A lot goes into a sale: generating or purchasing leads, lead scoring, quoting, presentations, following up, and more. When someone simply walks into your office to purchase your product, that’s easy. However, for most of us, that is rarely the case. So what do you do with leads that are not ready to buy right now? Especially with cold leads, a lead nurturing process is key to staying in front of your prospects and eventually converting more into customers. Correction: a successful and carefully planned lead nurturing process.
Do you have an automated lead nurturing process set up, and not completely satisfied with the results? Read on for 4 common rookie lead nurturing mistakes:
1. Thinking one size fits all. One of the most common mistakes is simply blasting out information to everyone and their brother, hoping for results. By not categorizing your leads, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Successful marketing happens when leads are scored based on interest level, where they are at in the buying process, and their needs. By doing this, you are able to send targeted materials that relate to what they want to hear about. This makes your content seem less generic and automated, and more personal.
2. Constantly using sales pitches. Nobody wants to be sold to. For leads at the top of the funnel, provide relevant information so they will keep you in mind when the time is right. Being overly promotional when they are not ready will make them lose interest and take their business elsewhere. For leads mid-funnel, you can begin to send them targeted material (see mistake #1) that relates to their needs and interests. Leads at the bottom of the funnel should be ready to buy, so pick up the phone and make that pitch when you know it’s time. By nurturing the lead along the way, they will naturally fall into this category with much less effort.
3. Setting it and forgetting it. Relying just on email or mailers is not going to work. Sure, you might get some sales out of it, but by using a combination of content and interaction you can double or triple your success. Use a combination of email, phone calls, and other contact methods to better your chances of success. Pick up that phone!
4. Not tracking results. No lead nurturing process is perfect. Evaluating and making changes along the way is important and allows you to continue growth. Run tests by using different emails or strategies on different groups of leads, and see which is more successful. Track which sources of leads are bringing in more business. Determine which approach works, and which didn’t.