Ask leads how you’re doing: It’s widely accepted that organizations should gauge the satisfaction of their current customers, but finding out how you’re doing from prospects also can have direct impact on a sale. Did they receive a follow-up from sales? Has their buying timeframe changed? What products are they evaluating? When the sales team can’t get the answers directly, a short, simple survey initiated by marketing or customer service can do the trick and get information that makes a real bottom-line impact.
Build relationships over time: Segment your lead database by industry, profession, size or budget and use direct marketing to “speak” to these individual’s needs. It will build credibility and a relationship, which is imperative in times when businesses are bombarded with marketing messages.
Debbie Miller Pierce is the principal of MillerPierce, a full service marketing agency based in Indianapolis, Ind. She can be contacted at dpierce@millerpierce.com
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