1. Call buyers straight away
Buyers look for responsiveness! Calling buyers (even if they emailed you) gives you the opportunity to fully understand their needs. Prospective buyers may have a particular requirement in mind but need some guidance towards the right solution. Phone calls also allow you to start forming a human relationship as well as inspire buyers as to why your company is the right choice for them - such as the quality and benefits of your products and added value like your after-sales services.
2. Follow up with helpful calls, emails & text messages
Buyers generally have quite a lot of choice in the market, whether on HospitalityHub or anywhere else online. Savvy buyers will do their research to find the best supplier or solution for their needs. Buyers aren't always ready to transact immediately, hence a thought-out follow up sequence is recommended. This may be an email (e.g with a quote) right after the initial call followed by a call on an agreed date with the buyer e.g. 2 days later to see if they've had a chance to review your quote and their thoughts so far, and a follow up call later in the week. This of course all depends on your first interaction with the buyer and an understanding of their buying timeline. If you have a CRM where you can communicate with buyers through a smart and thoughtful sequence of emails to keep them engaged with your company, this can be a very powerful strategy in nurturing them towards a sale at the time of which they are ready to purchase.
In the busy world of emails, a text messages/SMS or even a nudge on LinkedIn if relevant, is also a good way to ensure the buyer has seen your response.
3. Be quick to answer, and ask buyers that call where they found you
If you receive a phone call, make sure you or your sales team are quick to answer. Many buyers prefer to call instead of email, for example, if they have a more urgent request, have multiple questions they wish answered, or simply prefer to speak with a human being. On HospitalityHub, approximately 30% of all leads that take place are via phone calls (you can track this through the Phone Clicks metric), so a lot of sales opportunities are created via buyers choosing to phone in. We also recommend you ask buyers that call you where they found your number to increase your awareness of your own marketing attribution.
4. Respond to buyers even if they’ve used a personal (non-work) email
HospitalityHub is a B2B platform used by many companies across the country. We recommend never to judge a book by it's cover, and respond to buyers even if they’ve used a personal (non-work) email address. Sometimes buyers aren't at the stage where they are ready to disclose their company (perhaps more in the research stage or various other reasons), however the opportunity itself can represent a very large one for you. Some of the biggest B2B sales on the platform have come this way!
5. Leads sometimes start more generally
Even if the enquiry seems general in nature at first, sometimes buyers aren’t sure where to start or haven't had time to detail a longer/more specific message, but are keen to make a quick connection with a supplier where they anticipate the conversation will unpack more of the detail. This means it's an opportunity for you to connect with the buyer, guide them to defining their requirements more specifically, and help them understand why they should choose your company to do business with.
6. Get a thorough understanding of the buyers needs
Get a thorough understanding of the buyers needs. Below are some of the top questions we see successful companies asking:
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What is the application for this product?
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Is this a replacement or completely new requirement?
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What have you used before to do the job?
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What specifications and standards are you looking to meet?
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Will this interface with any other equipment?
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Do you require installation, maintenance or servicing?
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When are you looking to complete this purchase by?
7. Provide a comprehensive proposal
Buyers are often assessing more than one quote! Make sure your quote is tailored and personalised specifically to the needs that you have understood from the buyer. Cover these things to put your best foot forward:
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Specifications & standards
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Price (include the full cost of ownership)
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Lead time
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Reference customers
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Pictures & videos (if available)
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Installation and maintenance information
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Parts and servicing options
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A list of contractors that can support the product
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Any guarantees or warranties you offer
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Any other good reasons why they should choose you
8. Gain valuable insights from leads that didn't eventuate into sales
Leads that don't result in sales can be some of your most valuable yet, as they represent an opportunity to gain insights into why the buyer didn't purchase from you, and what can be learned that may be helpful in sharpening/optimising your offering, sales pitch or operational process.
We recommend coming in neutral to the buyer, with something like: "We appreciate you may have chosen another supplier to purchase from, and we'd love some feedback to help us improve". Aim to probe/dig deeper where possible with extra clarification questions to uncover the real reasons.
- When you were looking for , what were your main deciding factors?
- Did you end up buying a ? If yes - what stood out about that product or company that made you purchase?
- What was the main reason you decided not to purchase from us?
- Was there anything we could have done better or differently for you to have purchased with us?
- Would you consider buying from us in future?
9. Give us a Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down on leads
We now have a great feature that allows you to give us instant feedback on the quality of leads as they happen, so our system can learn and improve: a Thumbs Up for good leads so we can get you more, or a Thumbs Down with comments if you're not pleased so we can review and optimise. This is more about the quality of the enquiry not the sale outcome. Look out for this in the enquiry emails:
If you would like more detailed recommendations on turning leads into sales or ways to easily maximise your reach on HospitalityHub, please get in touch via the contact options on this page.
