It’s not the number of sales leads you attract that matters most. It’s the quality of those leads. Unfortunately, many sales reps selling focus strictly on boosting their numbers. They assume that more leads will result in more sales. While the number of leads a company attracts can affect its sales, lead quality is a far more influential factor in sales success. This is why it’s important for sales reps to target and attract high-quality leads.
#1) Ask for More Information
Go beyond the basic “name” and “email” fields when creating your air compressor company’s lead submission form. You’ll obviously need this information from a prospect, but it’s perfectly fine to ask for additional information like the prospect’s company, budget, and what he or she is looking to buy. And by obtaining this information, you’ll foster higher-quality leads that drive sales success for your company.
#2) Use the Right Lead Acquisition Channels
Not all lead acquisition channels are equal. Some yield higher-quality leads than others. Therefore, you should use lead acquisition channels that are aligned with your air compressor company’s target audience. Think about who, specifically, buys your company’s products or services. Now, use lead acquisition channels that are frequently visited by these prospects. LinkedIn, for example, is a popular channel for rotary screw, reciprocating, oil less air compressor leads because it’s designed for business owners and professionals.
#3) Encourage Referrals
Statistics show that roughly 18% of leads in a typical air compressor manufacturer’s sales funnel consist of referrals. Regardless of which acquisition channels you use, ask prospects for referrals. It’s a simple, free way to attract high-quality leads. Most importantly, referrals open the door to new sales possibilities that would otherwise not have been possible.
#4) Don’t Incentivize
Offering an incentive, such as a percentage off, discounted parts, may sound like a good idea to attract more leads, but it comes at the cost of lower-quality leads. Prospects will be more likely to provide you with their contact information if they are given something for free in exchange. They don’t really care about buying your company’s products or services; they only want something for free. Because of this, it’s best to avoid incentivizing your company’s lead acquisition process.
#5) Use Targeted Marketing
Targeted marketing campaigns will attract higher-quality leads than traditional, non-targeted campaigns. What is a targeted marketing campaign exactly? The term “targeted” refers to marketing to a specific audience. Basically, you want to focus your company’s marketing strategy so that it reaches the users who are most likely to buy your products and services. With targeted marketing campaigns, you’ll attract high-quality leads who are easier to convert into customers than low-quality leads.
#6) Publish Customer Reviews and Testimonials
Include positive reviews and testimonials from past air compressor customers in your company’s lead generation form. If a customer had a positive experience, share his or her story on your lead generation form. According to one report, 92% of B2B buyers say they are more confident purchasing a product or service from a new company after reading a positive review from a past customer.
#7) Use a Lead Service that Focuses on the Air Compressor Industry
Using a lead service can be helpful to filling the sales funnel. When a lead service provides identified projects specifically targeted at facilities, it’s a match made in heaven. These types of identified projects allow sales reps to call on the key contact persons and begin discussing their business need.
#8) Score Leads
This won’t necessarily help you attract higher-quality leads, but it will give you a better understanding of which leads you should contact first. A lead scoring system, for example, allows you to rate the quality of your leads depending on their probability of making a purchase. With this information in hand, you can target the highest-scored leads first, giving you a greater chance of generating a sale.
#9) Use Offline Lead Acquisition Methods
Even with the internet, you can still use offline methods to attract high-quality leads for your company. If your company has a brick-and-mortar location, ask for leads in person. Depending on the size of your company and the amount of walk-in traffic it receives, this may yield dozens or hundreds of new leads each month.
#10) Split Test Different Lead Acquisition Creatives
Even if you have an effective lead acquisition creative — banner, advertisement, etc. — you should still split test other creatives to see what works best. This involves running at least two creatives at once and gathering data on their performance. If one creative outperforms the other, you should remove the under-performing creative and replace it with a new one. Doing so will help you create a more effective lead acquisition strategy that attracts higher-quality air compressor leads.