How to handle a lead

Woho - the time has come, and your first lead has arrived your inbox! 🥳 Handling a lead effectively is crucial in the journey of converting potential customers into loyal users of your company. From the moment a lead is created to its closure in your system, there are several key steps to consider, and we will walk through them all in this guide, including how to process them into our system.

A new lead is notified either through e-mail or SMS, depending on your settings in our portal. You do also have the option to turn off notifications completely: however, this might be a risky chance to take. Email notifications are included in your plan, and for our Professional users, SMS notifications is free of charge. Other plans (Small/Medium) has a small surcharge for these.

You can see your recent delivery stats from the front page. This panel will show the current stats for today, retroactive (historical) stats for the last week, and an overview for leads delivered year-to-date. You do also have the opportunity to see leads delivered for previous year (however, only if you were a customer for these years as well). Hover the question marks for detailed information.

Handle leads within Obsleads

1. Go to View Leads in the upper navigation bar.
2. A list of all delivered leads will be available. You can see the status of each lead in the right hand section. Click the lead you want to display.
3. From here, you will have a complete overview of your current lead.
4. When the lead is completed, press the "Update lead status" button on the top and select the current state (f.ex Closed & deal won). Press save. Your lead is complete!

Lead information

• Segment: Which segment the customer is placed within. Might be Private or Consumer, meaning which target the product is going to be used within.
• Requirements: What the customer actually needs from you. Don't be afraid to use this as a basis and do upselling/cross-selling to enhance your solution & drive extra revenue.
• Additional information: If the customer has any additional information, and/or special requirements except for the ones provided in the Requirements section, this will appear in the Additional information field. However, this field won't be displayed if there is no data.

Customer contact history

This is a very simple functionality for you to keep track of your contact with the customer. Currently, we are not supporting data export for the contact history, however this might change in the future.

1. Click the Add event button to add an event to the history.
2. A modal will be displayed. Date and time is set to the current one, and cannot be modified.
3. Select the main event that has occurred (f.ex Customer called with no answer).
4. If you have any additional information, you could write it down in the additional data field.
5. Press "Add event" to log the data in the lead database.

Lead history

Lead history is just a simple overview of all the events happened for the lead. This is only for informational purposes and cannot be changed or modified. From here, you can see any actions for the lead, including customer contact with Obsidione (f.ex if they email us with a complaint).

Lead details

A simple overview of all the data registered, including the origin of the customer and their IP address for verification purposes. You are also able to see the lead price. Press the right arrow to see any details for the pricing, including specifications for your upcoming invoice as well.

Customer details

In the customer details section, you will have a complete overview of the customers personal information. Use this to reach out to the customer, or save it to your own CRM system.

Keyboard shortcuts

To ensure you quickly could change the states within the lead, we have implemented keyboard shortcuts for both Windows and Mac users. Use the following shortcuts to process your lead faster:

• Shift+E (CMD+Shift+E) Add a new lead event
• Shift+S (CMD+Shift+S) Change lead status
• Shift+R (CMD+Shift+R) Open a new lead claim
• Shift+D (CMD+Shift+D) Dial the customer directly from your system
• Shift+M (CMD+Shift+D) Send a e-mail to the customer

These shortcuts is only working for open leads. Shortcuts is not eligible for closed leads.

Lead complaints

Sometimes, it happens that there is any issues with the lead. It might be a misunderstanding, a miscommunication, or even that the lead never signed up to receive information from us in the first place. If you are unable to resolve these issues directly with the lead yourself, you can open a lead claim directly from the lead page as well, by pressing the "Open lead claim" button.

From here, you'll select a reason and specify why you are disputing the lead. Then, we will be notified and able to take action from there. There is no need for you to contact us afterwards, as we will send you an email as soon as we know more and have a solution for you. This might include to revalidate the information, walk through the process or even refund you the lead price.

Export information to your CRM system

Don't using any additional CRM systems? No worries! You can also export the whole Leads Overview to Excel, for a simpler handling and data processing. Simply go back to the View Leads page, and press the "Export to Excel". This might take a few minutes, and we'll email you the file.

Deadlines for lead processing

All leads not marked as processed or disputed seven days after initial delivery will be closed automatically, with the payment responsibility that is entitled. This automated process ensures that leads are not left in limbo, preventing potential opportunities from slipping through the cracks.

Even if a lead isn't processed within the specified timeframe, it's important to note that you are still responsible for the full payment. This ensures fairness and maintains accountability in our lead management process. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in honoring this commitment, which supports our efforts to deliver high-quality service.

If you still are in negotiations with the customer and need longer time for the lead to be open, simply save their information to your CRM and use the "Processed" state (not Closed Lost).

Our best tips to close the lead (and sign the sale)

1. Reach out to the customer as soon as possible, preferably within an hour during office hours. The customer has signed up to receive an offer, and is in a buying state of mind.
2. Personalize your communication to address the lead's specific needs and pain points. Have a clear understanding of what's "nice to have" and "need to have" in their wanted solution.
3. Provide clear and concise information about your product or service's value proposition.
4. Offer incentives or discounts to incentivize a short and timely decision-making.
5. Showcase social proof, such as testimonials or case studies, to build trust and credibility.
6. Use persuasive language and compelling visuals to highlight the benefits of your solution.
7. Offer flexible payment options to accommodate the lead's budget and preferences. This is especially important for consumer clients, as there is tough times worldwide.
8. Follow up consistently and persistently to address any remaining concerns and facilitate the closing process.
9. Update your CRM system throughout the sales journey, so you'll always remember the last dialogue.
10. When the lead is processed - update Obsleads for all parties to know 🔥

You might already have set good routines for handling leads, but consider incorporating these additional strategies to further optimize your approach. These tips and tricks is best practice-advice from production, and can serve as great tools to enhance your overall sales processes.

Anything else?

This guide should cover it all, however, it's constantly under development. Feel free to reach out if you still have any questions left - we got many answers and would love to speak with you.