It is often said that one of the key roles for any marketing team is to get leads through a pipeline or funnel.
That doesn’t feel right to me.
I think marketing should be nurturing relationships that evolve into leads. There is a big difference.
We want to do business with people we know, trust and respect. It is important that those people help us solve a very particular problem we face too.
If I go to a website and download a white paper, I am not asking someone to call me immediately. The call is intrusive since I never asked for a call. If the white paper has rich information that is helpful, I might go to their website to learn more. I don’t have a problem with receiving an email with some additional useful information that I can judge if it is relevant.
Communicating the Problems You Solve
I think the lead generation process works best when you do these things.
- Identify a target audience who share a common set of problems.
- Determine if your product/service is a solution to the issue they are wrestling with in their work.
- Creatively make them aware of your ability to help them. The best approach involves a simple positioning effort so that they quickly understand a way to think about you and what you are offering.
- Give them examples of how you helped others so they can see social proof and validation of your solution.
- Nurture the relationship over time without asking for anything from them.
- When they come to you and say, “I want to know more and see if your solution will work for me” – that is when you have a real qualified lead.
- Promptly attend to their request and be as helpful as you can be making it clear that they understand the difference between your solutions and other choices in the marketplace.
- Nurture that connection in unexpected ways and find opportunities to personalize the relationships. Don’t make it a business relationship — find a way to make it human not transactional.
Teach to Nurture Customers
One simple suggestion is to invite someone who has filled out a form on your website, to a small, webinar with just a few people that will educate them but won’t be commercial or pushy. By making it exclusive and positioning as a chance to gain knowledge, you can take away the fear that someone is going to push them hard to close a deal. Clearly communicate that you won’t be selling anything, just sharing insights and knowledge.
I truly believe that teaching is the new marketing. Educating potential clients is a powerful way to nurture a connection. If I learn from you, you have already helped me. If I have a problem and see a chance that you could be part of the solution, then the potential customer will seek you out.
It is always easier to have someone you have helped first, want to know more about you and your work.
Gardening is my favorite metaphor for thinking about marketing and lead nurturing. If you expect flowers or vegetables to grow without planting seeds, adding water and nutrients, you have never been in a garden. If you expect new customers to come to you without nurturing the relationships and first being helpful, you are never going to reach your goals of harvesting more revenue or picking vegetables from the garden.
Go plants some seeds and be patient as you nurture it along.
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Need someone to lead you toward customers? Email me at jeffreylynnslater@gmail.com Or fill out this form. Or call me at 919 720 0995.
Photo: Pixabay Creative Commons
