Lead nurturing is a key tool for successful telemarketing initiatives. Staying in touch with prospects, even where an opportunity may not yet exist, is crucial to building brand awareness and improving your organization reach in the market.
Below are a few tips to a successful nurturing approach to maintaining communications with your prospects:
Do your homework
Keep detailed notes on the previous conversations, including indicators that will trigger the prospect memory of the call. Prior to calling, review the notes recognizing when the last communication took place, what information was shared, and any interest the contact expressed. Referencing that you, or a colleague, spoke to them previously and mentioning a few tidbits from the conversation will not only add more validity to your call, but put the contact at ease knowing that they are not participating in a cold call. Reference previously mentioned pains and challenges, upcoming initiatives, or even if you are calling to follow up on their planning cycle.
Set accurate expectations
Whether it is your first conversation with the prospect or your tenth, it is important to set expectations as to next steps for the account. If there is no opportunity at the time of the conversation, let the prospect know that you will be in touch in the next few months. Should a potential sales opportunity present itself, provide the contact a timeline for how the process will progress. Always set the expectation that the prospect will be hearing back from your organization to maintain lines of communication.
Add value to the relationship
Nurturing efforts should do just that, nurture the relationship between the prospect and your organization. If the only communication you have with the prospect is to ask if they are ready to make a purchase, the relationship is no different than a cold sales call. Instead, integrate other means of communication into your contact strategy. Send emails with relevant whitepapers or case studies to keep the prospect informed and educated on how you can help them. Call to invite the contact to attend an event your organization is hosting in their area. Maintaining a consistent flow of information takes your relationship beyond the