Buying leads from reputable lead providers is a great way to increase your conversion rate. You don’t need to worry about making cold calls to prospects who couldn’t care less about the goods or services you are selling, because the leads you buy are people who have asked to be contacted by a representative for more information.
Lead providers get their leads from a variety of sources. The two most common sources for leads are informational websites with opt-in forms that an interested prospect completes and telemarketing. Leads may also be obtained through email and direct mail campaigns.
For the best results in buying leads, consider several factors.
Lead Quality – How Fresh is the Lead?
Fresh leads are leads that are less than 48 hours old. In fact, many fresh leads are only a few minutes old. They are delivered in real time to your company via data transfer. This allows you to follow up immediately, often while the lead is still online.
The only drawback to fresh leads is that they tend to be more expensive. If your budget is limited, you may wish to buy a large quantity of “stale” or older leads and pursue them assertively.
Lead Volume – Filter Your Leads
Your company may be equipped to handle hundreds of leads in a week. Most companies, however, are not. You can cut down on lead volume without sacrificing lead quality by using filters to target the leads that are the best match for your products or services. For instance, if you are providing reverse mortgages, you might ask that all of the leads you receive be at least 62 years old or older, or that they have expressed explicit interest in a reverse mortgage.
Exclusive Versus Shared Leads
Exclusive leads are leads that the lead providers share with only one agent. They are much more expensive than shared leads, which are distributed to two or more agents. Buying exclusive leads doesn’t necessarily mean that the leads you’ll get will be totally exclusive, either. While the provider you’re dealing with may only pass lead information along to one agent, the prospect him- or herself may have signed up on line with more than one lead provider. Many sales agents feel it makes more sense economically to purchase shared leads and follow up with them as quickly as possible.
Have Lead Management Software in Place
It doesn’t matter how high the quality of your leads is if you don’t follow up with them in an appropriate manner. Lead management software guides sales agents through the follow up procedure, starting with an initial email and phone call. The software then reminds the agent to contact the lead periodically by phone, email, or direct mail to provide additional information about your services and follow up on any questions or concerns the lead may have.
About Bill Rice