Business growth isn’t the goal. It’s the bedrock of running a successful operation.
Simply put, if you’re not growing, you’re dying!
That’s why the marketing budgets of corporations have reached such astronomical heights. Next year, for instance, businesses are set to spend over $275 billion on ads. The mission?
To generate leads.
Clearly, buying and/or generating leads is a crucial first step on the path to business growth. But it’s only the first half of the battle! The next, all-important stage is turning them into paying customers.
Using sales leads in this way is the name of the game. Failing to convert them into sales is a sure-fire way to hamstring any business’ attempts at expansion. Looking for advice on how to use leads more effectively and improve your rate of conversion?
Read on for 7 top tips on growing your business with sales leads.
1. Provide an Incentive to Buy
All leads have an interest in your product or service.
That, by definition, is what makes them a lead in the first place! Unfortunately, though, that interest doesn’t always amount to purchase intent.
It’s like window shopping in a store. You appreciate what’s on display but have no intention of buying anything.
Sweetening the deal somehow is an effective way to change that predicament. After all, it’s hard to resist a quality deal, discount, or freebie. Put something like that on the line and it’s natural for a boost in sales to ensue.
2. Accrue & Display Testimonials/Reviews
Consumers are more discerning than ever before.
Gone are the days where generic email marketing blasts and sleazy sales pitches could drive conversions. Only by building a relationship, cultivating trust, and creating a solid brand can you expect sales.
That’s one reason that testimonials and reviews are so powerful.
Basically, people don’t just hand over their money anymore! It doesn’t matter what product/service they need. They’ll look to the internet for answers- assessing the different options and reading the opinions of others to inform their decision.
Displaying the 5-star ratings and raving reviews from past customers shows prospective ones that your business is worth trusting. They’ll feel more confident purchasing from you as a result.
3. Answer the FAQs
Few people buy things they don’t fully understand.
After all, they don’t know if it’s going to solve their problem! They might be confused by certain aspects of the offer, or unsure about the nature of the product itself. Either way, they’ve got questions they want answering and are unlikely to convert until the situation changes.
Enter the value of having an FAQ page on your site.
Have you noticed certain questions crop up over and over again from your leads? Well, sit down and put together a comprehensive answer to the most common ones. Displaying them on your site on a designated FAQ page will help leads find the answers they need.
That should, in theory, reduce the calls your customer service team has to handle and facilitate conversions too.
4. Remind Them You Can Boost Their Income
Are you in the business of helping others earn more money?
Well, make sure you remind your leads of that fact!
Telling them you can help build their bank balance is almost guaranteed to perk their interest. It’s even better if you can show them how you’ll do it. Back up the claims with social proof from client reviews/testimonials and you’re sure to see sales spike.
5. Leverage Loss-Aversion
Strange as it seems, people are more motivated by loss than they are by gains.
This is such a common (and powerful) phenomenon that it’s earned a technical term in behavioral economics, called loss aversion. For all intents and purposes, though, it’s plain old FOMO (fear of missing out).
Basically, we hate the thought of losing out on things more than getting them in the first place.
And you can use that fact to full advantage in your sales process!
It’s as simple as creating a promotion and attaching a time-limit to it (you could even have an actual clock that shows how much time’s left). Leads see it ticking down, hate the thought of missing out on the promotion and feel compelled to buy as a result.
6. Keep Things Simple
It’s also worth remembering that people are lazy.
We’re all guilty of it! Call it a quirk of evolution. But, deep down, at a very basic level, we want everything and anything we do to be as quick, simple, and easy as possible.
Keep that in mind when you’re trying to convert your leads.
Convince people that your product/service is the best way to see swift results and you’re sure to see an upsurge in sales. Include words like ‘fast’, ‘no-nonsense’, and ‘straight-forward’ in your sales copy when looking for customers online. Such messages are hard to resist when you’re looking for quick and easy solutions to a problem.
7. Simplify the Purchase Process
Simplicity plays a key part in the actual purchase process as well.
Think about buying something on Amazon.
With your credit card details in their system, you can click one button to buy any product you want and have it delivered the very same day! It pays, literally, to take a similar tack with your business.
Incorporating such simplicity does two things:
First, it suits the laziness we just discussed! Having fewer boxes, fields, and steps to go through makes leads more likely to complete a sale.
Second, it stops them from thinking twice about what they’re buying. They’ve got less room to exercise judgment, which means more chance of enjoying impulsive purchases. Conversion rates go up in consequence.
Grow Your Business Using Sales Leads
Business growth is a two-part process.
As you know, the first fundamental step to success involves generating long lists of leads. The next, equally crucial stage, though, is converting them into customers!
Alas, using sales leads in this way can be a challenge. However, with a bit of luck, the tips in this post will help you do it. Keep them in mind and your conversion rate should skyrocket in no time.
Want help generating leads for your business? Contact us today to see how we can help.