Do you know this old parable? A man has a large boulder in his back yard, and every day he goes out a hits it with a sledgehammer in a effort to reduce it to ruble so that it can be removed. Each day he hits it one time. This goes on for a year. And on the last day of the year, he swings the sledgehammer, and it cracks and crumbles in to a million small pieces.
The question is: Was it the last strike of the hammer that cracked and crumbled the boulder, or was it the result of the man’s daily efforts?
If you’re not converting as many leads as you would like, chances are you are not going out back and paying attention that that boulder.
Having a lead nurturing program is essential to reducing sales costs and increasing profits.
Companies with organized, systematic programs to reach back to leads are the companies who enjoy an above average conversion rate.
It takes constant attention.
Leads convert at different times for different reasons. And if’ you’re not staying in contact with your leads, engaging them in value-based conversations, then you are short-changing your efforts.
Seth Godin had a great point in his blog today when he asked why more companies don’t consider the lifetime value of a customer. You can’t convert what you ignore.
You’ve paid for the lead. Leverage that spend and increase your marketing your ROI.
(Image courtesy of Corbis)
As I read the book I was reminded by the way my grandparents nurtured their customers. They would (mostly my grandmother) would send handwritten notes to those who made purchases thanking them for their patronage. They also sent birthday and anniversary greetings. If they saw an engagement announcement in the paper they would cut it out, laminate and mail it to the bride’s family with a congratulatory note. Railroaders needed to have their watches regulated (I guess at some point trains ran on time) and they would mail reminders so that the engineers and yardmen would all be in sync.
