No matter how large or small your agency, lead nurturing is the most important thing anyone in sales and marketing can do. The reason for this: closing a sale requires multiple touch points before it can be done. Oh sure, the occasional one-and-done may happen, but more than nine times out of 10 you are going to be forced to stay after your prospect until they are ready to say yes.
But just how many contacts are you supposed to have with your prospect? The common average shared by those in our profession is seven. Could be more, could be less. Either way, you need a system for lead nurturing to be effective.
That’s where lead nurturing software comes into play. Such a product, if executed correctly by the developer, will give you the tools to automate what you can and monitor the progress of each individual prospect and their journey through your funnel.
Lead tracking done right
You could track leads the “old-fashioned way” by using pen and paper or a spreadsheet, but that requires keeping up with where you placed it, manually making changes, and placing all of that responsibility in the hands of yourself as well as a number of authorized colleagues and co-workers with varying susceptibility to forgetfulness.
Lead nurturing software, on the other hand, can simplify the work that goes into tracking leads and making updates. This gives you the ability to focus your energy on the prospect and the substance of your message. It also allows you to see at a glance pertinent information, such as gender, age, and income level, all of which can refine the effectiveness of your sales approach.
Automation where it makes sense
Lead nurturing software is built with the specific purpose of helping you maximize efficiency with each touch. That means automating where it makes sense, such as with scheduling appointments or email drip campaigns — more on that in a moment — or anything that keeps you connected to the prospect.
Don’t look at automation as a way to lazify your business. Look at it as something to help you focus your personal energies to the areas where they can create the most value for your prospect.
Lead nurturing email drips
The drip campaign is one of the best ways to keep in touch with your prospects without pressuring them out of a sale. The great thing about a drip campaign is that it allows you to approach your prospect with confidence — campaigns are opt-in — and provide value every time you’re touching base with a call-to-action that can seal the deal at any point. Email drops can also allow you to heat up prospects that have gone cold.
To be effective, email drips must be short, to-the-point, progressive, and regimented. Lead nurturing software is not going to create the language of the emails for you (though it can help with examples of effective messaging), but it can take care of scheduling, delivery, and responses. It can even help you manage multiple campaigns at a time, so you are able to be there for prospects before, during, and after a sale. Imagine the nightmare of doing all that manually!
SMS and Other Technological Integration
Technology has expanded at a rapid rate, and there is no reason to think it will slow down. Lead nurturing software can integrate with any of the platforms you use including SMS/texting, which has become integral to pretty much anyone with a smartphone. People are more likely to respond to texts and emails than any other modality, so having a lead nurturing software system that integrates while being flexible enough to adapt to future changes is essential.
Capturing leads is important, but you don’t want them to stay leads forever. The ultimate way to convert is to invest in a lead nurturing software that understands the patterns and automations involved in the sales process. What is holding you back in lead nurturing, and what issues would software need to address to make you a believer? Sound off in the comments section.
Dial Your Leads
Dial Your Leads (DYL) is a sales automation and nurturing company that is integrated with Hometown Quotes leads. An agent can have that lead’s information sent to DYL instantly. Those details populate an information screen, and DYL simultaneously calls the lead before calling the agent. The agent gets a call from DYL, presses 1 to speak with the potential customer, and the sales process begins. It’s like hiring the most experienced lead/sales coordinator for a fraction of the cost. To learn more about DYL, you can read our profile on them here. Or if you want to sign up for their services, DYL offers a 20% discount if you’re a Hometown Quotes customer.
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