10 B2B Lead Follow Up Strategies to Close More Deals

Generating leads is only half of the battle. What you do next is truly what matters in order to close the deal. With 80% of sales requiring at least 5 follow ups after a conversation, salespeople need to prioritize their follow up strategies. When a prospect expresses interest, the follow up process can determine whether they become a client or move on to a competitor. A strong follow up strategy keeps potential customers engaged and moves them closer to a decision. In this article, we’ll break down the sales funnel, discuss why follow ups are essential, and explore proven B2B lead follow up strategies to help you close more deals.

Understanding Your Sales Funnel

Before we talk about follow up strategies, let’s first understand the sales funnel. The sales funnel is a model that illustrates the journey a potential customer takes from the first interaction with your business to the final purchase decision. The funnel typically has several stages, each requiring a different approach.

At the top of the funnel, you have awareness. This is when your prospects first learn about your business and what you offer. Next, they enter the consideration stage, where they start to evaluate whether your solution fits their needs. The final stage is the decision phase, where they are ready to make a purchase. The key to success at every stage is not only capturing the prospect’s attention, but maintaining it. This is where follow ups come into play. Without a strong follow up strategy, you could lose a lot of potential deals that might otherwise have been won.

Why Lead Follow Up is So Important

Following up with your prospects is one of the most important steps in converting leads into paying clients. Many B2B sales cycles are long. This means that prospects may not be ready to make a decision after the first interaction. Follow ups allow you to keep the conversation going, address any concerns, and demonstrate your commitment to solving the prospect’s problems. It also shows professionalism and that you are serious about building a relationship. One of the biggest mistakes salespeople make is assuming that if a prospect doesn’t respond right away, they are no longer interested. In reality, prospects might be evaluating other options, busy with internal priorities, or even need more time to make a decision. Now, let’s go over the top 10 most effective lead follow up strategies.

10 Most Effective B2B Lead Follow Up Strategies

Now that we’ve established why follow ups are so important, let’s take a closer look at the best strategies to use to follow up with your B2B leads. These strategies will help you stay in touch with your prospects and ultimately close more deals.

1. Understand Where Your Prospect is in the Sales Funnel

One of the first things to consider when following up is where the prospect stands in the sales funnel. If they’re in the awareness or consideration phase, you want to tailor your follow up to provide more information about how your product or service can address their specific pain points. For example, let’s say a marketing agency is trying to convert a lead who visited their website and downloaded an eBook on improving SEO. A follow up email that provides additional resources like a case study on how their SEO services helped another client might be a good way to move the prospect further down the funnel. Knowing where your prospects are in the sales funnel can help you send the right message at the right time.

2. Send a Personalized Email

Personalized emails go a long way in B2B sales specifically. Rather than sending generic follow up messages, reference the specific issues or challenges the prospect mentioned during your last interaction. For example, if a lead mentioned concerns about implementation time, your follow up email could include case studies or client testimonials highlighting your quick and efficient implementation process. Personalization increases the likelihood of engagement and shows that you’ve paid attention to the prospect’s unique needs.

3. Leverage LinkedIn

After your initial contact, a LinkedIn follow up can help you stay connected with prospects. LinkedIn is a great place to leverage your social selling skills. Whether it’s through direct messaging or liking and commenting on their posts. By doing this, you can keep yourself top of mind while building rapport with your lead. Tailoring your LinkedIn outreach shows that you’re not just sending generic messages. But, that you are genuinely interested in their business and their needs.

4. Follow Up with a Simple Phone Call

While email and LinkedIn are effective, there’s nothing like a phone call to add a personal touch to your follow up strategy. If your prospect has shown a strong level of interest, pick up the phone and have a direct conversation. A phone call allows you to address objections, provide immediate answers, and build rapport that might be harder to establish through email alone. Make sure to keep the call brief and to the point, but don’t hesitate to follow up with more information if necessary.

5. Use Website Visitor Identification Software

Knowing what pages your website visitors are viewing can be incredibly insightful when it comes to follow ups. By using tools like Visitor Queue, you can track the behavior of your website visitors and gain valuable insights into what they are most interested in. This allows you to tailor your follow up strategy to their specific needs. For example, if you see a prospect visiting a competitor comparison page, reach out to them and see if they have any questions regarding your solution versus the competitor, including a case study where one of your current clients made the switch. This technology is great for both lead generation purposes and lead follow up strategies. Start your 14-day free trial of Visitor Queue today and stop losing leads.

6. Email Sequences

Automated email sequences are a great way to stay on your prospect’s radar without overwhelming them. Create a series of emails that provide valuable content, like case studies, blog posts, or product demos. This way, your follow up feels less like a sales pitch and more like a helpful resource. For example, if a prospect downloaded a whitepaper from your site, follow up with an email offering a relevant case study or a free demo of your service. Automating the process ensures that you don’t miss any lead follow ups, while also allowing you to customize the messages based on where they are in the sales funnel.

7. Be Persistent but Not Pushy

Urgency can be an effective tool in follow ups, but it’s important not to come across as pushy. Offer time-sensitive discounts, limited-time offers, or exclusive access to a demo to encourage prospects to take the next step. For example, if you’re offering a special pricing plan for early adopters, mention this in your follow up to prompt action without pressure. The goal here is to motivate your leads to act quickly, without making them feel rushed.

8. Offer Value in Your Follow Ups

Make sure every follow up email or conversation offers value. Whether it’s sharing helpful content, offering a free consultation, or suggesting a solution to a challenge they mentioned, always give something of value. This could be a quick tip on improving their current system or a useful piece of advice. Offering value in your lead follow ups can help you keep the conversation going about their needs, not just your product.

9. Send a Case Study or Success Story

If your prospects are still in the consideration phase, sending a relevant case study or success story is an effective way to move them closer to a decision. Sharing how similar businesses benefited from your solution helps build trust and credibility. For example, a software company could send a case study detailing how their platform helped another company automate tasks and increase productivity. Using real-world success stories can make your pitch more relatable, and help prospects see how your solution can solve their problems. 

10. Ask for Feedback

Sometimes, the best way to move forward in the sales process is to ask your prospects for feedback. If they’ve been non-responsive, reach out and ask if there’s anything they need or if something’s unclear. For example, you could send an email like, “I wanted to follow up to make sure I addressed all your questions. Is there anything specific holding you back from making a decision?”. Asking for feedback can give you valuable insights and opens the door for more conversations. 

Final Words

Effective follow up strategies are an essential part of the B2B sales process. The more effort you put into thoughtful, well-timed follow ups, the more likely you are to close deals and build long-term client relationships. If you’re not sure where to get started, try to go back to basics and evaluate your company’s specific sales funnel, and what tactics your team currently uses to convert leads. As always, if you have any questions about using Visitor Queue to identify your website visitors, do not hesitate to reach out.