We recognize the importance of getting ahead of the competition when attempting to discover leads. But are you only a breath ahead, or are you actually outsmarting all the rest?
There may be leads out there that you and others are currently overlooking. Here’s how you can find and secure leads that others may be missing out on.
1. Lead Nurturing
The past year has brought a lot of changes and upheaval. Areas like tech have grown, while areas such as manufacturing are still reeling from interrupted supply chains and reduced productivity.
“We have revised up our forecast for full-year GDP growth for 2021 to 6.4%,” Wells Fargo wrote in a note to clients last week. “That rate is not only above the consensus expectation, but if realized it would make the fastest pace of growth for the U.S. economy since 1984.” (Source: US News).
Nurturing leads can uncover prospects that you might not have previously thought were an option. Current clients will appreciate a check-in and a meaningful conversation about their current needs. Providing an update on any new service offerings you have available can also prove useful. They may not be familiar or fully up-to-date with all of the products or services that you have to offer.
Companies may be increasing budgets, adding new team members, or considering exploring new line items. Getting in front of them now helps you stay top-of-mind when they’re ready to select a vendor, product, or service.
Doing the same for warm and dormant leads can bring a boom of new business and help you discover. You may have leads that you have put on pause in March of 2020 due to the pandemic. Don’t wait for them to contact you. Revisit connections you’ve made through inbound leads and in-person events; these contacts may already be potential leads who are ready to get back in the game.
2. Personalized Service
With the explosion of digital-first campaigns and the prevalence of the virtual world, it is predicted that 80% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers will occur in digital channels by 2025.
Everyone knows that most systems have targeting and automation capabilities, and people tend not to mind—up to a certain point. But if you want to discover leads and get ahead of your competitors who are all engaging in the same type of targeted sales and marketing, you have to provide personalized service. In fact, businesses that utilize technologies to emphasize personalization report a 21% stronger lead acceptance rate and a 36% higher conversion rate than businesses that do not.
Consumers are familiar with customized digital B2C experiences, but the B2B sector has the habit of falling slightly behind when it comes to delivering a similar personalized experience. When a B2B company can transform and deliver the same improved digital experiences for marketing and sales efforts as their B2C counterparts, leads are more likely to feel comfortable making these professional-level purchases.
3. Connections
Account-based marketing (ABM) is a strategy that is growing in success and popularity. Why? Because it focuses on making clients and prospects feel unique and important.
A conversation with someone who understands business pains, the industry, and how other companies are accomplishing their goals makes a world of difference for prospects—and could be the key to uncovering leads and transitioning them into customers.
Now that many interactions occur digitally rather than through traditional in-person meetings, personal connections continue to be at the top of everyone’s list. The world is more digital than ever before, and nurturing connections by deploying efforts like cold calling programs and utilizing the right tech tools can help bridge the gap between companies and prospects in a personalized way that feels unexpected, but still welcome, in today’s digitally-focused life.
It is likely that your company is already poised to discover leads in ways that your competition isn’t. Whether you choose to add lead nurturing and personalization to your sales practices or work to improve the ways in which you connect with prospects, your efforts can result in a list of leads you may not have expected to find.
