Turning a lead into a customer is easier said than done! If you didn’t catch the first part of this guide, you can find it here. To close internet leads like a pro, we’ve already covered Step #1 “Be Quick.”  so today we’re diving straight into steps two and three! 

Step #2 Be Thorough

Make Contact & Follow Up:

– Some online research claims that less than 45% of internet leads are ever contacted

– The average salesperson will only make 1.3 call attempts to follow up with a lead before giving up, however, 80% of all transactions require 5-12 follow-ups 

 

While Internet leads are usually accessible if you call right away, that won’t happen every time. People are busy and distracted by the constant in-flow of information and nobody likes to pick up a call from an unknown number. 

Your leads are likely distracted and might miss, or ignore your first few contact attempts. Successful salespeople are dedicated to pursuing every lead, even when it means multiple calls, emails, and/or texts. 

 

REMEMBER: If you want to get a hold of your leads, you can’t just send one email or leave one voicemail and call it quits. 

Leave No Stone Unturned:

Send your communication through multiple channels so the prospect is sure to see your message, realize how thorough you are, and receive multiple touches to establish your brand. You can text them, email them, call them, FB message them, etc.

If You Use Texting:

Most internet leads include a phone number. Don’t limit yourself to thinking that calling is all you can do with that customer’s phone number. Text follow-ups can help conversions increase by 40%.

Identify yourself and your company in your texts. More than likely, your number isn’t saved in their phone. 

Don’t take too long! If you’re worried that a potential customer forgot about you, don’t follow-up weeks later, especially with a text. Chances are, they have found a different solution or won’t appreciate the delay.

 

Don’t Be Pushy:

If you constantly pressure your prospective customer to make a decision, you instantly increase your chances of being turned down. Even a message every day might be too much for some people. Some companies have yielded the best results with a follow-up every 2 or 3 days.

HOW YOU DO IT:

– Keep a spreadsheet of your leads and write down when and how you reached out to them and what the result was of that outreach 

– Follow up several times to reach the leads until they tell you they are not interested (SUCCESS TIP: It’s important to reach out at different times of the day)

– Use different modes of communication to reach out 

 

Step #3 Be Prepared To Engage 

When you do get your lead on the phone or responding to messages, don’t assume they are automatically going to say yes to a sale. Internet leads need a little more nurturing to feel comfortable and secure in dealing with a business they just met. 

While your ad or marketing tactics may have gotten their interest piqued, they still need to be influenced to move closer to a buying decision. Most want to feel assured that they are dealing with a business that truly cares about their needs, not just someone impersonally responding to an online form submission.

 

Know Your Message:

Have a unique selling proposition (USP) that you can identify quickly to the lead. You should also understand the core values of your company so you can speak to any issue appropriately. 

It’s important to recognize that online buyers may be more informed through research, price checking, and studying your competitors – so be prepared with answers questions like “What makes you different?” or “Why should I choose your business over others?”

 

Investigate Their Needs:

Many leads may just be looking for one piece of information, like a price quote. If you give up that information in the first sentence, they can quickly be done with you and move on to get the next bid from your competitor. 

Instead, you should start off by asking them questions about their specific situation. What are they trying to achieve? Often, if you listen closely, you will be given critical information that will allow you to customize your approach or price quote. Your goal is to ask questions and provide a solution to their problem so that they don’t feel the need to look any further. 

 

Be Personable: 

Once you get someone on the phone, don’t blow your chance with cold or impersonal communication – you might not get another chance. Nobody wants to talk to a salesperson or feel like someone is trying to sell them. Think about it, do you enjoy sales calls? No! You need to gain trust, understand their needs, and make the conversation about them. 

Try connecting with them on a personal level to make them comfortable and feel at ease. A simple way to do this is to use their name when you speak to them. You don’t necessarily have to make the conversation about your product initially, just have a genuine human-to-human conversation and the product or service will naturally come up.

 

Nurture Them:

Many, if not most, web leads are NOT ready to purchase something right away. They are choosing the more passive approach of getting information by submitting web forms to help them get closer to making that buying decision. Instead of dismissing them as just a one time sale in that moment, treat your internet prospects like a valued referral who just walked into your office door. 

If they sense you’re genuinely interested in building a relationship, you’ll start to earn their trust. Building lifelong clients will inevitably result in getting referrals, renewals, and cross-sales.  Nurturing is all about staying in contact with web leads and pulling them through the sales funnel by providing them with useful information to eventually help them make a buying decision.

 

Have The Right Tools & Knowledge:

There are various ways to follow up with a potential customer, including phone, email, text, social media messaging, etc. It’s important that you, or your organization, have access to these various platforms, as well as competence in using them. Understanding how different communication mediums work, and the appropriate ways to handle communication or writing conventions on the individual platforms is key for being efficient.

  

HOW YOU DO IT:

– Learn your company’s Unique Selling Proposition and be able to speak to it

– Learn your company’s core values so they can influence how you speak to internet leads

– Practice answers to frequently asked questions

– Make sure your message is consistent:

– Make sure that your sales team has the same message as your marketing efforts. Talk to your sales team about the intent, pain points, and goals of your leads. The better your sales team understands where their leads are coming from, the more effective they will be at closing sales

– Create a list of questions that you can use to ask customers about their needs, experiences, and desires

– Use the prospect’s name in conversation to connect with them

– Be patient with web leads, they are tentatively stepping into the ring

 

TL/DR:

Most web leads…

• Initially prefer the convenience of digital communication
• Are inquiring with competing websites/businesses at the same time
• Know that their submitted information will trigger an email and/or phone call from a salesperson
• Expect a quick response
• Will stay on a website after a form has been submitted (if encouraged to do so)
• Get turned off when information they already submitted in web form is asked again or ignored
• Are not ready to purchase something just yet

Successful businesses…

• Must treat web leads like valuable, informed prospects who walked in the office/store
• Must respond quickly
• Must follow through consistently
• Must be prepared and equipped to handle web leads (i.e. have USP and core values ready)
• Minimize response time by setting up automated responses via text or email.
• Ensure that your sales team has the same message as your marketing efforts. Talk to your sales team about the intent, pain points and goals of your leads. The better your sales team understands where their leads are coming from, the more effective they will be at closing sales.

You’ve Got The Power

You have the power to close deals, utilizing leads to exponentially grow your business and dominate your market 

We hope this guide has been helpful for converting leads! Acquiring those leads to convert…? That’s a whole different ball game. 

If you want help with your lead generation, get in touch with us. We’re always happy to help.