Don’t discount the quality and potential of your inbound online leads! When you interact with content online, you’re still the same person you are in real life. The properties of your identity and core values don’t change, so why should your prospects be any different?

Online leads are maybe even more qualified than leads you find in person because they’ve already consumed your content and are primed to be sold to. Even though these seem like perfect prospects, you can still make a deal-breaking mistake. Here are the ten mistakes we see most often with online leads:

1. URGENCY

   If you’re not giving the same urgency to your online leads as you are your in-person leads. There is a variety of applications out there that will notify you immediately when you get a lead online, and the best way to make use of them is to contact them right away. Whether it’s day or night, every day of the week!

2. Have a plan

   Having a follow-up plan is essential to convert your leads to paying customers. By having a follow-up plan you can easily keep in contact with your lead, and as a reminder, you need to follow up at least four to six times before a prospect buys. 

   By sticking to your plan, you can identify where the prospect is in their buying process. Confidence and consistency will give you results. 

3. Never make assumptions

   Online leads are already warm, you don’t need to treat them like their cold leads, but also don’t make assumptions about what they do or do not know. You have to use a line of inquiry to discover what they do know and what they need to know to make a purchase. Your prospects will appreciate the interest you put into discovering who they are and what they need.

4. You’re not being transparent 

   Hiding information like the price or terms will make you look distrustful in your client's eyes. Your prospect has already consumed HOURS of information, they’re coming to you to clarify the knowledge they already have. 

   Show your prospect EVERYTHING! Use your follow-up plan to find where they are in the buying process and give them the information they need to make a purchase. There is nothing for you to hide if you sell a high-value product! 

5. SELL, SELL, SELL!

   Regardless of how ready the prospect may seem to buy, no matter how much information they already have, you still need to SELL. Give them the low-down on the features and benefits of your offering. Your job is to give your prospect peace of mind when it comes to them spending their hard-earned dollars. 

6. Get in front of the decision maker

   The prospect might not always be the decision maker in the deal, so if you assume that they are, you’ll be wasting your time. Use your follow-up plan to discover the decision maker, and make sure to get in touch with them. If they aren’t the decision maker, the likelihood that they’re a part of the buying process is high. If you don’t get to the decision maker, you can’t close the deal which means you won’t make the sale. 

7. Be omnipresent 

   If you're exclusively using one medium to get in contact with your prospects, I’d suggest that you attack from all fronts. Use SMS, emails, and calls to chase these leads and get in front of them. Every prospect will appreciate being communicated with in different ways, so if you only text a client that prefers calls you’ll never get anywhere with them. 

8. Don’t give up

   One BIG mistake salespeople make is giving up on a lead too soon. In order to make the sale you have to have consistency, persistence, and a variety of approaches. Some deals take time, but you should never be forgotten by your prospect. 

9. A good lead with the wrong offer

   Use qualifying questions to discover if the prospect really is the best fit for the offering they're interested in. The prospect has done their research and thought about this a lot but you as the salesperson know best. Will this offer really provide them with what they want and need?

   You need to offer choices and ask qualifying questions or you risk walking away without closing the deal.

10. You don’t do your research

    Get familiar with your prospects through a quick and easy online search. By doing a quick search you can discover if they’re the decision maker, what their needs actually are, and how to close the deal. This is about building a relationship with the prospect and creating trust. 

So are you ready to fix your mistakes, increase your sales, and dominate the closing game? Follow the tips given in this blog and you’ll become the salesperson of the year!