What tools are available for prioritizing leads?

Most sales teams follow up in the order inquiries came in, or in the order each person remembers them. Both approaches are arbitrary. Dynamics 365 offers three levels of structure, each requiring a different level of effort.

Work lists — lowest barrier to entry

A worklist gives the salesperson a single prioritized list to work through, instead of multiple views that must be checked separately. This is the place to start. The benefit is that it becomes clear what the next task is, and that alone eliminates much of the day-to-day indecision.

Sequences — structure for follow-up

A sequence describes which steps should happen and in what order—call, wait two days, send an email, and so on. This makes follow-up predictable and consistent across sales reps, and makes it possible to see at which step people drop off. It requires you to first agree on what good follow-up looks like.

Predictive scoring — highest data requirements

Dynamics 365 can score leads and opportunities based on what has historically led to success. This requires sufficient historical data of reasonable quality—including both won and lost deals, recorded consistently. If you have used CRM for six months with varying levels of discipline, it is too early, and a score that no one trusts is worse than no score at all.

Our advice is to tackle them in order. Work lists deliver results in the first week. Sequences require a decision on how to work. Predictive scoring requires historical data that you build up over time—and it will come naturally if the first two are in place.