“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.”
– John F. Kennedy, 35th president of the United States of America
If you're a sales representative, you know that growing your sales pipeline is essential for hitting those ever-important targets. While broad organizational strategies have their place, this article focuses on what you, as an individual rep, can do right now to get more leads into your pipeline. Here are five actionable techniques:
1. Hyper-Personalized Cold Outreach
In today's saturated market, generic emails won't cut it. If you're reaching out to a potential lead, ensure that you've done your homework. Dive into their LinkedIn profile, company news, or any project they've been a part of recently. Mention these specifics in your initial outreach to show you've done more than just scrape their email address from a list.
🔑 Key Takeaway: Take 15 minutes to research a prospect before reaching out. This can significantly increase your response rate and make a memorable first impression.
2. Leverage Social Selling
You can take a more passive approach to pipeline growth by building up your professional brand on social media platforms like LinkedIn. Share insights, write articles, comment on industry trends, and engage with other professionals in meaningful ways. This activity often draws people to your profile, offering an organic way to initiate conversations that can lead to opportunities.
🔑 Key Takeaway: Use social media as a platform to demonstrate your expertise and attract potential leads, rather than just a place to post company updates.
3. Referral Partnerships
While your organization might have formal referral agreements in place, there's nothing stopping you from creating your own mini-partnerships. Find professionals in complementary industries and agree to refer potential clients to each other. A word-of-mouth recommendation from a trusted source can often be more powerful than any marketing material.
🔑 Key Takeaway: Build a network of professionals who can send referrals your way. Return the favor for mutually beneficial relationships.
4. Create Bite-Sized Value Content
If you have valuable insights or tips that could benefit your target audience, create small bite-sized content and offer it for free. This could be a one-pager on industry best practices, a short video demonstrating a technique, or even a simple checklist. Offer this in exchange for their contact information and permission to reach out.
🔑 Key Takeaway: Offering free, valuable content can entice leads to willingly enter your pipeline. Make sure to follow up promptly with further value.
5. Use Video Follow-Ups
The days of text-only follow-up emails are over. Instead of sending another easily ignored text email after an initial call or meeting, create a personalized video summary. Thank them for their time, recap what you discussed, and outline the next steps. Videos are far more engaging and add a personal touch that text simply can’t capture.
🔑 Key Takeaway: Use personalized video messages to stand out in crowded inboxes and add a personal touch to your follow-ups.
Implementing even one of these techniques can have a significant impact on the health of your sales pipeline. These methods prioritize personal connections and value delivery, ensuring not just a larger pipeline, but a higher quality one. Happy selling!