While many experts debate the value of chasing leads, most of their issues come from spending too little time getting to know your leads. However, if you really understand the lead generation process, you realize what a large portion of it depends on getting to know leads intimately.

Here are 4 tips to managing leads and knowing them in a way that helps spur sales.

1. Know Who Your Leads Are

The first step will determine how hard the rest of the steps are. By identifying and getting to know who your leads really are, you’re able to understand how to develop a process that speaks to them. Every one of your leads will be entering your sales funnel from a different position so once you know what those steps are, you know where prospects stand.

What are your core demographics? Where do they live and where do they work? Are they in a particular industry with specific needs and issues?

How do they spend their time online? Are they searching Google for their questions or are they more likely to be on Reddit?

And when they find you, how do they do that? Do they come from social media or from articles published about you?

2. Collect Data

Make sure you have a way to collect data on your leads integrated into your lead generation system. You should be collecting information before you offer them any of your most premium content. This will allow you to know when they’ve downloaded content, what the content was, and when they got it.

Then use your marketing analytics to take samples of how they’re finding you in the first place. This can help you to assess whether or not your marketing dollars are being well spent.

3. Rate Your Leads

Every one of your leads should have a score, updated after each time you contact them. Scoring your leads allows you to figure out how likely they are to convert to a sale.

Scores are going to be determined by how fast they respond, the ratio of how many times you’ve gotten contacted by them, and whether they click links in emails. Cold leads can be nurtured but you should prioritize your calls based on the activity from each one fo your leads.

4. Nurturing Your Leads

Based on the ranking system, you can start to determine where leads are located and deploy efforts accordingly. Your best sales people can be in touch with your coldest leads while your least experience people should be able to push those hot leads over the edge.

When you oversell to someone who has already converted, you can risk turning them back. When you fail to strike a cold lead when it’s just beginning to frost over, you could lose them forever.

Lead Management Takes Time

The hardest thing about lead management is that it can be a drain on one of your shortest resources: your time. However, if you’re always updating your status after every contact, you’re sure to be able to convert leads at a higher rate.

If you’re struggling with sharing the importance of lead generation systems with your employees, check out our guide for tips.