Increasing the flow of leads to your company is one critical step but if you don’t communicate with prospects in the most effective way, your customer acquisition cost may be higher than it has to be… as much as 100% or more.
Communicate more “meaningfully” and you’ll turn more prospects into customers. Meaningful Communications include getting a prospect to spend more time learning about your product or service and company. Here are some proven tips to do that:
1. Respond Quickly – If you cannot interact with the prospect when they inquire, for example when a prospect fills out a website form or indicates interest by calling and leaving a voice message, it is critical that you take action fast. Responding quickly will give a prospect an indication of how responsive you will be if he becomes a customer. Respond quickly because if you don’t, a prospect may make a buying decision with a competitor.
- One of our clients saw the percentage of prospects in which they engage in a conversation jump from 31% to 82% by responding within 30 minutes versus waiting until the next day!
2. Qualify Fast – Quickly determine if a prospect is likely to purchase from you, now or in the future, as well as if the prospect is a good match with the product or service you provide. Often a sales person spends too much time with an unqualified prospect squandering her time instead of staying focused on working with more qualified prospects.
3. Identify the Next Step for a Prospect to Take – Most prospects are silently begging to be led. Make sure that your sales process has a clear call to action telling a prospect exactly what to do. For example, when you respond ask the prospect to set up a meeting with you if you have a sales force that visits prospects. If you’re an online business and the prospect fills out a form for more information, your next step might be to place a phone call to the prospect.
By applying these three tips, you’ll convert more leads into “Meaningful Communications" and ultimately customers, while immediately boosting your profits.
