We live in the future! No, seriously, in a world with brains growing in labs, invisibility cloaks made from wormholes, and space grown food, it's pretty clear we've made it to our old sci-fi concept of the future. And while lead generation isn't quite as cool as space lettuce, it has been keeping up with the 21st century. The move from hand-picked leads to ping post software, phone leads to web leads, and many other innovations have kept us up to date. So when working with web leads, have some 21st century courtesy. Here are a couple of things you can do for your web leads to make sure your business's future is bright:
When working with web leads, it’s rare to get information exclusively. One of the major benefits of online leads is that they can be sent to multiple companies at the same time. Keep this in mind when working online: You’re competing directly with other companies, so a fast response is both expected by your lead and necessary to get a word in. The odds of getting in touch with a lead if called in 5 minutes versus 30 minutes drop by 10,000%, according to Lead Response Management, and the odds of qualifying that lead drops 2100%. So when that lead comes rolling in, you’d better jump on it.
While waiting to be contacted, many customers stay on your website to get more information. Make sure that your landing page points your leads to a point of pride on your website, whether that’s your features list, your blog, even a free eBook or video demonstration. The more familiar a lead is with your business, the less work you’ll have to do describing yourself, and the more likely they are to listen to your pitch.
There’s nothing more annoying to a customer than doing more work than they have to. If you’re not using the information they gave you, why make them fill it out? You shouldn’t be asking “Where are you from?” if it says they’re from Chicago on the form, and you shouldn’t ask what service they’re looking for if they marked “auto finance” on their form. Asking for confirmation is perfectly acceptable, i.e. “So our information says you’re looking for an auto finance quote. Is that correct?” Just don’t act like you haven’t even looked at their information.
In addition, if you’re auto-responding with an email, make sure that email has dynamic fields for their name and other personal info. It will make your prospects feel more comfortable and useful, and will drive your sales home.
This one is for B2B sales in particular. If someone is giving their name and email address to you, there’s a good chance you can find them on LinkedIn. Using this available information may give you what you need to not just make a sale, but make a connection with a soon-to-be loyal customer. You can find their business, how long they’ve been there, how long they’ve been in the industry, and any sort of personal (but not too personal) information that can help you nurture the lead. Not to mention that you can often foster leads directly from LinkedIn.
Web leads are popular because multiple businesses can compete for the information. Leads know this, and because they’re hearing from all different companies, there’s a pretty good chance they’re not looking to buy right away. You don’t need to pressure them to make a sale on their first call. Stay relaxed, work with your prospect, and let your product speak for itself. As long as you’re not overthinking your salesmanship and applying unneeded pressure, any worthwhile prospect will feel more comfortable getting in touch with you again at a later date.
To make sure your company's future is look as good as it can, why not take a look at how to use our advanced ping post software? boberdoo has been around for 14 years, constantly innovating and improving on the lead distribution business. Click the banner above to receive a free eBook on how to take your lead distribution business to the next level! Tune in on Wednesday for a look at mobile lead generation!