Have you ever planted a garden? Likely not. But if you have, you know that once you put the seed in the ground, you must ensure that it receives proper water and sunshine every day. A plant left to itself may have stunted growth or may never grow at all. If it is well taken care of, it can grow into a strong and fruitful tree.
Lead nurturing is similar to this analogy. Lead nurturing is the process by which potential customers are cultivated and taken care of until they are ready to buy your product or service. Without this part, they could buy on their own, but there is a good chance that they will not buy from you at all.
A sales representative will anticipate the buying pattern of a prospect by looking at various traits such as the role of the buyer, the buyer’s title and industry, and what stage he or she is at in the buying process. Lead nurturing allows a sales representative to engage with prospective customers by providing relevant content such as a whitepaper or ebook.
This process also allows the sales representative to enlighten and educate a customer about the company’s product throughout the sales lifecycle. Done the right way, lead nurturing can lead to strong brand recognition and trust before a potential customer is ready to buy.
Let’s look at five important steps to ensure success in lead nurturing. These five steps form the foundation even before a strategy for lead nurturing is developed:
#1 Understand Your Buyer
Sales representatives must understand the psyche of the buyer and know what content assets will appeal to them best. They also need to know at what stage of the buying cycle the customer is at.
#2 Pinpoint What Motivates Your Buyers
Understand what factors trigger a customer and urge them to move through all the stages successfully.
#3 Whiteboard the Ideal User Experience
Illustrate the real experience that a customer receives and the important elements of that experience and plan accordingly.
#4 Plan Your Lead Nurturing Process
The next step is to set goals and establish how the message will flow as well as the right channels of communication and overall feel of the interactions.
#5 Automate Communications
Ensure all communication is automated so the delivery of messages to customers is timely and results in consistent engagement.
If you’re ready to take your lead nurturing to the next level, click the link below for more information.
