NZBUSINESS.CO.NZ 45
LOGAN WEDGWOOD IS AN AUCKLAND-BASED MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT SPECIALISING
IN MARKETING AND SALES.Nurture those leads
THE BIGGEST CHANGE IN MARKETING HISTORY IS UPON US, SAYS LOGAN WEDGWOOD, AND IT ALL DEPENDS
ON A NEW BREED OF MARKETER.
IN THE “good old days”
marketing brought in leads and the
sales department made quick work
of closing a sale – converting those
leads into customers.
Nowadays, however, it’s safe to
say that times have changed.
Sales cycles and lead times
have grown, and doing deals has
become more complex.
Add to this, too, the fact that
marketing activities are having
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genuine leads – warm leads where
customers are even close to ready
to buy.
So, why is this?
My theory is that we –
consumers and customers – are
sick of it. We’re sick of the snake
oil, the trickery, the noise online,
the lack of relevance, the lack of
understanding, the lack of genuine
effort.
Businesses everywhere are
acting like they are trying to make
a quick buck and it’s not working
for us.
There is a solution, however. Put
simply, there’s a new role required
- that of ‘the Nurturer’.
Today everything is happening
so quickly and there’re so many
messages going on.
As a result, today’s leads/
prospects/suspects – whatever
you wish to call them – need a
small window of time to think
things over. Marketing have done
their job and brought the lead in,
but that person is not yet ready
to engage with a salesperson and
complete their journey towards
a sale.
So where does the Nurturer
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The Nurturer’s role is to
maintain touchpoints with
customers who are not yet ready
to buy – generating and delivering
genuine value, without an ask,
until the lead moves to a state of
readiness.
I’ve heard people argue that
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to some extent, yes they do. While
often faster and still sometimes
effective, pressure closes are a
short-term play at best. You will
make a sale now, but rarely will
you get more out of the same
customer, because ultimately they
feel ‘sold’.
Most customers today just
need a little time to go throughtheir own buying cycle. They need
time to get to know you and to
get comfortable with their buying
decision. The Nurturer’s role is to
help them do that.
The marketing team or the sales
team can do this job, or you can
create a separate role for a person
with this skill-set but, make no
mistake, if you want to increase
your conversions and invest in a
longer-term pipeline of business,
you need to take the time to
nurture the leads that aren’t yet
ready to buy.
So, what do these customers
need from you to get comfortable?- They want to know what you
stand for. - They want to know why you do
what you do. - They want to know how you can
deliver value that is different
from your competitors.
MARKETING MATTERS- They want education and surety
that they are making the right
decision. - They want time to make the
right decision.
Now, think about your business- how are you delivering this
information? Are you delivering
it at all? If so, is it deliberate or
accidental? Have you designed a
nurturing programme that keeps
you front of mind without crossing
over into ‘annoying’ territory?
If you have leads coming
through but your pipeline isn’t
converting, consider the nurturing
process and whether you could
better look after those potential
customers who haven’t bought
from you yet.
This could very well make all the
difference between the sales you
make and the ones you don’t.