There's no such thing as a 'dead' Lead
I have previously written about the importance of a Lead Nurturing strategy, and the primary activity of Lead Nurturing: To disseminate free content that is tailored and relevant to the individual.
This is in direct response to changes in the modern-day buyer, with buyers now largely preferring to shun direct sales and undertake their own research before approaching you when they're ready to commit to a purchase.
But the big problem marketers worldwide face when employing this logic, is that with a huge database of previous, current and potential clients, how can you ensure that the content you're giving is relevant to everyone?
This problem can be made somewhat easier by recognising the three different types of leads that may be lurking in your database. This is not the same as "the stages of the buying process" a client goes through, which is explained further in our upcoming White Paper.
Instead, this is a classification that should make implementing a fresh lead nurturing strategy much easier and, ultimately, prove that there is rarely such a thing as a 'dead Lead'.
Regardless of the size or sector of your individual business, Leads can almost always be catigorised in these three different ways:
1. Pre-Marketing Qualified Leads
This is the most-common type of Lead. These are the Leads with which you are trying to build a relationship, with the ultimate goal of one day securing their business. By nurturing the Lead and sending them information that will be useful to them, you are attempting to ensure that the prospect will remember you and trust you for when they are ready to make a purchase, regardless of when that'll be.
2. Recycled Leads
These are the Leads that you had previously tried to sell to but, for whatever reason, declined to make a purchase.
The fact that they have declined to buy your products initially doesn't mean that you should write them off completely though; in some cases it can actually enhance your chances of an eventual sale – as you are armed with more information on the prospect so you're able to tailor the content you send them more effectively.
The reasons for them not making an initial purchase could also have been out of your control – think finance – so by 'recycling' them and continuing to nurture these leads, you are ensuring that you'll be at the forefront of their thoughts when they are in a position to make a purchase.
3. Reconstituted Leads
These are the types of Leads that even strong marketing departments can let slip through their fingers.
These Leads would often be classed as 'dead' – maybe even deleted from a database altogether as there has been no obvious activity and they appear to have lost interest completely.
These type of people give you an opportunity to experiment and try new ideas – after all, they’re already a ‘dead lead’, so what have you got to lose?
Try new offers, offer other forms of content (video/podcasts etc); anything that you weren't sure about, try it here. If these offers or content are successful, you have not only gained a lead but also a tool or technique that you can integrate into your wider Lead Nurturing strategy.
Look out for our FREE White Paper all about Lead Nurture Marketing, coming to this website very soon.
At Contact Edge CRM, we specialise in Microsoft CRM, which helps businesses find creative ways to engage with customers. And by accurately tracking how the first engagement was initiated, it is easy to determine which elements of your marketing strategy are working.
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