Kiran is a Stanford graduate and currently holds the position of Director Sales Enablement for the APAC region at Salesforce. He comes with a diverse set of sales experiences acquired in the career span of close to two decades. Here he shares: How he had an illustrious sales career? Why do people fail to convert leads to deals? What did he learn in sales in the past twenty years that you can implement in your business? Most of the companies are focused on increasing the depth of a lead pipeline. However, the businesses have failed numerous times to do so because they missed connecting to the business needs of the lead most of the time. How do you qualify needs? Tap all your lead sources from marketing, lead generation team, partners, Customer references, and even from the prospects you are currently taking. Have enough sources of leads. Do not hesitate to ask for recommendations from the customer. Have a CRM in place to nurture and prioritize the leads that need your attention. Focus on the highest priority lead that is likely to convert. Connect with leads within 24-48 hours because 7 out of 10 times the leads choose the vendor who connects with them first. Making the first move becomes even more vital as you set the benchmark for other vendors who arrive later; you get the first-mover advantage. It is not only essential to qualify the right leads but also to remove those whom you cannot satisfy or work with your current capabilities. It improves your lead conversion rate, and you spend fewer resources on the leads that won't convert to deals. How do you connect to the business needs of the customer? Connect with people in high places in the organization. After that, go down to the next level below and follow the sequence until you reach the person who is responsible for acquiring your product or give you an in-depth understanding of their needs. Leverage social media to its fullest extent to do so. Connect with all the stakeholders even try reaching out to the customer of your prospect to give you a better understanding of the problem lead is facing. It will not only help the lead but also the customer of the lead. Try to connect with everyone involved and will benefit from the resolution directly or indirectly to have a clear view of the bigger picture. Sometimes when a lead approaches, you find out if the lead is an evaluator or a key decision-maker. Your pitch will change according to who is interacting with you. The same story won't resonate with everyone. Each has to be treated uniquely. To differentiate between the two, ask your prospect about the process you need to follow in specific deal value. It will give you a clear idea of the people involved and who is likely to be the key decision-maker in the process. "Do not lead with a solution; lead to a solution." Remember not to speak in terms of features and benefits. Even your competitors are having almost the same features. What differentiates you is the value you bring to the table and how well it connects to the actual problem the prospect is facing. Build relationships and credibility for the future.