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So you obtained an MQL. What should you do next?

MQL is the first step in the B2B marketing funnel. Marketing qualified leads who have shown interest in your product or service. You’ve spent months, maybe even years, building up a list of potential customers, and now you’re ready to get them into the sales process.

But, when you obtain an MQL, the natural question that arises is: “what do I do after getting a Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL)?”

To move MQL through the sales funnel, you need to work on a few things. Marketers have the responsibility of getting MQLs, but they also require the motivation to convert such leads into SQLs. This way, the company’s potential increase in customer base and revenue generation increases.

5 things to do after obtaining an MQL

Ensure your marketing and sales messaging are aligned

Marketing and sales are like two sides of the same coin. When they work together, you can expect to see a huge increase in revenue. For any company to convert their MQL to a customer, it is vital that their marketing and sales teams not only have good communication with each other but are aligned with their messaging as well.

Your marketing team’s messages are focused on a core value proposition that validates the main benefits of the sale. As your qualified leads begin to connect with your sales team, your sales team needs to ensure that the core values and key messages remain consistent throughout the process.

If there is too much inconsistency in information from the marketing and sales teams, confusion can result in reduced credibility or trustworthiness for you as a company which will slow down any progress made towards closing deals with potential clients.

Send automated, personalized emails

As soon as you take on an MQL, it is important to send an automated email welcoming them and providing links for additional content. You can also send a personalized email if needed – but be sure to create a template you can use every time.

You need to send emails at regular time intervals. The email should include lines such as “thank you for visiting the site”, a link to additional educational material, and a call-to-action – examples might include webinar invitations, signing up for a blog, etc.

It is never a bad idea to provide an option to schedule a brief call with your business’ customer engagement team as well!

It is vital to know that all emails should drive your prospects back to the website. That could be either conversion landing pages or informational pages which outline how you solve problems for people and companies alike.

Nurture through multiple touch-points

The next step is to build a relationship with your leads and gain their trust if you want them to buy from you. The key is to provide value, providing the information that the lead needs at the right times, during every stage of their journey. These may include aforementioned CTAs, such as blog posts or other educational material, videos/infographics, case studies, etc.

A marketing automation tool is one of the solutions engineered for this purpose. They can track where someone is within the sales pipeline and automatically send emails when appropriate. Nurture leads in a timely manner and delivers personalized content tailored to each customer’s pain points. Hence don’t let the lead slip through the cracks.

Make a phone call

If phone calls are part of your nurturing process, make sure you call a prospect with questions prepared in advance. Remember, a phone call is not an opportunity to pitch your company. It is akin to the initial conversation where marketers are just trying to learn as much as they can about lead.

Try to find out what other information you may need to educate and nurture them through your sales funnel.

Ask for the sale

This may sound like a no-brainer, but surprisingly many deals are not closed because the sales rep did not ask for the sale. The best time to ask your customers to purchase is when you have spent some quality time getting them warmed up. This means answering any questions or concerns that they might have about a product and providing information on what makes it different from other similar items out there in this market.

The best way to seal the deal is by asking open-ended questions (“what do you think about so-and-so?”, “how does that make you feel?”, etc.), and not being afraid of getting a pessimistic response. Ask them if your offer suits their needs with a yes or no question. If they see clear benefits, then they will not turn back.

Every MQL brings you one step closer to a deal, but it also means that there is some work left before your prospect becomes a customer. To make the most of this opportunity and ensure that you close deals faster with less effort on your part, we recommend getting in touch with FunnL after receiving an initial lead contact from a potential client or partner.

With our expertise in B2B marketing campaigns, FunnL can help you find out the next great prospects for your business to target. So it’s easier than ever before for sales teams to identify the best leads they should pursue next.