4 reasons why nurturing leads is more important than ever
As the digital age progresses, nurturing sales leads into buyers has become more important to businesses worldwide. But why? We uncover the 5 top reasons nurturing leads is best business practice.
While technology has connected us together, it hasn't streamlined the sales process. If anything, it's made the sales cycle longer. In just two years, the sales cycle has reportedly increased from 6.4 months to 8.1 months. In that time, 43% of businesses have seen a rise in the length of their sales process and 90% of them have a sale cycle longer than a month.
So, why is the sales cycle lengthening and what can nurturing leads do?
- Businesses & consumers are still wary
The last decade hit us all hard. The economy might have bounced back, but people's attitudes haven't. Now, more than ever, customers are researching everything about their purchases online to make sure they are not getting scammed. Here is where you need to start nurturing your leads. You need to show them that you're trustworthy, valuable and a product they need. The best way to do this is to take them through a clear user journey on your website.
- There are so many options to choose from
We just touched on the fact that businesses and customers do their research first. Over 74% of your leads will come from recommendations. So it's all about whose voice is the loudest. Do you have a following that is obsessed with your brand?Here's where you nurture your leads further. You've almost convinced them about your product, but you need someone else to back you up. Show them successful case studies, let them contact your other clients and let your reviews speak for themselves.
- Whitepapers just aren't working
Customers love content, but they've caught onto the fact that businesses can tweak their results. Instead, they want to see the results for themselves. Offer your leads a free demo or trial. Your product should be good enough without a whitepaper.If your leads still aren't convinced with the trial, have a salesperson on hand, nurturing them a little further. Maybe they sit in on a demo or they are just there to answer any questions as soon as your lead has them. This is a good way to combat any sales objections that arise in the sales cycle.
- Too many cooks in the kitchen
To successfully turn a lead into a sale, you need to go to the decision maker. The problem is, 43% more stakeholders are involved in the decision-making process now compared to two years ago. So getting everyone to agree can be tricky.To make sure you're nurturing the right lead from the beginning, it's important to find the lead decision maker from the start. Your best bet is to find a director in the company. But how do you find out who the director is?
The solution is simple. Use Visitor Identification on your website to see which leads have come in. Then get their company details and find the director from there. That way, you'll start nurturing the right lead, right away.