The 5 Stages of an Effective Online Lead Nurturing Process

There are at least 2 scenarios that come to mind as to why sales leads are not closed for the sale:

1) Some marketers presume that it is alright to start promoting their products and services barely days after new subscribers enter their lists.

2) In larger organizations, the corporate ‘tradition’ goes that the marketing team generates and passes the leads to the sales team which handles the promotion, but the sales conversion remains consistently low. The sales team may simply cancel the leads that it considers ‘cold’, whereas the marketing team feels ‘hands-off’ since the leads are already passed on. Neither team knows how to rekindle the leads’ interest.

In both cases, there is a gap in the marketing cycle that fails to make the leads feel eager in looking forward to hear more from the marketers. It is what lead nurturing precisely does: to invest in a little more time to build a long-term relationship between the marketer and his/her leads.

For the reason that lead generation is only one side of the coin, now discover how to build trust and loyalty that paves the way to an easy sale in 5 stages:

1) The Handshake: This is the first point of contact whereby a visitor gets acquainted with the marketer’s website and registers for an e-newsletter, an e-book or a webinar. When the visitor sends a message using the contact form, s/he is also initiating a handshake.

2) The Conversation: The purpose of the conversation is to inform and educate subscribers about the challenges related to the general topic they registered for. In the Information Age, readers like to learn more, so it is an opportunity to address details not initially included in the first set of downloaded material, or to delve deeper into the issues.

This being a conversation, the marketer can also seek feedback and start a dialogue with subscribers to build trust and loyalty. The marketer has to take note and take advantage of the various content delivery channels—email, mobile, ezines, blogs, article directories, whitepapers, social media etc.—to grow his/her reach.

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3) The Contact: This is the stage where more marketers probably fall short. Insofar where the ‘Conversation’ is concerned, the same information is dispensed to all subscribers. Now having felt encouraged by what they have read, the subscribers will reach out to marketers for more information specific to their needs. Marketers must offer personalized content and even a proposal to turn them into true business prospects.

4) The Qualification: It is time for marketers to consider whether their solutions are a good fit for prospects’ needs. Now that content distribution and communications have steered the conversation in a certain direction, marketers must step up to address the likely problems each prospect is facing and state why and how they can be solved. A problem analysis can be conducted by asking prospects a series of questions that break down the details, thus giving marketers a well-rounded understanding of each case they are facing.

5) The Close: Finally, marketers submit a formal proposal that calls for prospects to take up the offer. There is no denying that as marketers and prospects move through each lead nurturing stage, chances are higher that prospects feel more comfortable to continue the work with marketers they are familiar with. Beyond the ‘Close’, marketers must continue to do what they have set out to begin with: deliver on their promises and instill loyalty and confidence before prospects look elsewhere for competitors.

The 5 stages of the lead nurturing process is key to creating a strong, happy business relationship that naturally encourages further business. It’s about being “systematic in activity, dynamic in response”. Now that’s an easy slogan for marketers to remember.

Do you have an online lead nurturing process in place? Call us and let us have a look at your website. An initial assessment is complementary to you!

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