How to increase your sales conversion

Did you know that the number one challenge for marketing professionals is increasing sales conversion rates? Our recent research discovered this area as the most challenging and ff this point resonates with you, you’re in the right place.

In a nutshell, in order to boost your sales conversion you either need to increase lead volume, improve lead quality, or close deals more quickly. Ideally, a combination of all three. And in order to achieve the best results, you need solid insights on which to base your decisions.

So what steps should you be taking to help reach your sales conversion goals? Read on, where we’ll be expanding on each of the points mentioned above and offering some practical suggestions to help ensure you’re operating at maximum efficiency.

How to improve lead quality

Do you have Google Analytics (or similar) installed on your website? Does your marketing automation platform have campaign tracking enabled? Does it even have this capability? While this may sound like a no-brainer, it’s a common oversight. 

‘Campaign tracking’ refers to a series of parameters that are added to a link that is directed to a website. These parameters are then associated with any visitor who clicks the link, allowing the site to track user behaviour.

Ideally the platform will have automatic lead tracking enabled, but if it doesn’t, try adding a “How did you hear” field onto your data capture. If this isn’t possible, you could ask those who buy directly and assign the campaign in your CRM software.

Confused? Download our Terminology Guide

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 your campaigns are tracking through to sale, you will start to learn which channels and campaigns drive the best leads. This means you can invest more time and / or money on the channels which work, and spend less time on leads which don’t convert.

Understanding when leads are ready to buy

Having an understanding into how your leads interact with all your digital touchpoints provides you with insights into the customer journey and buying behaviour.

Automation platforms have ‘Lead Scoring’ functionality, which allocates points to the data that is most significant to your organisation.

So, if a lead visits your pricing page, or opens the email you sent with your proposal, their overall score may increase. Similarly, if a lead demonstrates behaviour which unqualifies them, such as an email bounce, points may be deducted. This data helps you and your sales team understand which leads are hot and ready to buy. 

 If you don’t have lead scoring capabilities, you can use other insights and indicators, such as site visits, form fills or email opening, to help dictate the timing of your sales calls.

How to save time with leads who aren’t ready to buy

Using automation to ‘continue a conversation’ with customers before they are ready to buy (even though you aren’t technically speaking to them) can be immensely useful.

Answering the early-stage questions to educate, and later on down the line to inform sales communications, can save valuable time. The key to efficient workflows is knowing when to engage directly with human interaction.

How to optimise your pipeline

 Can you see your sales conversion by pipeline stage? Being able to drill-down by value or even sales person helps you develop an understanding of where potential problems lie. 

If you use automation at the top of your funnel and there is a big drop in conversion, you may need to bring the human touch in earlier, or perhaps improve your workflow messaging. 

Nail these areas, and we guarantee you’ll see a boost in sales conversion. If every stage of your customer journey is captured and you have sales conversion transparency, you’ll be equipped with the know-how when it comes to allocating budget for future marketing campaigns.

 What are your specific challenges? Email hello@brightdials.com, and we’ll send you a personalised video addressing your CRM and automation pain points.