Big Data Can Help Get The Best Leads To The Sales Team

December 24, 2013

One way to improve sales effectiveness is to start at the beginning – improve the leads. While lead generation has benefited from many new technologies, determining the quality of leads is often left up to the salesperson. According to 1to1 Media, predictive analytics hold the key to better lead nurturing.

Through use of big data analytics companies can determine where potential leads might be in the sales funnel and how likely they are to convert. Arming salespeople with the results of this data can allow them to make more informed decisions when determining how to approach a lead.

This can also help determine where sales resources should best be spent and what prospects are worth the most time. It can also help marketers or inbound sales staff convince salespeople to approach a fresh lead quickly.

Conversation rates are highest when leads are new
According to the Harvard Business Review, many firms wait too long to contact leads. The chance of converting a new lead drops significantly after 24 hours, but there is no way to contact every fresh lead within one day. With the proper data analytics, companies can determine which fresh leads are worth immediately contacting and which will likely run cold anyway. 

Sales advisors need to make sure that their team understands the importance of the information being gathered and how it can provide them with higher quality leads. If salespeople are slow to come around at first, they will certainly appreciate the additional insight that predictive analytics provide. Selling to a customer that is eager and likely to buy is always easier than trying push a weak lead into the sales funnel.