Before we talk about the inbound sales process, you must know that inbound lead generation and inbound sales aren't the same. However, inbound lead generation is an important part of the inbound sales process.
Awareness Stage The first part of the Inbound Sales Process is called the Awareness stage.
A buyer realizes a pain point in his current day-to-day operations in their company and starts to do research on how to fix their pain point.
Usually, people use the internet to find information about their pain points and find approaches that could help solve the problem.
Consideration Stage After looking at various opportunities or deals that could be a solution, the buyer starts to engage with content, for example, on social media or on companies websites.
When a buyer is in the consideration stage, a salesperson must know the potential solutions they may be considering and the benefits and disadvantages they will weigh.
As an SDR, you should also know how your offer distinguishes you from competitors.
When you connect with buyers, having this knowledge makes it simpler for you to deliver a value proposition, which is part of the last stage.
Magnificent for the consideration stage is inbound lead generation.
Inbound lead generation turns strangers into leads and is important for the inbound sales team later.
Usually, the marketing department is responsible for
inbound lead generation. However, the sales and marketing teams should work together closely to create tailored content for the ideal customer.
The generated leads can be divided into three different categories:
Sales Qualified Leads These are leads who express interest in addition to reading blogs or following a brand's page on social media. Sales-qualified leads can be generated through a type-form and are interested in prices and bundle deals.
Marketing Qualified Leads This type of lead has expressed interest in your brand by visiting a brand's website and giving their contact data in return for an online resource.
Product Qualified Leads In this case, leads are interested in the main product or service after using smaller free products or free trials.
After leads can be generated and categorized, inbound salespeople continue.
They connect and communicate with leads to explore if their current pain point could be fixed with the SDR's offer.
As a sales rep, you must know through which channels your lead would like to communicate. Email,
LinkedIn, or phone are common channels for this way of communication.
If a lead shows interest in learning more, it turns from a lead into a qualified lead.
Decision Stage The decision stage is the last one since the customer has picked what they feel is the best alternative to address their needs and pain points.
If they decide to buy from you, it's because you were able to establish a connection with them, communicate your value proposition, and convince them that your product is the best fit for their needs.
A sales rep has to have a clear and detailed understanding of the lead's situation to propose and present the value proposition.
The last step is to convey that the solution is the best for the lead to solve their pain point by closing the deal.