Are your follow-ups closing deals? Customize your lead assignment rules so your sales teams can work faster, stay motivated, and stay focused
You have plenty of leads on your hands and a solid team of sales reps to turn them into dollar signs. Perfect. But, are your lead assignment rules working? Keeping the level of opportunity fair for your sales staff is crucial. Plus, you need an organized workflow for follow-up and canvassing.
When it comes down to it, you have two major channels of leads: inbound and outbound. Your inbound leads are divvied up as they arrive; outbounds leads take a little more planning and strategy. There is always a way to keep your lead assignments fair and effective.
How technology influences your lead assignment rules for inbound and outbound follow-up
If you’re trying to refine your lead management, you need to use the right tools. Chances are, you already have a CRM to contain and distribute leads. That’s fantastic. However, not every CRM hits the nail on the head.
Watch out for these factors when choosing a CRM for the job:
- The software is more complicated than it needs to be. Many software companies keep adding features to their CRM tools that seem helpful, but really just bog down the process. Look for simplicity and ease of use.
- The price of the software cuts into your bottom line. Those numerous features also come with a hefty price tag. Depending on the size of your business, those expenses don’t add up well.
- The software is constantly changes how you use it. Those updates usually change, add, or replace certain features you’ve been using. It cuts into your time and messes with your workflow.
You want a CRM that’s simple and includes all the features you need at a competitive price.
3 lead assignment rules to make your inbound strategy more effective
1. Next batter up
The round robin strategy is probably one of the most simple ways to assign leads. You can picture it like a baseball roster—whoever is next to bat gets the lead. It keeps the workflow moving at a fast pace and clearly identifies where the lead should go with no confusion. However, there won’t be any room to manually send leads to sales reps who might have the best chance of closing.
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Keeping track of leads is an important aspect of every marketing strategy. Want to take your conversions to the next level? Schedule a free demo of our lead management software and turn leads into customers with less work!
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2. Up for grabs
The leads stay in the queue until a free sales rep snatches it up. That allows for your sales staff to work at their own pace (which should be relatively quick) and pushes everyone to work harder and grab more leads. However, you may find the slower reps growing frustrated over time, especially if they’re closing deals consistently.
3. Timed response for claims
The lead is assigned in a round-robin fashion, but if the sales rep doesn’t follow-up in the allotted time, it gets redirected to another team member. This puts a focus on quick responses, which is always a good practice for inbound leads. Salespeople want to hold on to their leads, so they’ll work faster to make it happen.
3 lead assignment rules for outbound strategy (can also be combined with inbound strategies)
1. Send your specialists
With outbound leads, sometimes it’s better to assign sales reps with specific knowledge of that industry and audience. Say, for instance, you have a product that is made for a wide array of industries. If you have a sales rep that knows the ins and outs of the target customer’s business, you’re in a better opportunity to close the deal.
2. Segmenting by customer personas
If you’ve established personas for your target customers, you could assign sales reps to those specific people. For instance, if your main client base is car dealerships, there are several types of positions and people you may talk to. Who are the decision makers in the industry? Talk with them. This strategy works best if you’re in B2B sales, rather than B2C.
3. Assignment by major accounts
If you have accounts with frequent sales development opportunities, you can simply assign your leads to whichever sales rep manages that account. The responsibilities are clear, and there’s an easy workflow to go by. You’ll also have the benefit of sales reps with specialization and focus on target groups.
Customize your lead assignment rules and streamline them in a CRM automation tool
Once you pick and choose what strategies best fit your sales team, implement that workflow in your CRM. Sales automation will streamline those efforts and allow you to focus on other important tasks. Just remember what to watch out for when purchasing a CRM tool—you want to gain the most ROI from each lead without your software costs eating up the revenue.
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Keeping track of leads is an important aspect of every marketing strategy. Want to take your conversions to the next level? Schedule a free demo of our lead management software and turn leads into customers with less work!
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Are there any other lead assignment rules your company follows? Let us know in the comments!