Sales reps — even sales pros with years in the industry — stumble sometimes. One of the most common mistakes is treating leads the same as prospects. This can be problematic for many reasons. For starters, a generic message doesn’t resonate. People will feel that you’re just treating them as an opportunity and that you don’t genuinely care about helping them succeed. Second, it may damage your reputation as a promo pro. If your prospects aren’t properly nurtured, they may lose trust in you and be less likely to engage in the future.

A post on the Salesmate blog explains that many sales reps use the terms “lead” and “prospect” interchangeably, but they’re not the same. A lead is someone who may be interested in your promo offering but hasn’t been qualified. A prospect, on the other hand, has been vetted in areas like budget and need and is likely to become a client.

In this issue of PromoPro Daily, we highlight a Salesmate post that covers some typical mistakes when engaging with leads and prospects.

1. Treating them the same. Some sales reps view prospects and leads as the same, but they’re different. The Salesmate blog points out that leads are at the early stage, often requiring education and nurturing. Prospects are further along in the sales funnel. It’s important to customize your approach depending on whether you’re working with a prospect or a lead. Treating them the same can lead to ineffective engagement, the post says.      

2. Bombarding prospects with too much outreach. This group needs time to consider your solutions. If you overcommunicate with constant calls and emails, the Salesmate post says you might turn them off from wanting to work with you. Overcommunicating can make you appear pushy or desperate for a sale, which can drive them away.

3. Being too generic. You could miss out on deals if you don’t personalize your outreach specifically to a lead or prospect. Whether you’re working with a lead or a prospect, personalizing your messaging can build rapport and help you establish genuine connections. 

Leads and prospects are not the same. While all prospects are leads, not all leads become prospects. By distinguishing between leads and prospects and properly managing them, you can begin to build a more robust pipeline. As a result, you can boost your chances of closing more deals.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: The Salesmate blog. Salesmate is a cloud-based CRM that helps sales teams close deals faste