Your sales pipeline management is the key to the success of your sales agents. Do your part to help them do their best work.
Managing their sales pipeline is one of the most important yet tricky aspects for any salesperson. It can be challenging to track which leads are within reach and where to focus your attention when meeting potential customers. But don’t worry. We have six sales pipeline management tips to help you become more adept and even make you a better salesperson.
Discover 6 sales pipeline management tips that will strengthen your entire sales process
1. Document Your Pipeline
This may sound simple, but you must document and create detailed notes for each step in your sales pipeline. You’ll want to do this to get everyone in your organization on the same page. This is especially helpful for new hires who have never worked with a sales pipeline and will use your documentation as a roadmap.
We have heard of sales managers finding clarity about their sales pipeline by reviewing each stage. Some have even removed steps in their pipeline that have seemed redundant. Of course, this is common in agencies that have been around for a long time. However, some standard practices in the pen-and-paper sales management days have carried over, so it’s time to give your sales pipeline a good cleaning!
2. Get Clear About The Process
One sales pipeline management tip that goes hand in hand with documenting your pipeline is to give your team clear instructions on how to use your sale pipeline software. Your system is only as good as the data you and your team input. Be very explicit about what information needs to be in the system, how notes should be dictated, and how leads move along the pipeline. Want to take this to the next level? Make videos demonstrating all of these things for your team.
Hold your team accountable when it comes to their data input. Quiz them if you need to. Nothing ruins sales reports more than missing data.
3. Make it a Habit
If your sales pipeline is located in a CRM system, you’ll need to get into a habit of checking in on it regularly. This can challenge new hires who need to get used to these systems. So do what you need to do to remind yourself to check: Post-it notes, phone reminders, or scheduled emails.
If you fail to check in periodically, you may let a lead get too old or forget to follow up with a lead. Whatever works, get into a habit of checking your sales pipeline regularly. Doing so will save you from lost sales.
4. Become a Master at Prioritization
Prioritize leads when managing your sales pipeline. Focus on the sales opportunities more likely to be successful and require less effort. This way, you can maximize your sales success with minimal effort. You can also prioritize lead follow-up type. For example, it may be easier to do all your phone follow-ups in the morning and save your email follow-ups for later in the day. If your CRM has the capabilities, you can pull up sales tasks based on context, so if you’re waiting in the doctor’s office, you can quickly see if you have any text messages you can send or emails you can draft.
5. Only Pay Attention to the Metrics that Matter
Sales pipeline software and CRMs are filled with fancy metrics that spin your head. Take the time to learn which sales metrics are most important to you. Then, you can work with your sales manager to determine which ones you should care the most about and even which ones you can improve.
6. Give Them Something to Follow Up On
All your work and sales pipeline management amounts to nothing if you don’t have any leads for your team to follow up on. At HBW Leads, we deliver high-quality, exclusive auto insurance phone leads to agencies just like yours. You’ll never have to compete with another agency, and our leads are warmed up to talk to you.
By following these tips, salespeople in the auto insurance industry will be able to manage their sales pipeline better and make sure they’re getting the most out of their sales efforts.
HBW Leads will provide you with exclusive, warm qualified leads, and you’ll send out more quotes in no time! Sign up for HBW Leads today!