Converting leads is a science and an art. There isn’t necessarily one silver bullet that will maximize your online leads.

Although sourcing, working, and converting internet leads can be complex, it doesn’t have to be an unwelcome challenge.

As you navigate consumer direct lead generation, we’ll help you tap into the evolving digital landscape that makes lead conversion not only attainable but also profitable. 

Let’s dig in to learn innovative strategies blended with practical solutions, the importance of aligning sales and marketing functions, and how to find success in generating and converting internet leads.

Run a successful direct-to-consumer business in even the most challenging markets by integrating strategic sales and marketing tactics.

With Kaleidico’s proven experience over the past two decades, through market ups and downs, we’re here to help your marketing team source and generate leads. 

But we don’t stop there. We also help your sales team convert leads by supporting your sales strategies and processes. 

How consumer direct lead generation and conversion has evolved and how that impacts sales and marketing

Consumers increasingly manage their lives—and their transactions—online. This is from simple grocery shopping to complex mortgage applications or even finding a lawyer or senior living community.

This rise in digital transactions has fueled demand for more lead conversion technologies and platforms that help businesses manage online consumer interactions.

That means that traditional lead generation and conversion strategies are becoming obsolete.

Although this may seem like a difficult challenge, it has improved how businesses reach leads and manage sales and marketing. 

Rather than serve only your local community, you can now do business from and with anyone in the world. Through an evolving digital landscape, that business is easier than ever to manage, if done correctly.

Digital lead management tools allow you to automate sales activities and more intelligently manage lead data to streamline how you reach and sell to leads.

As sales and marketing continue to evolve, only 35% of business experts say they use sales automation tools mainly to attract leads. 

However, those who have already adopted these tools see a 77% higher lead conversion rate than those who don’t.

Read more —Your Guide to Creating Mortgage Sales Automation: Time-Saving Tools You Need to Know

Roadmap for Sales Success Part 1: Maximize Internet Leads by Mastering Conversions

Align your sales and marketing for the best online lead conversion 

Online consumers come into your business from a wide range of channels and continue to engage with various marketing campaigns and outreach efforts.

It’s more important than ever to build strategies that coincide with both the marketing and sales teams.

Businesses that have sales and marketing alignment see 24% faster growth rates and 27% faster profit growth. 

Benefits of sales and marketing alignment

• More efficient and productive processes
• Smarter use of customer data
• Better team performance and morale
• Improved customer experience

As leads are generated or purchased by the marketing team, marketing needs to understand what will move leads through to become sales-qualified.

To measure lead qualification, build a shared definition of quality within your business. Set standards that help you define whether leads have the intent to make a purchase decision and gauge whether they will convert.

This requires setting thresholds for the following terms between the marketing and sales teams:

• Marketing Qualified Lead: An MQL is one the marketing team deems qualified based on criteria used to measure the quality of the lead’s engagement with marketing campaigns and channels. Once deemed an MQL, the lead is further engaged using targeted marketing efforts to continue building engagement. 
• Sales Qualified Lead: An SQL is one that the marketing and sales teams agree on, using criteria to measure how sales-ready the lead is. After becoming an MQL, a lead that shows clear signs of high sales intent indicates that the lead is ready to move further into the sales funnel as an SQL.

Not only does this flow need to work for your team but it also needs to work for the consumer.

Is the handoff from a marketing email to a sales text message smooth or confusing? Are you tracking engagements across both marketing and sales channels for the most accurate lead data? 

Dig deeper—High-Quality Lead Generation: How to Know Whether Your Leads are Sales Ready

How to make the most of your data and lead conversion technologies 

The best part about evolving sales and marketing strategies is that we can use lead conversion technologies like sales automation and data analytics to boost how we source (generate or buy) and work leads.

Maximize each communication channel without overwhelming the sales team. Intelligently pace the frequency of communications to build personalized relationships with each lead.

Omnichannel approach to optimizing sales and marketing

From marketing channels to direct sales touchpoints, use an omnichannel approach to reach leads and keep track of all channels through one central Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.

Within your CRM for lead management your business gains visibility into the sales process, which allows for better performance tracking, insightful analytics, and sales consistency—all of which contribute to spotting opportunities for improvement and maximizing lead conversions.

Consider how each channel below fits into your overall toolkit for working leads. 

Rather than feel overwhelmed by the amount of options you have, rely on evolving lead conversion technologies to streamline how your work leads.

Personalized sales touchpoints

The core sales channels you’ll work with to engage leads most effectively are text, phone, and email. 

See how each is best used in modern sales to keep up with evolving consumer behaviors and to get engagement results—while also protecting the sales team’s time and resources.

