Well you see it everywhere right now, Technology sales teams are going through their leads attempting to close the sale in the short term. But what about the other seventy five percent or so of the leads that haven;’t been closed. What happens to them. More often than not, they are ignored and forgotten.
This traditionally happens because their is no process in place to move these potential targets to the next phase of the selling cycle. Times are tough and the quick sale is the true focus of the sales teams. But, this lack of a lead nurturing process may be costing your organization big bucks in lost sales.
This is where marketing can make a big difference. Does your current marketing team have the patience to develop and implement a nurture strategy? These valuable longer-term B2B leads must be nurtured with a series of communication efforts designed to help move prospects along in their buying cycles. In other words nurture these prospects by staying in sight and in mind.
When designing B2B lead nurturing programs, these are the questions to ask:
- How do we best deliver messages to the people who will influence or make the final buying decisions?
- How do we stay with them as they move through their consideration and buying processes?
- How can we communicate in a way that addresses the prospects’ issues and reduces the perceived risk of buying from your company?
- What can we offer that will cause the prospects to engage when they are ready to move forward with their buying processes?
Here’s how to engage prospects and start a sales-winning relationship with them
Use a series of ongoing communications-by mail, email or phone-designed to keep pace with the prospects’ information needs
Be sure to include multiple offers and relevant content that appeal to prospects at all stages of the buying process.
For example, if prospective customers are early in their buying processes, they will be more receptive to offers for free information in the form of how-to guides, white papers or email newsletters. As prospects move further along in their buying processes, appropriate offers may include those that require a higher level of interest or commitment on the part of the prospect. These include webinar invitations, demonstrations, checklists and other decision-making tools. As prospects approach being ready to buy, they will be more receptive to offers such as longer, in-depth seminars; needs assessments; or meeting with and getting a proposal or quotation from a salesperson.
Next, keep in touch with your prospects via a series of ongoing communications and offers throughout your prospective customers’ consideration processes, until they are ready to engage with your salespeople.
We may have become bored with the notion of relationship marketing as just feel-good jargon. But the truth is, if you use well-crafted communications designed to keep in touch with and inform prospects as they move through their consideration and buying processes-not just focusing your company’s efforts on the easy or short-term sales opportunities-you can pick up the three out of four sales that others are leaving on the table. And that makes you and your B2B lead development programs winners.
