I couldn’t believe it.
It was such a find.
A prize specimen. A wonderful example of its kind.
Just sitting there in my inbox: a well-written, personalised email offering me a free trial for something I actually wanted. Gasp.
It was from a co-working office near to me, offering me a week’s free try-before-you-buy. I’d been thinking about it for ages so I immediately clicked the ‘yes please’ box. I sat back and waited.
And waited. And waited.
And nothing happened.
Nada.
Tumbleweed.
I couldn’t believe it. Here I was, not even trying to play hard-to-get, practically waving my credit card in their faces, shouting “Sign me up baby! You know I can’t resist your free coconut water and carpet that looks like real grass!’
But still, nothing. What a waste. Of their time, their marketing money and their goodwill. Because, I think, if they can’t even organise a free trial, what would they be like as a landlord?
I tell you this story because I see this pattern a LOT with the many businesses I work with. Plenty of enquiries are coming in but, and it’s a big BUT, they’re disappearing into….
…. The Bermuda Triangle Of Lost Leads…
That terrible place where once hot leads cool down quicker than an English summer’s day when the barbecue’s lit. That place where dead certs become dead losses, fast.
And all because:
- everyone’s too busy doing work for existing clients to nurture new ones
and
- there’s no clear process for how to convert new prospects into loyal clients
There’s no clarity on:
- who’s responsible for converting the leads (is it sales, marketing or fate?)
- how the leads are converted (an in-person meeting for larger projects? An online process? A combination of the two?)
- what needs to happen at each step of the way (what materials or information are needed to help the client make a decision)
- when each step needs to happen (leaving enquiries languishing for days creates a rubbish first impression)
So have a think about your customers’ journey with you, from their initial enquiry to becoming a loyal client. Do you know how to get them to the right destination? Or are there any black holes along the way?
Make sure you know the who, how, what and when of your sales process if you want to make the most of those hot leads and avoid losing goodwill.