• Text: Easy for leads to respond quickly to, best for quick check-ins, can be conversational and short with multiple sent at a time (with proper client consent, of course)
• Phone/voicemail: Leads don’t often pick up the phone so plan to leave a concise voicemail. Best for personal connection and discussions, leads are more likely to answer when calls are scheduled ahead of time through text or email
• Email: Leads might not respond as quickly as text messages but likely faster than a voicemail, helpful for providing a range of information like next steps and processes, can be short or more detailed, and always include helpful links and contact information

Join our free webinar to learn exclusive sales best practices that maximize conversions.

Broder marketing channels

Outside of direct personal contact through text, phone, and email, your broader marketing channels serve as essential ways to show where your leads are and stay relevant.

Again it’s important for sales and marketing to align their efforts to optimize these channels for conversion.

• Social media: Not personalized but can target certain audiences, meet leads where they already scroll, show off social proof of happy customers, educate and inform your audience
• Email marketing: Somewhat personalizable and can segment audiences, show up in leads’ inboxes consistently, give leads incentives and clear paths for engagement, and share helpful information (news, videos, solutions, offers, informative assets, etc.)
• Website: The hub for all of your marketing channels and resources, makes it easy for leads to take the next steps and get in touch, includes relevant and essential information through its various elements and pages (landing pages, product pages, blogs, CTAs, etc.)
• Advertising: Digital ads allow for targeted campaigns that remind leads of your brand and offers, stay top of mind for leads by showing up when they browse online (in search results, social media channels, and other websites)

Run automation without annoying leads or overwhelming your sales team. Download our ebook and dig into our Prism Sales Sequence for more.

Roadmap for Sales Success Part 2: Actionable Sales Strategies That Actually Convert

The benefits of adopting consumer direct lead conversion strategies

As you engage leads, you’ll want to support the sales strategies you’ve invested in by meeting consumers where they are and then guiding them to conversions using an evolved toolkit and technologies.

This requires re-evaluating your current system and tools used for sourcing, engaging, qualifying, working, and engaging leads to ensure it is built to perform for your business.

Why you need updated lead management tools for lead conversion

Lead management tools allow for real-time lead collection, qualification, and distribution.

With these tools in place, you’ll overcome common challenges your competitors face and boost conversions, all while using a data-backed system.

Leads come from many different sources with wide-ranging needs. Your CRM system helps you make sense of all lead data. 

Properly account for every lead and move them down a clear path through your sales funnel by making the most of the latest lead conversion technologies.

Benefits of adopting these new strategies and tools

The benefits become clear as you dig into the importance of adopting consumer-direct lead generation strategies. 

Consumer direct lead generation and conversion strategies allow for the following:

• Better lead engagement through automated and streamlined personalization and segmentation with leads
• More clearly defined sales activities with data-backed lead prioritization
• Targeted and effective omnichannel lead nurturing that uses a strategic approach
• Various areas of automation, from sales to marketing streamline how you work and convert leads
• Data tracking and analytics to continuously assess and improve processes for the best sales outcomes

Read more — Stop Searching for Perfect Leads: Focus on Internet Lead Conversion Strategies for Leads You Already Generate and Buy

Tools you need to support sales and marketing in lead conversion

In many cases, businesses aren’t using the full capabilities of their current sales and marketing system.

Much like waiting for the elusive ideal lead, many businesses assume they need one perfect software solution to manage leads.

Instead, take a look at whether your current system has the capabilities to perform essential functions for managing online leads. 

This includes:

• Lead collection
• Lead qualification
• Lead distribution
• Journey mapping
• Automation
• Analytics
• Integrations

Leveraging these features helps you create consistency across your organization in how you sell to leads. 

If you don’t have these capabilities, explore solutions that do, whether it’s a new CRM system or other software that integrates with your current system.

Whether your CRM has these additional features built-in or you need to integrate with other tools, you can add marketing automation, analytics tools, omnichannel lead nurturing, and more to intelligently work and convert leads all within one strategic tech stack.

Not sure where to start? Check out the CRM systems we recommend

We recommend Shape Software because it’s a lead management system built for various industries to streamline how businesses capture, track, and convert leads. 

Shape Software uses lead distribution features, workflow automation, reporting, and analytics, and integrates with many third-party tools that enhance workflow.

Outside of Shape Software, many of our clients use Velocify, Salesforce, and Bonzo.

Kaleidico can help you decide what system is best or whether your current system has the capabilities you need. 

Read more—Assisted Living Community Sales Tips to Increase Occupancy: Turning Leads into Residents

Need help maximizing your online lead conversion strategies?

You’re already investing in leads but are you getting the most of your sales and marketing efforts to convert those leads?

With our practical solutions combined with innovative strategies, you can align sales and marketing teams and boost your overall success by generating and converting internet leads.

Kaleidico ensures you get true results with the leads we help you generate. 

We’ve done it for sales-driven businesses for the past two decades, through market ups and downs. That’s why we emphasize the importance of lead conversion, beyond lead generation.

Schedule a strategy and discovery session to see how we can help. 

Let’s build on what you have to evolve your consumer direct lead generation and conversion to ultimately grow the success of your business.

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