How to qualify and categorize moving leads

Did you know that going the so-called action of pitching in the dark is something that only amateur salespeople do? We reckon that you don’t want to possess such a title. For all we know, that’s why you’re reading these words in the first place. Anyway, we all have to begin someplace, and reading up a word or two about how you can qualify and categorize your moving leads is a great starting point. By pitching blindly, you’ll only lose time and effort, without, of course, gaining much. The thing is: with proper qualification and categorization of your moving leads, you’ll have an easier time identifying those folks who’ll go on to become your trusty customers! Continue reading to see how you can arrange such a scenario!

How to prioritize? (BANT)

To figure out how to know which leads should you prioritize/disqualify you’ll need to consider the co-called BANT criteria (or simply utilize some premium moving leads software). So, what does this acronym stand for? BANT stands for:

• Budget, 
• Authority. 
• Need. 
• Timeline. 

This method of qualification is used by salespeople to determine whether or not should they pursue an individual lead, and if it’s even possible to convert the prospect into a buying customer. This is the most widely used qualification framework companies (regardless of whether they’re coming from this or that industry) use. Now, of course, the BANT framework can’t help you deal with every situation, but it can pinpoint some of the most basic info in almost all of them. In other words: with it, you’ll be able to qualify and categorize moving leads. Here’s how!

#1: Budget (Is the prospect capable of buying?)

You can’t expect to push a sales process without determining your potential customer’s budget first. If they can’t afford the type of relocation your company’s offering, why waste much-needed time? Also, see if you can figure out if they’ve got some other initiatives they’re spending their funds on since the time of the year could affect how their buying habits function.

#2: Authority (Can the prospect make the final decision?)

This mightn’t be so relevant for a moving company, but we’ll still mention it. If you’re talking to folks who won’t make the “final decision”, it still ain’t a lost cause, as they say. You’ll need to figure out who else is involved with the buying process. Also, you’ll need to find a way to handle objections that might possibly come up.

#3: Need (Does a prospect have a pain point you can solve?)

We’ll try to be quick here. Your sales and marketing team will have to figure out how urgently a special need your potential customers have needs to be addressed. In other words: are your leads pressed to find a solution to a certain issue immediately.

#4: Timeline (When is the prospect planning to make a decision?)

They say time is your most important asset since it will greatly determine what the priority for your sales lead is. Some of your leads mightn’t have the time or capacity to implement your product or service at this very moment.

Lastly, watch out for the so-called four red flags: lack of enthusiasm, lack of consistency, lack of pain points, and lack of authority.

Organize your leads

Now that you’ve narrowed down/prioritized some of your leads, it’s very important that you continue to organize them. By organizing your qualified leads, you’ll have the chance to decide on who you should further prioritize.

If you’re running a small moving business, you’re able to do this by making a file for each lead you meet. Once you’ve done that, record their contact info and details (name, contact numbers, email address, etc.). Also, you’ll be allowed to store other pieces of information such as when you’ve first contacted them, what was their initial response to your offer, or under which of the so-called BANT criteria they find their place. Update these files after every contact you make with your qualified lead.

And here’s another thing: you can organize your qualified leads in a way that sounds most suitable for your business. If you’re running a moving business, you’ll probably want to utilize the assistance of lead tracking software for movers. Now that we’ve got this part covered, let’s see how will you categorize moving leads.

It’s categorization time

So, here we are! Without further ado, let’s show you how to categorize your moving leads! Anyway, the simplest way to do this is to classify your leads and put them in order according to the way they match the criteria of your potential client/customer/consumer. You’ll want to categorize each of your qualified leads as hot, warm, or cold. 

What’s a hot lead?

Needless to say, a hot lead will have to meet all the BANT criteria we’ve mentioned above since these should be the leads closest to the so-called buying stage. Also, these leads are on the lookout for the exact thing that your company’s offering.

What’s a warm lead?

Now, warm leads don’t really have to fit all the criteria. They might miss one or two of them. For instance, they might lack the budget and/or time. However, you shouldn’t give up on them so soon and they’ve expressed some interest. You’ll want to nurture them and wait until they’re “ready”.

What’s a cold lead?

It’s not that these folks have never shown any interest in what your company’s offering. If that was the case, they’d be classified as unqualified cold leads. A qualified cold lead should spark some interest in you. With some good lead management for moving companies, you might even be able to convince some of these into buying. Don’t see them as lost causes.

Maximize your CRM

Last but not least in our little guide on how to qualify and categorize moving leads, let’s talk about how you can maximize your CRM. The best way you can do this is by asking for assistance in the form of CRM software. It’ll save you lots of time and even some money, too (even if that last bit sounds absurd).