Transforming a lead to a qualified lead, and guiding them further down the sales funnel is one of the most challenging sales tasks any business faces. Recent stats show that up to 65% of marketing companies admit generating traffic and qualifying leads is their hardest challenge.
You probably spend an enormous amount of time sourcing these leads, qualifying them, and nurturing them. Hoping they’ll make it all the way to the bank.
What makes it all so much more challenging is the fact that everyone in the industry has been doing the same thing for years. Potential leads can see an outdated sales pitch coming from a mile away. How are you supposed to crack the code when you’re dealing with leads that are dodging you at every turn.
How to Source and Nurture Your Leads
You might think that a qualified lead is a “done deal”. Unfortunately, up to 96% of qualified leads are not yet ready to buy, and in times like these where nurturing is key. This process can seem a little overwhelming to begin with - it all comes down to contacting, recontacting, prompting, advertising, reaching out and building strong working relationships and partnerships.
Lead nurturing is a long term game. It all boils down to showing potential customers that you think they’re worth the effort. It’s just a question of portraying yourself as helpful rather than spammy. There are also numerous ways in which the lead nurturing process can be implemented, including social media and marketing sites, advertising, and allowing reps to perform live demonstrations (whether online or in person). Most marketing pros still agree that emailing is the most effective form of lead nurturing.
And that is GREAT news.
Here are a few tips when working with emailing as your chosen platform:
Segment Your Email List
Before you even consider what your message will be, you need to choose who you send your emails to and when. In marketing, there really is “a time and a place for everything”. Remember that you’re not actually sending your email to a faceless company. The receiver will be a real, flesh-and-blood person. A CEO won’t have the same interests as a salesperson, so bear that in mind when crafting your email content.
By segmenting your lists, you save yourself the potential embarrassment of sending emails to the wrong people. This will also go a long way towards speeding up the emailing process, helping you to send out mails in batches as and when appropriate.
Relevant Content is King
What you’re sending out in an email is vital for success. Consider what your target audience will want to read. You can’t send out information related to the finance sector if you’re targeting digital marketing agencies, for example. Take some time to figure out your receiver’s pain points. Add a personal touch. Don’t be spammy.
Do some research into your prospective leads. See where they’re at as a company. What’s happening in their company’s news or on their social media. Maybe they’re launching a new product or service. Maybe they have an exciting event in the works. Tailor your content to their current issues and you’ll notice a much better response rate.
Leverage Your Data
Don’t come on too strong. You definitely don’t want to come off as desperate as this may lose you interest. You need to learn to leverage your data over time. Keep your leads interested - keep them warm. It’s important not to overwhelm leads with too much information at a time. Stay in line with their goals, keep in step with where they’re at in the sales funnel. Open up a conversation.
Take a Step Towards Marketing Success
You don’t have to keep repeating the same old processes because you’ve invested so much time in learning them. Marketing is agile. It’s constantly evolving. What was effective yesterday may not be so effective tomorrow. In the end, it’s a personal touch and the ability to adapt that will make you successful. Spend some time honing these skills. They probably won’t go out of style.