October 2002 Gartner released a study which revealed that “more than 70% [of all sales leads] are never acted on because they do not reach the right person or organization at the right time.”
We tend to forget that people buy from people not automated systems or companies
Lead nurturing is the process of moving a lead from being “unqualified” to a “qualifying”, this is should be the only time when your sales team devotes their time and effort to a lead and this is often where most leads get neglected.
Two approaches set us apart in the world of lead generation and that is the personalized way in which we cultivate and maintain relationships; the second is how we position your company to be the trusted advisor and information resource for your prospects. This is what we do best.
A key component of lead nurturing is the ability to provide valuable education and information to prospects up front. In this way we are able to position your company as a trusted advisor and perhaps even a thought leader in a specific field or expertise.
Your marketing and sales teams probably use many of the same marketing tactics – marketing collateral, white papers, market research – but it's the timing and integration of those tactics and content, how you use information on your prospects profile AND behaviour, and the synergy between sales and marketing communications that is the tipping point.
The relationship is everything
Relationships are the foundation of an effective lead generation campaign or economic development plan. These relationships are built on a series of conversations, conscious and unconscious; we make sure that the majority of our conversations with a prospect are relevant to them. This translates into tracking, reporting and every single piece of information is documented, it's a process that ultimately provides you with invaluable information to close, use for present or future campaigns, meetings or information distribution, all of which culminates into effective Lead Management.
A cold lead today isn't necessarily a cold lead indefinitely. With budgets and priorities changing all the time, cold leads can quickly move to become viable sales opportunities. But how do you make sure that when they are ready to start the sales process, your company occupies the greatest space on their mental dashboard? Many companies find that leads that start out cold actually make a purchase months later. This is why nurturing is critical – by providing relevant information to prospects on a consistent basis it ensures a longer term relationship is formed.
Even though we employ leading edge automation this does not create contacts and relationships – people do. The system is merely the means of uncovering these relationships and enabling information to be shared and used effectively during multiple conversations. |
