But, how do we know when leads are cold? Answer: Due to their behaviour.
Sure, sometimes your leads may require some time and nurture before coming back to you. These include visiting your website, checking out your content offer or even looking at your social media. However, time spent off your radar could be spent with your competitors.
Therefore, it is important to re-engage with them and provide them with the value they need and get your leads back on track. There are 2 things you should consider.
Is there enough data to inform you when your leads go cold?
The B2B sales process is generally long. Before thinking that your leads are already lost, ensure that have analytics in place to help you understand leads behaviour. Implement a lead scoring system that helps you qualify as your leads progress towards the next stage in the buyer’s journey. This should work hand in hand with your CRM which sends a notification to your marketing or sales team for follow-up of your leads.
It is OKAY to ask
Based on your gut feel, you are confident that your lead is interested in your offer. However, it seems that they have gone cold after 2 weeks.
Don’t assume right away that it is your fault. It is fine to ask your leads directly what’s going on.
They might be interested but stalled their project due to handling multiple projects at once. You may have misread them or your lead where never really interested in the first place. They could also be tempted by your competitors.
Doing this, you can learn and take precautions that will keep more of your leads from cooling in their first place. This helps you improve on your sales cycle by focusing on “best fit” leads.
While taking note of the above considerations, here are 4 things you can do to get your leads back on track.
1. Send Out a Customised Email
Your lead may have joined your email list but hasn’t opened your messages. These days, people are overwhelmed and do not have the time to derive the full value of your content. Your customised email could something like a guide or a checklist that may spark their further exploration into the rest of your website offerings.
2. Offer Something Relevant
Your leads may have been checking your emails but are not clicking through to your site. Re-ignite your relationship with your lead by offering something up front. Even if they might not show interest in the initial stage, they may be excited to accept something like a free assessment or a free 15-minute consultation. Of course, you should customise your approach to different prospects. Put an intriguing subject line as compared to previous emails to pique their curiosity.
3. Other Ways to Re-Engage
You could make use of re-targeting ads to get your cool leads back onto your website. Direct conversation through social media could also work out. As for leads who poke around your website, make use of custom pop-ups and lead magnets to drive them back.
4. Approach Another Prospect Within a Company
This happens way too often. You are absolutely sure a particular company is the best fit, but somehow can’t get them on board. Don’t be afraid to have another go at it. Double check your assumptions and ensure you’re really addressing your content to the right person.
Use these 4 methods to re-engage your cold leads and bring them back. Be diligent and follow-up with them even if it takes months. However, don't waste any more time and energy than necessary. It is important to be relentless as well as learning to let go.
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