One of the most rewarding conversations I have had in the past few weeks is one with a sales leadership team that is utilizing our Right Fit Lead® Prospecting Service, and doing incredible things with it for their brand regional and national sales organization. Nothing makes me happier as a business owner than when our products and services serve our customers in the way they were designed.

As a hotel sales outsource firm and business consultant, sometimes we have partners that forget that the answer to their challenge is not solved by just simply throwing money at it. In essence, paying for our Right Fit Lead program won’t magically generate revenue. This service is one piece (albeit a critical one) that builds a sales pipeline, but there is work to be done on the part of the internal sales team. With Right Fit Lead, I start every new program by sharing with our partners that the success of the program is only as good as their team’s follow-up, so it is critical that they have a system and process in place before we engage. This partner took that to heart and created a fantastic system of follow-through and accountability measures.

Let’s take a closer look at how they created a successful outcome.

There is not a specific magic number of how many attempts it takes to move a new prospect from “qualified” to “closed”, but we do have some basic metrics that we follow and share with our partners. It generally falls between 5-12 touch-points (not all phone calls and not all emails). This particular partner took that to heart and set a very specific metric for their sales team with strict accountability measures in place for each sales person to ensure those touch points are met before they can allow the lead to be determined to have “no opportunity.” The sales leadership embraced the idea that I preach, which is that no matter how great the sales person is at their job of closing business…they need structure and guidelines when they are also expected to nurture leads that are in the pipeline.

Let’s get to the bottom line!

As a result, they have converted 20% of the leads we delivered so far after just 2 weeks completing our deliverable, and have a 12x return on investment so far with consumed revenue. Keep in mind, that when I spoke to them just 1 month ago, they were at a little over 10% conversion and around 8x on the ROI. So the needle continues to move and will continue to move over the next several months. Over 50% of the original leads that were delivered are still “pending” meaning so much more opportunity!

One of the best stories this partner shared with me is that one of the opportunities we sent that was converted is a true testament to follow-through and being vigilant about the process. The sales manager was ready to give up on this account, and in fact it was the final attempt in their process they developed. The sales manager sent a “I’ll stop bugging you and you can call me when you’re ready yada yada yada.” Whammo…the client responded, signed a contract and is now one of the producing accounts generating revenue for the company!

Now, not every sales organization has the bandwidth for their team to manage a follow-up and lead nurturing program that this organization is undergoing. However, it’s critical to look at options of how you can structure through internal or outsourced solutions. Alternatively, the cost to reacquire those lost opportunities will come back to haunt you.

Is your team stuck with finding the right systems and structure to ensure accountability and success with follow-through? Are you unsure about where to start and what metrics to use? Are you finding that your sales pipeline is inconsistent and lacks results? I would be honored to assist you to find the best solutions that will foster results and inspire your sales team!

Amy Infante has been a hotel sales & marketing consultant for the past 9 years working with her clients to navigate the B2B buying process as it specifically relates to hotel sales team success. Amy has developed Plan B Consultants and Sales4Hire from her passion to provide solutions for business leaders and hotel owners that are tailor made to find top line revenue. Contact: Amy.infante@planbconsultants.com 312-636-7384