The ability to find prospects and nurture them into qualified leads is the primary challenge for every sales representative. Studies says, only 1 to 2 in 10 prospects convert to a sale and hence it is important to accumulate in large numbers.
Listed below are some methods followed by smart business owners to get prospects.
Who is a Prospect?
In simple terms, a prospect is someone who has a need, desire and/or interest in what you offer. Prospects can be obtained in a variety of ways using both inbound and outbound marketing.
- Social Network
Social Networking platforms are the new marketing scope for the business world. Not only do they offer a great way to connect with customers, but also a new place for you to grow your list of prospective customers. It is a great way to start create and nurture relationships through engaging in conversations.
You can also share relevant content and getting to know the people who are keen followers of your brand via their comments and shares.
- Using Influencers
Sharing the content of influencers on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn will have the ability to get exposure in two ways. First it exposes you with your customers and second, the admiration you have for influencers.
If they could recommend your brand and your product to your targets, a potential customer would feel so much more confident to go ahead and follow you, might share your content, subscribe to your newsletter and probably purchase from you.
- Testimonials and Case Studies
Use the case studies and success stories of people and companies who have experienced success with your product. Make use of their positive feedback and learn from negative comments too.
These testimonials proof would give people the confidence to check out your website, follow you on social network, maybe sign up for a free trial and will become qualified leads in your sales pipeline.
- Content and Blogs
Quality content is one of the easiest and most effective ways of finding prospects for your business. Content that is relevant to your target market is the key to people subscribing to communications from you, sharing your content with others and ultimately helping you build an audience. And this audience could be nurtured into prospective leads.
Try to share as much content as possible. Because sharing knowledge and information is something we all do and business who gets their content shared becomes somewhat of an expert.
- Host Trade Shows and Events
Use one of the old networking styles an essential part of your prospect hunting routine. Try to engage with people face-to-face, tell them about yourself, your business and your product and ask about them. Exchange contact details, add them to your database and keep in touch.
- Ask for Customer Referrals
Making existing customers your brand ambassadors is cost free marketing.
The cost of retaining a customer is much lower than that of acquiring a new one, loyal customers tend to buy more and spend more. So treat them well and they will recommend you. Word-of-mouth is undoubtedly one of the most powerful tools any business can employ to attract prospects, so make sure your clients have something good to say about you.
- Email Marketing
Use emails, follow-ups and automated communications to keep in touch with your prospects and turn them into solid leads. Expand your target profile and get your message across to more and more people; nurture leads using targeted content distributed via email. The best thing about email is that it can be used together with other tools such as social media (add a sign-up form to your Facebook page for example) or networking events (collect emails and add them to your database).
- Optimize Your Website
In the digital world, your website could be the first point of contact between a prospective customer and your business. So make sure that your website is optimized with
-An attractive landing page
-A detailed explanation of product/service features
-Registration forms and Micro conversion
-Photos and testimonials of existing customers
-Links to privacy policy while signing up
-Demo videos
-Helpful blogs
-FAQs
-Social Media Links
-Press Releases
-Photos and information regarding awards and achievements and
– CaaS – Conversation as a Service (Not an AI-based live chat. To know what CaaS is, click here)
- Build Long Term Relationship
Building a one-to-one relationship with your prospects will yield conversion results in the long term. Find out what your customers value, always listen to what they say and how they say it—and adjust your approach to match their expectations. Find out what you and customers have in common and engage on that subject; follow up on key details.
If you nurture well, a large proportion of your prospects can turn into valuable leads.
So how do you find prospects?
Leave your thoughts in the comments section below and let’s share knowledge.
