For many of you, the thought of relying on technology to grow your customer base may seem awkward and uncomfortable. I get it! But I also want to remind you… not that many years ago, using a mobile phone and email for business communications seemed awkward and uncomfortable too. Imagine if you didn't jump on that bandwagon!
Often the things that make us uncomfortable are also the things that grow us.
It's a fact. Using technology to assist in acquiring new customers is effective. But even more importantly, if you are going to survive, it’s essential!
Let's step back for a moment so I can ask you a short series of questions.
- How long does it take on average from the time you meet a prospect to the time they buy?
- How about from the time that prospect starts thinking about your product or service to the time they eventually buy it?
- What kinds of questions, concerns, and objections do they have?
- And where do they typically turn to find those answers?
If you've been at your company for a while, you were probably able to answer those pretty easily. You are likely to have a pretty good idea of how long this process can take and the kinds of questions and concerns your customers typically have because you have been a part of that process. Everything that happened before they arrived on your radar could be more of a mystery though.
Salespeople get paid to make sales and they have budgets that hold them accountable to that, so it only makes sense that a salesperson would be most interested in talking with prospects that are ready to make a buying decision. But what about the prospects that are still in the early stages of their customer journey? The ones that are just now beginning to explore? Those prospects get missed.
That's the problem.
But here's the good news. Technology can help!
Be Seen as an Expert
You can now establish credibility and thought leadership to win over those prospect who are still in the early stages of their buying journey. There are tools and resources that you can easily put in place to answer all of their questions at the moment that they have them. This will make you a trusted advisor and the one they eventually turn to when they are ready to buy.
The key is to be seen as the true expert from the first step in their journey. If you are, then you will be the one they turn to for solutions in the end. If your competition serves this role… that's a problem. So let's talk about how you can put yourself in that position, using your expertise to establish credibility and trust and then to drive revenue.
Understand How Propsects Research
First we need to understand how these prospects get the information they need to make a buying decision. Most people report that they prefer gathering information without the hassle of connecting with someone early in the process. This makes sense, right? After all, it's not always easy to connect in this busy world and we are often hungry for answers late at night, on the weekend, or at other times when a business contact is unavailable. Can your prospects and customers obtain the information they need from you any time? If not, let's talk about how to change that.
Prospects Start Online—You Should Be There
Most people start their process by looking for the information they want online. We live in an on-demand world, and people are now wired to expect information about a business or marketing problem on demand. We have grown accustomed to turning to sources like Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and even email to gain the answers we seek. Imagine how valuable it would it be for your business if you were the expert that turned up in their search. The thought leader. Now imagine if your website was set up and optimized so when they visited it they could easily find the answers they were looking for right away. Essentially you would be providing information and answers on-demand which is powerful stuff.
You Need Intel on Your Prospects' Interest and Actions
Now, let's take this even one step further. Imagine how unbelievably valuable it would be if your website was set up in such a way that you could know exactly who is visiting, what they looking at, the content they are reading, and the information they are downloading. This kind of insight into their "digital body language" would allow you to identify your best prospects and better understand exactly where they are in their buying journey. It would also allow you to begin interacting with them based on their interests and how those interests intersect with your company's offerings.
The best sales organizations today are using this sort of lead generation and lead intelligence to help drive revenue. It's time for to learn more about how you can do this too!
Now it's up to you. Take the first step and email me directly so we can talk through how this could work for your organization: Mattsunshine@csscenter.com. Or if you’re not quite ready to talk, download this infographic that illustrates the 7-step process for generation quality leads. Looking forward to hearing from you.
