Lead nurturing is essentially cultivating the leads that are interested but not yet ready to buy. It requires understanding where leads are in the buying process and anticipating what they might need based on characteristics like their industry or role.
Lead nurturing can lead to a variety of benefits, including boosted conversion rates, increased brand awareness and a shorter sales cycle. If you ask Christina Scannapiego, the director of content marketing at Copper, lead nurturing is similar to gardening. Both require a gentle approach, frequent check-ins and an ability to monitor conditions and adjust accordingly.
She says if you follow the 3Ps to lead nurturing, you can grow budding leads into blossoming customers. We share her insight in this issue of PromoPro Daily.
1. Profile. Profiling — creating ideal customer profiles — can help you nail your first outreach, Scannapiego says. Knowing the lead’s general interest level and segmenting the lead into a buyer persona box allows you to customize your messaging and start the relationship on the right foot.
2. Personalize. People like to feel special. By taking time to personalize your outreach, you can make each lead feel like they’re important. Make sure you’re easy to reach, Scannapiego says, and that you give everyone your undivided attention. She recommends taking notes during each call so you can reference them later.
3. Patience. Nurturing leads takes time. If you try to rush the process, your prospects may feel like you’re being too pushy. Scannapiego points out that sales nurturing is a sequence of touchpoints intended to strengthen your relationship over time. It could take months or even years to close a deal, so play the long game.
Even qualified leads need nurturing. Whether you reach out via email, surveys, one-on-one interactions or some other way, you can benefit from a better response rate and increased sales. One study shows that nurtured leads make 47% more purchases than non-nurtured leads, so make sure you’re following the 3Ps explained above.
Just like in gardening, not every seed will sprout. Keep this in mind and stay the course. Scannapiego recommends always aiming to be persistent but not pushy, prompt but not presumptive, patient but not passive. Striking this balance can be difficult sometimes, but it’s worth it when you see what new relationships grow from your efforts.
Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Christina Scannapiego is the director of content marketing at Copper, a CRM platform for businesses that use Google Workspace.