Resources for How to Build a Sales Funnel and Optimize Campaigns

There are many steps to building a successful sales funnel — but the two primary components are building quality lead lists and performing strategic sales outreach. A well-designed funnel will show where prospects are coming from, how to best engage or nurture them, and what the sales process looks like to ultimately turn them into closed wons. By understanding the different stages, you can tailor your marketing and sales efforts and ensure you reach the right people with the right message at the right time.

At Smith.ai, our North America-based agents — backed by AI technology — carry out strategic outreach campaigns to help businesses qualify more leads and close more deals. Because of this, we’ve compiled a list of resources that offers tips on building a proper sales funnel and best practices for engaging leads.

Sourcing leads from a database or lead generation sources

Sourcing leads from a database is a great way to find qualified prospects who are interested in your products or services. There are many ways to source leads. You can purchase leads from a third-party vendor or database, or you can build your own lead lists by collecting contact information directly from your website, social media ads, or other sources. Here are some resources on sourcing leads:

1. Lead Sourcing Guide and the Importance of Targeting and Filtering

This blog will define the difference between targeting and filtering and offer the best strategies for lead sourcing and finding quality leads. 

2. Need to Buy B2B Lead Lists? These 10 Legit Lead Sourcing Companies Actually Deliver

Leadgraph “leads” the way on our list of 10 companies you need to check out when purchasing lead lists.  

3. How and Where to Buy Lead Lists for Outreach Campaigns

Check out the pros and cons of buying a lead list as well as why you should make this an ongoing tactic within your marketing program.

4. Are Purchased Lead Lists for Your Sales Team Worth the Price?

There are many companies to purchase lead lists from. Make sure you check the laws regarding data first, then remember to focus on quality, not quantity.  

Leveraging email to engage prospects and drive awareness

Email is a powerful tool that can be used to engage prospects, drive awareness, and generate leads. Once you build a list of email addresses for your target audience, create compelling emails that include engaging copy, attractive design, and clear calls to action. Make sure to track your results so you know what works and what doesn’t. Here are resources on how to leverage email within your outreach efforts:

1. What is Email Automation? Effective Workflows and Tools

Learn how to automate an effective email workflow and three great tools for email automation. 

2. How to Nail the First Email in a Cold Outreach Sequence | Sales Emails 101

Cold email outreach isn’t easy. Check out these five tips on how to do it right the first time. 

3. 20 One-Line Emails That Get High Response Rates from Sales Leads

Short and sweet emails are key. Here are 20 lines to use in your emails that get right to the point. 

4. 16 Email Marketing Best Practices | Email Growth Hacking Tactics

Now that you have your lead list, try these 16 best practices that will help you produce more sales. 

5. Call, Chat, Text, or Email? How to Use Consumers’ Preferred Communication Methods to Increase Sales

Your audience is diverse and so should your communications methods. This blog will help you figure out the best methods for communicating with customers. 

Identify and prioritize high-quality prospects for outbound calling

Identifying and prioritizing higher-quality engaged prospects for outbound calling can help sales teams improve their conversion rates and close more deals. Look for prospects who may have an interest in your products or services by using filtering by demographics, psychographics, or buying intent or interest. Consider implementing lead scoring in your CRM to determine the ones most likely to act now. Make sure to track your leads and your interactions with them so you can monitor what’s more effective. Check out these resources on identifying quality prospects:

1. 8 Customer Segmentation Models to Help You Familiarize Your Market

This blog gives you all the details you need to know about customer segmentation, including what it is, the benefits of using it, and choosing the right model for you. 

2. How to Classify Sales Leads: Cold, Warm, and Hot

How do you know if you have a quality lead? This blog explains the difference between a cold, warm, and hot lead, how you can tell the difference, and the role lead scoring can play. 

3. The Differences Between “Cold” and “Warm” Sales Calls—And Why it Matters to Your Sales Team

All leads are great, right? Not necessarily. Here you can find statistics on the difference between good and bad-fit leads.  

Sending lead lists to Smith.ai for business development

If you don’t have an in-house BDR team, send lead lists to our sales-trained agents who generate new opportunities from your lead lists. We’ll engage your leads and turn those conversations into opportunities within your sales pipeline. Read these resources related to Smith.ai’s Outreach Campaigns: 

1. A Buyer’s Guide to Lead Lists: How to Budget, Filter, and Purchase High-Quality Lists for Your Sales Team

Not only does this blog explain all about lead lists, but it also gives insight into how to send your data to Smith.ai and how we can help with your Outreach Campaigns. 

2. Passing Additional Data Through Your Outreach Campaign

This help doc goes step-by-step on how to send your lists directly to Smith.ai so we can get started calling for your Outreach Campaigns. 

3. Smith.ai Updates Outreach Campaigns with Bundled Features

Previously available at an additional cost, our bundled features are now included with all new Outreach Campaigns to improve the efficiency and efficacy of agents’ efforts. 

Closing scheduled appointments

Closing scheduled appointments is essential for sales success. Make sure you are fully prepared with a sales playbook ahead of the call, and know the needs of the prospect on the other end. Personalize your calls and build rapport. Make sure to present the solution your company is offering and answer their questions openly and honestly. Here are a few great posts on closing deals: 

1. Everything You Need to Know About B2B Appointment Setting

There is a strategy to appointment setting and here you will learn the best way to schedule more meetings to maximize results. 

2. Appointment Setting: Tips and Free Templates for Your Business

You can find great tips on scheduling appointments that will help you advance to the next level with your leads. 

3. How to End a Phone Call + 6 Examples for All Businesses 

If you can’t close the deal on your current call, here are great tips to help you end the call so that you can close the deal on the next one. 

The purpose of a CRM

A CRM is a system that helps businesses track and manage all interactions with leads and customers. By tracking and managing interactions, businesses can gain insights into their customer's needs and preferences and use the information to improve their sales process. CRMs record customer interactions, automate tasks like sending emails and scheduling appointments, and can analyze data to see what sales techniques are most effective. Here are great references on CRMs:

1. How to Close More Deals with a CRM

CRMs have many benefits and are extremely helpful in keeping up with lead communications. This blog will show you how you can use this type of software to close more deals. 

2. How to Use CRM to Improve Close Rates

Do you know all the features of your CRM? Learn about how to create a CRM strategy that will help you become more efficient and improve your close rates. 

How to get started with Smith.ai

Feel like an expert yet? For businesses that need extra SDR sales support, consider partnering with Smith.ai. By improving speed to lead, having customer interactions handled efficiently 24/7, and for improved call intelligence and reporting, clients can see tremendous improvements across their entire customer engagement process and sales funnel. We will work with you every step of the way and create a custom strategy so you can reach, engage, and convert more leads into sales opportunities.

Book a free 30-minute consultation to learn more and get started today!