I understand 100%. A couple of years ago I worked at a software company as a sales rep. One of the first things I did was create a list of potential leads.
The list quickly became a LONG list. So; back then we cold called. A lot. So that is what I did. Started at the top and worked my way down the list.
One of three things happened:
- They were not in the office and I needed to phone back.
- They were not interested.
- I got an appointment.
What happened the most? It was #1. I needed to phone back at a certain time, or at a specific date. That is what took the longest and the most work.
Solution … I added notes to each of the leads on my sheet. Thing is, with over 200 leads it quickly became a nightmare to manage.
I missed dates to follow up and that was the worst!
You see, excel is great at crunching numbers.
Excel is not built to manage your leads.
And being in sales, you get paid for sales … so the more time you get to spend on your best prospects the more sales you make.
Fast forward a couple years. I found a CRM software sales tool that made ALL the difference for me in sales.
I started helping clients implement this tool into their business. WOW! What a difference that has made!
A client discovered R2,5 million and closed R159 000 in the first week of implementation! That is a GREAT success story!
My one friend went as far as streamlining his WHOLE sales AND operations process. Everything in ONE place. This saves him a huge amount of time.
If you are using excel to manage leads; maybe it is time to upgrade your sales process? Check it out here. The best CRM sales software tool for sales people (and get a guide on helping you x2 sales).