Written by Francis Rodino, founder of Lead Hero
Did you know the number one challenge faced by field service businesses is unconverted leads?
In 2021, there are three key steps you can take to increase the percentage of converting leads. Firstly, it's important to promptly contact prospects regarding their inquiry (within 10 minutes). Next, you should ensure that you follow up with leads between five and seven times and lastly, communicate with them on the channel of their choice (usually SMS).
However, this is easier said than done. With leads coming from so many different sources - Google My Business, Email, Facebook, PPC, website, and more - keeping up with these best practices is challenging unless you have software to support you.
Unfortunately, most businesses don’t have a comprehensive system in place. They duct-tape software together and pay a heap of monthly license fees and even try to get software to do what it wasn’t made to do.
But it doesn’t have to be that hard. An automated lead management system that can link seamlessly to job management software can help you manage leads with ease and confidence. Keep reading to discover the three secrets to tripling your sales conversions, maximising profit and automating a winning business.
Step 1 - Implement a central sales dashboard for all your lead sources so you never miss an opportunity
You can’t improve what can’t be tracked. So, if you don’t know the precise value of your leads and individual sources, how can you possibly know where to invest in growing your field business?
That’s why you need a sales and lead management system that works with your job management software like Simpro. Sitting at the front end of your business, a sales and lead management tool acts like a ‘front door’ to your business operations. This ensures you don’t ‘muddy’ your job management platform with people who are not yet ready to buy.
Your sales pipeline should be configured stage by stage, and you should be able to track exactly where every customer is in your sales process. Further, attribution for every lead source should be clear so you can see which lead generation methods are giving you the best ROI.
So if you’re serious about growing a field service business that runs itself, you need to ditch the paper and spreadsheets and implement a lead management software. It will help you track ROI; see where every lead is coming from; see the value of every lead with their conversion rates; and, most importantly, give you the control you need to make smart decisions in your business.
Step 2 - centralize conversations from every lead source in one place
Think about your current system. Is it allowing you to efficiently manage and track conversations with leads?
Or, are your conversations scattered over different devices, channels, paper, or even in your head?
One of the big problems field service businesses face is leads coming in from different sources. Quite simply, more lead sources make it harder and more frustrating to keep track of conversations and remember what was said.
However, you can’t improve what you can’t measure!
So what’s the solution? A centralized, seamless system that enables you to see all your conversations, from Facebook, email, SMS, and phone, in one place. A system that you can use to look back at call recordings and see how you can improve your ability to close the sale.
This is the new way, the way that will give you greater control and free up your time so you can have better conversations with the right customers.
Step 3 - Implement a ‘speed-to-lead’ automated follow-up and nurture system
Did you know that 35-50% of customers buy from the first business that calls them? And that there are also huge revenue opportunities with leads not yet ready to buy?
In fact, only 3% of your market is ready to buy, so you also need to consider how you are engaging with the other 97%.
As you can see, selling only to customers who are ready to buy means missing countless opportunities to make sales in the future, build your reputation, stay front-of-mind with your customers and build your brand in your local market.
So, in terms of lead management software, you need to look for one that not only speeds up your follow-up time to convert buyers now. But, you also need software that can help you nurture opportunities for the future.
Using an automated customer relationship management system to follow up with leads, daily, weekly and monthly, will mean that leads will reach you when they are ready to buy.
If you’re looking to grow your business sustainably long term, a lead management system could be the perfect solution. When you’re looking for a lead management system, remember to choose software that will provide you with a central sales dashboard for all leads, no matter where they come from. Also ensure the software helps you store conversations with leads in one location, and provides you with quick options to follow up leads as well as nurture those that aren’t yet ready to buy.
Want to learn more about lead management? Contact Lead Hero today.
Are you already a Simpro customer looking for a lead management system to make your business even more efficient? Seamlessly integrate Lead Hero with Simpro via Zapier or the Data Feed Add-On, at an additional cost.
