The objective of attracting the right people to the desired venues then establishing relationships and building them is evolution of the association to one of customer and service provider. Inbound marketing focuses on accomplishing this over time through nurturing and growing the relationship and building trust. To increase success in this area employing the most effective focus is paramount. No business has a perfect capture rate but if the right tools are employed success will be improved. Following are effective tools to use in turning leads into customers:
- Lead Prioritization – Turning a higher percentage of leads into customers can be impacted by identifying the prospects that are most likely to buy and focusing more attention on them. Ranking prospects based on interest level is a common method for prioritization.
- Purchase Phase Recognition – Knowing the purchase phase of a prospective customer will provide intelligence on the key points to stress in the relationship. Whether the person is at the point of need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives or ready to purchase allows cultivation of the relationship at the right level.
- Ongoing Communication – Staying in touch with prospective customers is imperative. On average a customer must be exposed to a product or service seven times before considering a purchase. So multiple communications are a necessity in most cases.
- Performance Evaluation – Closing efforts must be monitored and improved on an ongoing basis. Lead prioritization, purchase phase recognition and ongoing communication efforts must be measured for effectiveness and changes enacted where necessary. Achieving the best possible results requires striving for excellence in all actions taken.
