You’ve been engaging with a prospect for months. They are opening your emails, taking your calls and may have even requested a proposal or agreement. But all of the sudden, they seem to fall off the face of the earth. What happened?
One possibility is that they weren’t really interested in the first place but didn’t want to say no. Or perhaps they are still interested but don’t have the funds or buy-in from decision makers. It’s possible they chose another service provider, have had a change in priorities or have even left the company. Whatever the reason, it can be frustrating for marketing and salespeople when leads go radio silent. Fortunately, there are ways to bring those cold leads back to life.
Revive disengaged leads
Here are five strategies for reviving your interactions with leads who have vanished into thin air.
1. Send them content that helps solve their pain points.
One great way to reengage cold leads is by sending them helpful resources that are relevant to their unique situation and needs. These resources can include blog posts, published articles, infographics, white papers and videos. When you send content that addresses their pain points, you show that you understand the issues they are facing.
2. Do some research.
Take time to check in and see what your cold leads are up to. Have they published any press releases or articles? Have they been mentioned in the news? What have they been sharing on LinkedIn? Reference these highlights in your outreach to forge a more personal connection.
3. Publish case studies and send them to your cold leads.
The easiest way to show someone what you can do for them is to show them what you have done for others. Case studies demonstrate success through real-world examples and show what it’s like to work with your company. Look back on the results you’ve driven for your customers. Reach out to key contacts and ask if you can develop a case study detailing their success. Once the case study is published, send it to the cold leads who are seeking similar services and results.
4. Change your routine.
If your typical approach is to connect with prospects by email or phone, find different ways to reach out. Try sending a message via LinkedIn or tag your prospect on an article of interest on the platform. If your contact is on Twitter, send a direct message, especially if the prospect follows you or your company. A letter in the mail with a piece of relevant content could get their attention, especially in this time of digital communication. Get creative, but be sure you are coming across as a helpful resource, not an annoyance.
5. Maintain a consistent frequency of contact.
The key to effectively communicating with prospects is delivering the right message, through the right medium at the right time. In addition to reaching out personally every few months, use inbound marketing to keep your company top of mind with prospects. Regularly offer content in the form of newsletters, blogs, social media posts, webinars, etc. Remember, how often your customers want to hear from you is a direct reflection of the quality of content you are providing. The more relevant and timely your content is, the more receptive they will be to hearing from you on a more frequent basis.
Never give up hope
Sales are rarely closed on the first try. A successful salesperson nurtures relationships with prospects and is diligent about reaching out, following up and connecting with them on a regular basis. Reviving “dead” leads is much easier and more cost effective than starting the lead-generation process from scratch. Relevant content gives you a reason to reach out to cold leads and demonstrates your value and commitment to their success. To learn more about how to use contact marketing to revive your sales process, contact Trade Press Services today.
