 

Archiz CRM is an example of a trusted CRM that allows you to consolidate leads, activities, and contact details using a single application. Prioritizing leads allows you to spend time on those who are most likely to close. CRM Software Essential makes it easy by focusing on small business needs. You can also start a free trial today to start organizing your lead management.

 

Below are seven steps you can take to organize and track effectively:

 

1. Determine and define your lead sources

One of the most important things you can do in your lead tracking efforts is track where your leads are coming from. Knowing the origin of your leads allows you to make the most of your marketing budget.

 

You can track leads by setting up a marketing source code system, in which codes are assigned to different types of leads so that you can identify where they came from. Gathering this information allows you to create tracking reports so that you can measure lead generation performance.

 

Here are some ideas for using marketing source code to track your lead sources:

 

Set up a simple naming convention: It is important to set up a simple yet descriptive naming convention that allows you to quickly identify the source of the lead so that you do not waste time in knowing what happens to which code is.

 

Consider using discounts and promo codes: 

If your target audience is motivated by discounts and special promotions, these codes will tell you if they are receiving discounts or promotions through an advertisement or other content.

 

Consider using web forms with embedded code: Many web forms and landing pages come with embedded code; The advantage here is that many lead tracking tools allow importing with the code or source associated with the lead.

 

Marketing source codes can help you isolate and track how well some major generation channels are performing. The ability to track the source of your best performing leads is important to determine where to invest your marketing, advertising, or prospecting dollars. It is also beneficial to isolate specific groups to check and track targeted marketing messages.

 

2. Evaluate and select lead tracking options

The first step to organize your leads is to choose the software you will use. The earlier you can implement Sales tracking software such as CRM, the better.

 

To evaluate software options, consider the following questions:

 

1. How much time can I give to mainly enter lead data? All entrepreneurs are busy, giving time to your most precious resource. Decide whether you or your sales team is ready to manually enter sales lead data.
2. How much time do I need to learn to use lead management software? Be honest about the amount of time you or your sales team would like to spend learning to use lead tracking software.
3. Do I expect my lead generation activities to grow slowly or quickly? Spreadsheets can be unbearable if your lead generation activities stop and you suddenly have large amounts of data to manage.

 

Here are some lead tracking options, along with their benefits and drawbacks:

 

Lead tracking CRM

There are hundreds of lead generation platforms on the market, ranging from general-purpose to industry-specific to task-focused. Some CRM Software emphasize lead tracking and managing deals through the pipeline. For an in-depth look at the best lead management software options, see our article on the six best sales management CRM.

 

Spreadsheets

While spreadsheets are not the best option, many small businesses use them to organize and track leads. Using spreadsheets is a viable option in the short term or when you shop for CRM.

If you know how to use Microsoft Excel or Google Sheet, it is quite easy to set up a tracking system using either of these tools. In fact, we have written an article about using Google Sheets as CRM. Since spreadsheets require tedious manual data entry, use this method with caution.

 

3. Set up your system and test it

Once you’ve selected your lead tracking and organization tools and you’ve created a method for tracking lead sources, it’s time to create and test your CRM strategy. Whether you use any tool, be it spreadsheet, CRM, or email system, it needs to be set properly. Once your system is properly set up to receive data and set up your leads at home, you can start tracking them.

 

4. Roll Out Your Lead Tracking System

Once you set up your system and test it, roll out your lead tracking system to a larger group. To ensure a successful rollout, generate some excitement around your new tool. Provide adequate training and make it mandatory for your team to use the system. On your lead tracking system it is important for the employee to get a return on investment (ROI).

 

5. Input and Assignment Leads

Now is the time to input and hand them over to the appropriate team members. Leads can be entered into lead tracking systems in various ways. Salespeople can enter leads manually or they can be imported from other software tools or spreadsheets. After leads are recorded, assign them to the right people so that they can nurture and shut them down. Spreadsheets require manual assignment while sales management Software will use automation.

 

6. Nurture Your Leadership and Track Activities

Lead nurturing is the most important component of business-to-business (B2B) or complex business-to-consumer (B2C) sales. Nutrition leads are a group of activities that turn cold prospects into loyal customers. In addition to tracking leads based on deal size, your team is leading record activities such as meetings and email conversations to ensure. Staying on top of these tasks helps deals move faster through the pipeline.

 

7. Prioritize Your Leads

With enough lead nurturing and tracking, you will eventually have enough information to prioritize leads. It is important to follow the lead priority and stay on top of the lead. There is a saying in sales: “Time kills all deals.” Statistically, the probability of closing a transaction is reduced which leads Salesplus to contact.