Getting leads that result in sales is every business’ holy grail. Everyone wants sales-ready leads who are prepared to buy right then and there, but few know how to deal with the complexities of generating quality leads. They just know they want them.
However, we believe you want to know the ins and outs of how lead generation works so you can grow your business. We’re here to help with that! Let’s begin by discussing why not all leads are equal.
Myth 1: Traffic Results in Leads
Contrary to popular belief, getting traffic and getting leads are not the same thing. Thankfully this myth is starting to fade -This even Google has devalued website traffic in their search engine results. They realize that traffic is not a reliable indicator of site value. In fact, Google has aggressively gone after sites that pay for traffic in an attempt to increase their SEO ranking.
Let’s say you have a massive ad campaign giving away a free car. Do you think that all that traffic would result in leads interested in your offering? Unlikely. Most are interested in that free car. Yes, you would receive a lot of traffic but not necessarily quality traffic. After your ad campaign ends, that traffic is unlikely to stay interested in your business or convert into actual sales – they were simply there for the free stuff.
The takeaway? Unqualified traffic is a waste of resources and can actually be detrimental
Myth 2: Targeted Traffic Results in Qualified Leads
Although less obvious than the first myth, the second is equally flawed. The idea that targeted traffic obtains qualified leads may sometimes be true but rarely is. Most business take too broad of an approach to the term “targeted.”
We often ask business owners who their target audience is. Their response is typically something like, “anyone who…”. This is usually too broad for their business’ true needs. We have to go through a discussion to help them narrow their search and reach the audience who would actually qualify as potential customers for them. Here’s a real-world example….
We talked to a home builder and asked him who his audience was. His answer? “Anyone looking to buy a home.” However, he only builds homes in a specific area and not just anywhere. He also builds a specific style and material construction home that falls into a certain price range. As we continue the discussion, he begins to notice his target audience is really a bit more narrow. His previous notion of targeted traffic before would result in a lot of disqualified leads. A site visitor on the other side of the country looking for a home that’s under his price range wouldn’t be a qualified lead. If we had taken his original answer and run a PPC campaign based on it, we’d end up throwing out a lot of leads.
The takeaway? Qualified leads require qualified traffic
The Buyer’s Journey
We still aren’t quite home free because qualified leads do not mean sales-ready leads. This is where the buyer’s journey can help us out.
We know that shoppers go through different buying stages. By understanding this and incorporating the idea into our marketing strategy, we can help move them through this process.
We had a meeting with a customer who told us he did not like “tire kickers that wanted information and not a purchase.” While there are certain visitors who can make you feel like they’re wasting your time, there are others who simply need information and time before they purchase – and they shouldn’t be left out of your marketing strategy.
Gartner found that customers are more than halfway through the purchase process (57%) before they have the first meaningful contact with a seller.
People shop. Just because they aren’t sales-ready does not mean they are poor prospects. The real issue is how to manage the situation and help them along. It starts with accepting that early-stage prospects are future customers.
One key concept that stands between businesses and the notion of shopping as a process is old binary sales and marketing concepts. The notion goes that someone is either ready now or needs to be made ready. That the choice to buy is like an on-off switch. In reality, everyone is more like a dimmer switch that moves freely between one level and another.
Say Goodbye to “Buy Now or Goodbye”
Staying committed to the that outdated binary approach just doesn’t work in modern internet marketing. That approach will cause you to lose a lot of the traffic that you are paying for.
Instead of using the old “buy now or goodbye” approach, consider the more modern “buyer’s journey” in all of your marketing efforts. This means building relationships, addressing questions, and most importantly accelerating their time to purchase by educating and providing them with special offers that match their desires.
The buyer’s journey model groups prospects by how close they are to a purchase. We help you identify where prospects are at with strategies like putting valuable content behind a form that asks for a prospect’s email and information. You can then deliver helpful content to those prospects who are curious about next steps to help them through the process.
Seeking Leads that Convert to Sales?
Research has shown that 96% of website visitors are not ready to buy, and that only 2% (on average) convert on the first visit.
(Source: Marketo)
There really is no better way to get leads that turn into sales than to align your marketing efforts with your buyer’s journey. If you are guided by the buyer’s journey, you will focus on customers and what they need during the different stages of the buying process. By helping them instead of selling to them, you will build trust and appreciation with your prospect, making them more likely to take the next step and move toward a sale.
Need help?
74% of deals are awarded to the sales rep and company that was first to add value and insight. (Source: Corporate Insights)
We are experts in assisting companies in getting leads that result in sales. We use the buyer’s journey model, build custom content, and drive targeted traffic to your business. We convert your website visitors into leads that lead to sales, which means your business thrives.