Generating leads is critical to any business. However, when leads do not convert to sales right away (and most of them don’t), we are often too quick to label them as “bad” leads. This situation is understandably frustrating, but most of the time a simple adjustment of perspective is all that is needed. 

The truth is, few leads are actually “bad” leads. Some are quicker to convert than others, some need more nurturing in order to feel convinced, and some might never convert but do become a source of referrals. All exposure is good, but exposure is only the first step. 

Shifting your perspective… 

So instead of seeing leads as “good” or “bad”, you can develop a wider perspective by viewing sales as a funnel. At the top of the funnel, you gather leads. With online marketing, you might do this by attracting traffic to your website or getting social media users to click your ads. 

Then, leads gradually work their way down through the funnel. In the middle of the funnel, they are gathering information, comparing their options, and deciding what works best for their situation. One by one, in their own time, they reach the bottom of the sales funnel and make a commitment. 

In many cases, a lead that hasn’t converted just hasn’t converted yet. What happens in the middle of that sales funnel is vitally important, and many business owners are skipping this step: 

So here is the secret… 

The sales funnel doesn’t stop at the top! After you gather your leads, what are you doing to encourage their progress toward the bottom?  You MUST nurture the leads (especially if they came from a cold market source) through a process of information and education in order for them to convert into sales.

This is what content marketing is designed to do. Yes, we can build you a website and help you attract traffic. Or, we can run some ad campaigns on social media. But once you’ve caught the attention of your prospects, the next step is to hold onto it. You need to continually nurture the relationship, build trust, educate leads on your brand, and help them make a decision. 

Nurturing leads takes time, and requires dependable, helpful, and educational messages. You should work to gradually deepen the relationship and answer any questions your leads might have. Make a consistent effort to reach out to them personally as they consider their options  and move along the sales funnel. 

And when those prospects are ready to make a commitment, whom do you think they will call? In many cases it will be the household name, the brand they recognize from blogs, social media, or emails. It will be the company that addressed their concerns and helped them to sort through their options. It will be you!

Yes, we can help you establish a sales funnel to gather leads. But more importantly, we offer you the tools to move leads through the sales funnel until they reach the bottom. If you’re ready to focus on nurturing those relationships and start turning leads into sales, contact us to learn more about our system.