Business team discussing new sales leads
Digital technology has transformed the traditional sales pipeline from one isolated from marketing to a single “smarketing” funnel. The process from lead to conversion is now far more integrated, seamless, and precise.
Despite all the changes, getting prospects into the sales funnel is still a numbers game. The more of them you attract, the more you’ll be able to move to the bottom.
Still, I wouldn’t recommend that you just throw good money after bad to see if something—anything—will stick to the wall. Instead, take advantage of 21st century digital goodness while also increasing the number of new leads you can pull into a sales pipeline that may be drying up. Here are a few tips you might want to try to keep your leads flowing:
1. Get Back Out There
The pandemic certainly put the kibosh on in-person gatherings like conferences and events. At first, many sales professionals worried how not having them would affect business. Then, a funny thing happened: they found out how convenient, cost-effective, and comfortable virtual events could be. There was no travel time, expenses, or even a need to put on something nicer than your favorite sweatpants.
What was lost were all the other advantages hosting and attending events and conferences in the flesh could yield. I find it difficult to meet prospects virtually, let alone engage and build real connections with them. And if I’m not even getting acquainted, I can’t usher them into the sales funnel.
It wasn’t so long ago that conferences and events provided many brands with most of their new leads. Now, there’s the unparalleled opportunity to leverage those leads with innovative digital strategies that propel them down that funnel.
The pandemic became endemic a while ago. If your sales pipeline is sparse or worse, deserted, get back out there, and make people aware of your brand.
2. Reach Out to People Who Know You
Sometimes, the path to prospects is littered with people who already know you and your brand. I was introduced to many of my best clients by someone familiar with my companies. Instead of waiting for fate to step in, make those connections happen.
Begin close at home if you have family or friends in your social circle who may know someone who knows someone. For example, if your company sells a fitness app, ask your connections if they have gym memberships and if so, where. If they have a personal relationship with the owners, ask them for permission to use their names when approaching owners as prospects.
Reach out to the friends you’ve made in your industry as well. It’s highly unlikely that your direct competitors are going to introduce you to their customers. But those who aren’t going head-to-head with your brand may be happy to open some doors.
Don’t wait for someone you know to think about connecting you with one lead or thousands. You take the initiative. Even if no one in your circle has any suggestions right off the bat, you’re the first person who will come to their mind if the opportunity presents itself.
3. Revamp Your Digital Presence
When was the last time you took a deep dive into your brand’s entire digital presence? In the beginning, you probably had a good handle on the connectivity and cohesiveness of your website, social media, paid advertising, content, and email marketing. As you’ve responded to rapid changes, new opportunities, and unique challenges, you may be losing the battle to keep everything working in unison.
You should be using your overall digital presence as a tool to find far better prospects, rather than simply more of them, to fill your pipeline. Winnow the wheat from the chaff and invest your digital resources in those prospects most likely to reach the bottom of the sales funnel.
Potential customers may be hitting refresh only to find your brand’s same old assets with the same old content. If that’s the case, they’re not seeing anything that’s piquing their interest enough to make contact. It’s your job to give them something that will. For example, if you’ve already tried using basic SEO tools but still aren’t seeing results, it may be time to look for more advanced SEO services that could help you identify the root of the cause.
Take the time to sit down and look at every component and hit your own refresh on everything that’s become stale or incongruent. If you do, you might catch the attention of prospects who now see something they like about your brand. The goal isn’t just to be visible to them. It’s to leave them wanting more.
4. Give Some Away
Giving some away here doesn’t mean selling your brand’s products for less than they’re worth just to whet prospect pipeline potential. What it does mean is that giving potential customers a taste of what they’re missing might convert them to leads.
Giving away something for nothing is often an effective tactic for making something out of nothing. Confused? Don’t be. This is an ancient tool in the marketing toolbox, and it’s one you might want to dust off and start using.
What your brand sells will determine whether free trials, BOGOs, price reductions, or free gifts with purchase are best suited for you. But no matter how savvy audiences are and how competitive the market gets, the power of the premium freebie reigns eternal.
Of course, you’ll need to watch your profit margins. If you can’t absorb the hit on your own, look for co-branding opportunities that make sense. Either way, people like deals, so give them one to get them acquainted with your brand.
Open the Spigot
Dry sales pipelines don’t fix themselves. Take a few steps to find and attract new and better prospects. Your team can take it from there.