Lead nurturing

Following up on leads takes more than a call to ask if the prospect is ready to buy. In the WhitePaperSource Newsletter, Brian Carroll of InTouch recommends a "lead nurtuing plan" to build trusting relationships with the right people.

Carroll says the goal is to influence the buying decision by answering these questions:

• How will this product/service help my company?
• Why do we need it?
• Is there a better provider out there?
• Can they prove the solution works?
• Is the company credible?
• Can we afford it?

Through a series of letters, emails, voice mails and events, you can provide credible information that establishes your company as the preferred provider.

Sample Plan
Here is the 12-month lead nurturing plan Carroll provided in his WhitePaperSource article, "How Lead Nurturing Drives Better ROI":

i. Introductory phone call and follow-up "thank you" email
1. Third-party article on pertinent technology via email
2. Relevant case study via email with follow-up call
3. E-newsletter with voicemail alert to check
4. Third-party article on pertinent technology via email
5. Relevant white paper via email
6. Targeted campaign via direct mail
7. Relevant ebook via email with follow-up call
8. Link to relevant podcast via email with follow-up call
9. Report via direct mail with follow-up call
10. Invitation to webcast via email with follow-up call
11. Call to invite to industry event and follow-up with link
12. Prospect calls you and becomes a sales-ready lead

Carroll reports that "nurtured prospects" bring in 100% more revenue than prospects who were not nurtured.

Carroll is author of Lead Generation for the Complex Sale. Thank you, Michael Stelzner, for bringing us this great article!

Comments

[Michael A. Stelzner]

Hi Cathy;

If your readers want to see the full article, they can view it at

http://www.whitepapersource.com/marketing/lead-nurturing.html

Mike