Contact management is a basic tenet of every lead generation process. A lot has been written about lead generation strategies and approach. However, the fundamentals need more emphasis.

Let us understand this better. You get a contact list. You start calling. You start with some hot leads and a lot of cold ones. And work hard on converting the cold ones to hot. For most small to medium businesses, this is where they look for a quick fix to start getting sales. There is a fix and it is called “contact management”.

1. Start with a system: Everyone starts with one. Only that the system could range from a diary, a list of printed contacts, a spreadsheet with several columns of details to client management software, etc. Stop and assess whether it is a sustainable system that will grow as your sales grow. Will it be robust enough to show the way forward to your sales and marketing teams?
2. Turn your contacts into buyer personas: Is it enough to have the phone number, email id, designation, company name and such details for every contact? Ask the sales guy who will get in touch with the contact. We are sure the answer would be a big YES. Knowing every contact as a buyer persona helps him communicate better.A buyer persona is an outline of the ideal customer based on detailed research about your existing customers & market. This outline includes behaviours, goals, problems, needs, aspirations and motivation. With well-defined buyer personas, it becomes easier for the marketing team to create the right marketing content for your leads.
3. Record every transaction: Does your contact management system allow you to document every transaction? What did the sales guy say and how did the contact respond? How many transactions resulted in a desired movement? The more the contact travels down the sales funnel, the likelier he is to become a solid lead. Instead of just measuring closed deals, it would be really profitable to also measure these contact journeys.Often, the contact management system does not accommodate sales force turnover, attrition and absence of staff. Record every transaction to ensure that the contact has a seamless experience, no matter who interacts with the contact. Add reminders, notifications & status updates so that nothing falls through the cracks.
4. Draw insights: Do your sales meetings address what needs to be achieved instead of how? Your contact management system can help you with it. If it points towards what is working and what is not. Documenting every transaction but with an option to extract insights will empower your sales team to analyse themselves.
5. Collaborate: The sales and marketing teams strive for a common end. However, if they could work with each other whenever needed, it would end the famous sales & marketing war. If they could collaborate in the context of specific transactions and challenges, it would help beat the exhaustion that most sales teams face. The client management software can empower the team members to collaborate towards overall business goals and better results.