The Power of Pipeline Nurturing
Ed Trachier, CEO
If your world is like mine, you sometimes get lost in the hustle and bustle of day to day business. It is in these times that I have to remind myself of the power of pipeline nurturing.
Sometimes a lead isn’t converted into a client or customer shortly after first contact due to deal flow (time to close) or some other unique circumstances. It is imperative for each of us to focus on three areas: capturing the lead information, creating a lead pipeline, and nurturing the lead through our (closing) process. We as marketers need to focus on each of these areas, and, as a result, we can transform a nurtured lead into a client.
It’s always great to get a referral, phone call or email with an inquiry from a qualified prospect, and a few days later have a signed fee agreement— but it usually doesn’t happen that way.
This doesn’t mean the lead should be dropped or discarded; rather, with the right care, feeding and patience, your lead has the potential to become a valuable future client. The key is for the marketer to remain on the lead’s radar and follow up with the lead as agreed.
First, capture the leads contact information in your CRM. Put in good notes about your conversation and what next steps are.
Second, do what you said you would do! If you promised a whitepaper or case study, send away. If you said you would call back in six weeks, make the call. Drip campaigns are useful to building solid nurturing pipelines.
A solid sales pipeline requires a powerful nurturing pipeline. If you don’t have a pipeline nurturing plan in place, OnTarget can help. Visit http://www.ontargetpartners.com/contact.html.
-Ed
Ed can be reached at 214-618-4960, or via email at trachier@ontargetpartners.com.
Tags: increase sales effectiveness, lead generation, marketing strategy, outsourced b2b marketing and sales companies, qualified sales leads
