So you’re getting calls and emails from prospects but they are not turning in to sales. We have put together 5 Simple Strategies for Converting a Sales Lead:

Many small businesses have worked with us on a digital advertising campaign on Mykidstime and when we ask them how they felt the campaign went they tell us “oh well it didn’t really work”. When we probe this statement they might say “well I had several enquiries but they didn’t book my service”.

It made us realise that many small businesses don’t actually have good strategies in place for converting sales leads that are generated by their marketing activity. So here are 5 Simple Strategies for Converting a Sales Lead:

#1. Practice Your Elevator Pitch

So the lead is interested (or they wouldn’t have contacted you). Are you doing a good job of clearly articulating in a few brief sentences why they should buy from you?

If they have called you, you only have this short opportunity to convince them. Rehearse this and ask someone you trust who knows your business if you can run this past them to see if they think it is clear.

If they have emailed you, you should have a set of sentences you use to write back to tell them about your business/service.

Someone once advised me to think of your business pitch to prospects this way: are you answering the key questions that the prospect has in their minds which are “Why should I care?” and “What’s in it for me?” and could a 10 year old understand what you’re saying about your business or service? (I’m not putting 10 year olds down here by the way but just to get you to know that you have explained it simply!)

#2. Understand the Pain Points

Have a complete understanding of what it is that your service or product solves for customers. Then articulate to them why your services solves those pain points.

Say you run a birthday party service. A parent calls you as they have seen your business (maybe on Mykidstime!). “I’m calling to find out about the your party service.” So why should they care about your party service?

They should care because you a) organise everything, b) amuse the kids for 2 hours, c) there’s no mess, and so on.

#3. Always Follow Up

If you get a voicemail from a prospect or an email ALWAYS follow up. No ifs and buts. If someone took time out of their busy schedule to contact you for a reason, they are interested in what you have to offer. This is a warm lead and needs to be actioned.

It amazes me that if I take the time to call a business and leave a message or send an email that no one replies. It puts me right off that business from the start. What’s the point in having contact information if no one gets back to you?

I’ve even had one business owner answer the phone then proceed to tell me they were going to call me back and never call me back! (needless to say I went elsewhere)

#4. If They Are Not Ready That’s Still an Opportunity

Sometimes the customer is not ready to buy off you at that point. But remember 2 things:

1) they might want to buy off you in the future so ask them for their email if you are talking to them so that you can keep them informed of any new products or services.
2) they might tell another prospective customer about you.

So think of these as prospective future customers and woo them with marketing strategies such as contacting them with special offers or sending them useful information about your service or things they might be interested in.

#5. Find Out Where They Heard About You

This is one of the most crucial pieces of information you will collect from a prospective customer. Make sure you ask them where they heard about your business or service. This allows you to track all your different marketing efforts.

Don’t be shy to ask this and build it into any forms you have offline and online.

Now you might ask why is this a strategy for converting a lead. It’s not directly about the conversion you are working on then and there, but it is critical to you understanding

• where leads are being generated from, so which marketing is working best for you;
• what type of prospects those marketing efforts are bringing you;
• and reconfirming what pain points they have (remember #2).

so always always ask where they heard about you.

One final phrase to always keep in mind, Customer Relationship Management. This applies to the start of the relationship just as much as during the relationship. Converting a lead is about building a relationship with that prospect to the point that they trust and like you and are happy to buy from you.

Want to find out more about how Mykidstime can help you with your digital marketing and leads? Contact us now.