Infographic: The Rules of 'Engagement' for Boosting Sales with Text Messaging

LOS ANGELES --(Business Wire)--

Leads360, a market-leader in cloud-based intelligent sales automation solutions, today shared a graphic snapshot of the most effective text messaging techniques to use across an individual's personal and professional persona. As it turns out, nurturing a lead is surprisingly similar to nurturing a love relationship.

"With Valentine's Day approaching and personal connections on the minds of many, it seemed like a good time to take a lighthearted look at some of the most successful ways to make a strong business impression and connection leveraging a less utilized communication channel in business - text messaging," said John Reese, Vice President of Marketing at Leads360. "Whether you are texting to win love or business, there are quite a few similarities required to build trust and ultimately a relationship."

With an estimated 9.6 trillion messages sent worldwide in 2012¹, it's no wonder that sweethearts and marketers alike are flocking to this communication channel, and salespeople are just beginning to understand its value. However, in the name of love or business, etiquette is essential. Much like sending flowers to someone before meeting them, sending a text prior to making contact with a prospective customer can be perceived as forcing an early personal relationship where one does not exist.

Texting: A new frontier in sales

With 68 percent of texters having sent a love note² and 62 percent of marketers using or planning to use text messaging in the next 12 months³, text messaging is far from nchartered. Sales pros can learn a lot from the pioneers that have come before them, and there is much to be gained by using text messaging in the sales process. A recently released Leads360 study entitled, Text Messaging for Better Sales Conversion, found conversion gains as high as 328 percent when text messaging is used appropriately in the sales process. Yet, the study revealed that only about two percent of sales prospects received text communications during the sales process, uncovering a sizeable opportunity for sales organizations going forward.

Download the full Leads360 report, Text Messaging for Better Sales Conversion, and learn more about how text messaging can be effectively used in the selling process. Visit www.Leads360.com to learn more about the firm's automated text messaging features within its intelligent sales automation solution.

About Leads360

Leads360 is a market leading provider of cloud-based intelligent sales automation solutions that drive more effective and efficient sales processes and improved conversion rates. With unmatched expertise, drawn from a dedication to helping more than 5,000 clients automate and improve their lead response and selling processes, Leads360 has become the platform of choice for organizations focused on improving customer acquisition practices and business performance. Leads360 is a privately held company, recently recognized as one of the fastest growing companies in North America on Deloitte's 2012 Technology Fast 500. Please visit www.Leads360.com for more information.

¹ Portio Research, Mobile Messaging Futures 2012-2016, 2012
² AT&T (News - Alert) Text Messaging Survey, The Role of Texting in Dating, 2008
³ Unica Trends Survey, 11 Key Marketing Trends for 2011, 2011