HubSpot is one of the leading CRM solutions on the market today. It’s largely preferred by entrepreneurs and SMBs because it has so much available for free, compared to similar products that have high monthly subscription rates for the same features. HubSpot does have upgrades available and paid solutions for those who want something more, but you don’t have to pay if you don’t need to.
For those who use HubSpot, one of the biggest selling points is that it has a lot of its own apps and integrations in the prospecting arena, and the site even offers its own article on tips to succeed with sales prospecting that businesses can use to learn more.
Sales prospecting is a much more modernized version of its former self—reaching out to potential leads (and finding those leads) by utilizing technology and other resources that are available. Prospecting is how you can ensure that every lead you speak to fits your target customer, or at least could offer something that they can benefit from. Ultimately, prospecting will help you streamline your sales pipeline and ensure that your lead generation goes off without a hitch.
This is all about initiating new business and developing relationships with potential clients and buyers. The goal is to have leads that will move more decidedly through the pipeline and become revenue-generating visitors. 82% of all buyers will accept a meeting from a salesperson when they reach out first—that’s why you need to use prospecting to your advantage.
A lead is a potential interest—it’s a consumer that has expressed interest in one way or another about your business. This is done by visiting the website, signing up for free trials, or subscribing to the blog, for example. Leads can come from several places and there are plenty of them that come to a dead-end before you even get started.
Qualified leads, or ones that have already been proven to have a genuine interest, become prospects. Prospects can even be classified as potential customers if they have previously not been a lead or had interaction with your company.
It can all be a bit tricky to keep track of, but the bottom line is that in the linear view of the sales process, a prospect is what a lead becomes once it is qualified.
Although this will be like anything and every business will have its own goals and agendas, there are some tips and best practices that can ensure that you are on the right track with prospecting, no matter what business you’re in.
Speaking of the available tools, there are several different solutions that you can combine with the HubSpot platform to get everything that you want out of your online prospecting and lead generation. Some are made by HubSpot as extensions or additions to the CRM platform they offer. Others are third-party solutions. All of them offer plenty of assistance to ensure that your prospecting is streamlined, organized, and working for the best interests of your bottom line.
Sales Hub allows you to keep track of all of your deals, potential deals, meetings, and other details of marketing and making deals. You can even set dates, mark items to share, schedule emails to engage prospects, and so forth. Plus, you can see that prospects are viewing emails and use that information to help you make more appointments and convert more leads.
This is a great place to manage and monitor your prospects. It’s built into the HubSpot platform and will allow you to track everything in real-time. You can customize notifications, create custom filters, and even set up regular email notifications to ensure that everyone is kept in the loop. It will be easier to determine which users are most likely to engage so that you can get the best leads, too.
Hunter is an email lookup solution that makes it easy to find lists of people or certain email addresses in your huge database. Hunter also automates cold email campaigns and can be synced with your Gmail account to deliver the communication solutions you need. You can also search for emails by author, domain, departments, name, and more.
SalesHandy automates lead nurturing sequences to help with email marketing and ensure that follow-up happens even if you forget. The automatic follow-up saves you a lot of forgetting and it even helps people remember they were waiting to hear from you. You can see what emails were opened, how many were sent, and other details to gauge interest and move leads along.
When you partner with the dedicated virtual receptionists at Smith.ai, you’ll be giving your business access to the best possible solutions for inbound and outbound sales and support, along with 24/7 live chat solutions, after-hours phone answering, lead intake and qualification, and even appointment scheduling, follow-up, and so much more.
Plus, we’ll create a strategy to manage all of it, integrate with HubSpot and your other tools, and make sure that your business never misses a beat. Plus, we can handle your outreach campaigns so all your leads are reached. That way, you can keep your attention focused on your business.
To learn more, schedule a consultation to discuss what the 24/7 virtual receptionists at Smith.ai can do for your business. You’ll also find us at hello@smith.ai or (650) 727-6484.