First Responders Save Lives and Convert Sales Leads

by Paddu on March 20th, 2010

Just as first responders save more lives, marketers and sales professionals who respond to the prospects first have very high probability of converting the leads to customers.

We all know that first responders such as fire service personnel, paramedics, police and doctors value the first hour after an emergency as ‘golden hour’. Actions taken in the golden hour saves countless lives and damage to the properties. Responding to a prospect who has raised his / her hand with an online registration or quote request is no different.

When a lead comes through your sales lead tracking and management software system, make sure that you respond in minutes, not in hours or days. Even if the product or service that you are selling has a long sales cycle, it is essential to reach out to the prospects at the shortest possible time lag. Note that an autoresponder (or drip email) message sent by lead system is not a replacement for your personal telephone call or email message.

Also, it does not matter if you are selling to businesses (B2B) or consumers (B2C). Remember that you are selling to people in either case. Decisions are made by human beings, not soul less corporations!

Here are the keys for increasing lead conversion:

Respond to prospects in Minutes, not Hours or Days
If the prospects are not yet ready for sale, nurture with resources such as:
- - Whitepapers
  - eBooks, Presentations, etc.
  - Webinar recordings
  - Newsletters
  - Tutorial Videos
  - Case studies and success stories
Stay in touch via phone calls and emails with the leads until they are ready to move to the next stage.
Determine the frequency of touches and use appropriate contact methods

Establishing a process to monitor, respond and track the inbound marketing leads is a critical requirement in your marketing and sales strategy. Don’t let another lead slip through the cracks by delaying your first response!

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