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lead nurture
Mike FarrellOct 1, 2021 3:00:03 PM5 min read

Top 5 Ways to Nurture Your Leads

Just because your marketing team is sending a whole host of Marketing Qualified Leads down to the sales department, that doesn’t mean they are all ready and raring to buy. And if you have a hard time sifting through all of those leads, you might end up letting some sure-fire sales fall through the cracks.

Your goal needs to be to nurture your MQLs and move them along your pipeline and promote them to Sales Qualified Leads. And the first step to getting there is making sure you have a clean list. Only trust leads that come from Lead Generation people that you trust. Maybe that is in-house, or maybe you contract it out to a Lead Generation Agency, but don’t waste your time or money on someone who is not giving you the best leads.

If you come to the realization that your internal lead generation is not doing you any favors, put this article away and go get that sorted out, and take the opportunity to work with your sales and marketing teams in the same room to make sure they are totally aligned on what kind of leads you want and what the Ideal Customer Profile you are after is. If you can’t get those two departments in order, your conversion rate will suffer.

Once you do have everything primed and ready to go, and you have secured a great Content Syndication Agency to generate your high-quality MQLs, then it is time to start nurturing leads.

Top Ways to Nurture Your Leads

Give some of these ideas a try. Figure out what is the most cost-effective means for you, and don’t treat these as a one-size-fits-all list of solutions. Part of nurturing your leads is recognizing what makes them unique and meeting them where they are so you can best provide the information that is most likely to convince them to buy. 

  •       Send them a gift: This is really an excuse to get a whitepaper or ebook in front of them, but if you have some branded swag lying around, why not send it out to a prospective customer. Things that can live on their desk and be subconscious reminders of your service or product are strong options to include in these packages. Think mugs, water bottles, and pens. And of course, include a handwritten note to personalize it to that lead. Use their name, call back to a previous discussion you had with them, and include a call to action asking for a call or an email to check in on them and see where they are at in the buying process.
  •       Generate How-To Content: Maybe one of your leads needs a quick-fix, and you happen to have a solution for them. And it is important you get in front of them because they are very likely to buy SOON, from whoever is there at that moment to meet their need. So, generate some content on how your product works and how it will solve their problems. Include testimonials from previous customers (if you don’t have these already start collecting them because they can be great marketing tools) and put it all together in an easily accessible package with your contact info highlighted. Be their hero with the answer to their problem and they just might buy.
  •       Create Lead-Specific Marketing Content: If you have the staff and the time, putting together one or two pieces of lead-specific content can help push you over the edge and close a sale. This is a great strategy for a lead that is deep in your pipeline because they might be just as deep in a competitor’s pipeline and getting close to buying. So by putting yourself in front of them with content that is tailored to their particular situation might be what you need to get over the finish line.
  •       Use Case Studies: Just as you should have a file of testimonials for marketing purposes, be prepared with case studies to share with potential customers. These will highlight the impact that your product had on another customer, and by telling their story instead of yours you are creating content that buyers are more likely to relate to. Ask permission to use a previous customer as a case study can also allow you to engage them as brand ambassadors. If they are willing to let their story become part of your marketing, then they are pretty likely to engage in some positive word-of-mouth advertising with their peers to your benefit.
  •       Boost Email Campaigns with Demos: Everyone feels like they get too much junk in their inbox, so don’t let your email marketing be junk. You need to craft emails that will give you high open rates. A few tips to get there include personalization within a strong template so that you have a solid foundation from which to work from, but have the flexibility to actually engage with each individual lead. That’s where a demo campaign can come in. By having an action item at the top of your email, and the action at the bottom, you’ll at least get the passive scroll absorption of your email’s content. But with the demo in play people are more likely to investigate your email and click around what you have to offer. But be careful, because you walk a very fine line between forward-facing and effective email marketing and making the customers feel like you are spamming their inbox with more junk that they don’t need, prompting them to unsubscribe.

Diversify Your Lead Nurturing Strategy

Use these tools as a starting point for your lead nurturing in the future. If you have a strong foundation of good, quality leads being generated by your marketing team or lead generation contractor, then all five of these strategies are strong tools to move leads through your pipeline and bring them closer to becoming the sales that you want them to be. Each lead is unique, but with enough time you will learn what kinds of nurturing strategies are most effective for each kind of lead.

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Mike Farrell

Mike has an incredible track record of building companies and growing pipeline and ultimately revenue. Mike has extensive experience selling into B2B and public sector markets, building sales development organizations as well as developing channel partnerships. Mike has 30+ years of sales, marketing and business leadership experience. He led the growth of By Appointment Only (BAO) for 15 years as Chief Operating Officer. His style of positive leadership helped BAO establish the pay-for-performance appointment setting category, helping to scale technology and SaaS businesses across North America. Prior to BAO, Mike was SVP of Sales at PC Connection (NASDAQ: CNXN), where he led the transformation to a B2B sales model, doubling revenue to $1.4B in his tenure. At CompuCom Systems (now a wholly owned subsidiary of Office Depot) Mike was VP of Sales of Public Sector after its acquisition of CIC System where he was VP of Sales, Marketing & Professional Services for the national IT solutions provider. Earlier in his career he held numerous sales leadership positions at CIC and Copley Systems where he was the integration specialist folding in the acquisitions of two firms to create the national footprint.He holds a BS in Business Administration from Merrimack College. He is a member of AA-ISP, past President of the Hopkinton HS Athletic Booster Association, and is on the Board of Bright Spirits Children’s Foundation. He and his wife of 30+ years, Kathleen, live in Massachusetts and have four adult children.

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