Lead Nurturing

TIP:  Many businesses and non-profit organizations chase all leads/donors. Top salespeople don't do this. They ask questions and gather information to determine "who is most likely to buy," who are "hot leads" (will buy soon), who are people who may "possibly buy" and who are people who are "tire kickers." Many times marketing departments send "leads" over to salespeople and those "leads" aren't acted on because the sales people either don't trust that marketing has done anything to qualify the leads.  In small companies with small budgets and not enough time in the day to do everything, it's especially important to determine how you will classify people who may be interested in your product/service/company. The articles listed above will help you to do this. 
 

From our experience:  All buyers are suspicious of companies that are selling to them. They prefer to get advice from objective third parties and people in their situation, who have gone through the purchase process and are experiencing what it's like to use the products/services. They can also find out how the company handles customer service issues through a third party. Companies can win more business if they act more like a third party and do a better job in marketing by getting rid of "marketing fluff" and offer more credible reports, information and advice. Here are some articles to help:

• Writing for Marketing has all kinds of specific tips for words that work and how to ensure your marketing is credible.
• Presenting Good, Better and Best Options is an effective way to help people understand the differences and trade-offs in your product line. This is what great salespeople do, isn't it? They listen to your needs and priorities and they present a few options and explain if you pay more, what more you get for that money. They don't present hundreds of options, nor do they say "This is the one! It will be perfect for you."  Buyers like to choose, but they want just enough choices that it's manageable.
• Solution Selling is a marketing term for presenting a buyer with everything they need to buy to get something done.  For instance, if someone is interested in buying a spa/hot tub, they are thinking about how enjoyable it will be sitting in their yard looking at the stars soaking in their new tub. Solution selling is putting together bundles of everything to make their dream a reality. These are practical things like the spa itself, chemicals that will be needed, and a spa cover. The best solution sellers think like merchandising people creating a window display and include things like thick, terry cloth robes, plastic glasses and outdoor speakers. Many buyers will be so involved with thinking about all these accessories that they will accelerate their purchase decision and buy the spa (and a lot of these other things) from the retailer who offers everything they need and want.
• Commercial printers who have invested in digital press equipment can do what's called VDP (Variable Data Printing) to create personalized brochures for individuals or different types of customers.  For example, some car dealers have systems set up for print-on-demand personalized printing. When a prospect looks at a car in their showroom and says they are interested in a red car with grey interior in a particular model, they can put in an order online with the printer to create and print a brochure for that customer that shows the exact car they are interested in with the exterior color and interior they like. This is sent to the prospect by the printer with a personalized letter from the sales rep.  Another example is when prospective students fill out an online form on a university website and indicate they're interested in specific majors and living arrangements. The college marketing department works with their printer to create different versions of brochures to be sent to students based on their answers.  Learn more about Personalized Printing and Personalized URLs (websites) that can be created as well.

TIP:  if you're looking for a freelancer or company to hire to help you with lead nurturing, read the advice they've shared on this article. If they are interested in new business themselves, they will have created a listing and profile page that you can link to for more information about them. On that page, you can read all the advice they've given on MarketingZone and learn more about their particular expertise in different industries and specialized areas of marketing.