Lead nurturing: Maintaining a relevant and consistent
dialogue with viable potential customers, regardless of their timing to buy.
It's widely estimated that between 80%-90% of all your leads are long-term; only about 10% are actually
ready to purchase your product. Of course, it's frustrating for a sales force to continually follow up on so many prospects
who are just just "shopping." On the other hand, research indicates that at least 70% of those shoppers will
eventually buy something -- from someone. Here are more compelling statistics:
9 out of
10 website visitors are not ready to buy -- Brian Carroll, author of Lead Nurturing for the Complex Sale
After 6 months, 23% of those lead have made a purchase; 67% are still in the market -- Mac McIntosh,
80% of leads disqualified by Sales buy a solution within 24 months. Only 10% of Sales-accepted
leads close -- SiriusDecisions
Most marketing inquiries -- website visitors,
webinar attendees, etc. -- are long-term leads. But they do eventually buy from someone. Lead nurturing establishes regular communication
with these long-term prospects, creating a relationship and enhanced brand awareness. So, when they do purchase, the
chances of it being from you is significantly higher.
Relevant communications
The
more value added to your communications with long-term prospects, the better. E-mail newsletters are the industry
standard, but how about e-mailed links to interesting articles or reports? Information about trade shows or conferences? Invitations
to webinars or seminars you're hosting? Periodic personal telephone calls? Opinion surveys? The opportunities to engage are
endless.
For more information on
