SAN DIEGO, CA — (Marketwired) — 05/15/13 — A small business website is designed to generate leads for the sales team. But not all small businesses are fully prepared to act on those leads and convert them into paying customers.
Whether crucial qualifying information comes from a follow-up sales call or a , the key is to web conversions is taking action.
“A visitor to your site responds to a call-to-action and sets the process in motion,” says Jeremy Durant, Business Principal at Bop Design, . “Either they-ve completed a form requiring basic contact information or they-re responding to an offer (free product trial, free newsletter or white paper, etc.). If you-re lucky, they may provide answers to additional qualifying questions.”
The best web leads include some or all of these elements:
Complete contact information (name, phone, email, address)
Preferred method of contact and best times to reach them
Questions about your products or services
Information about how they came to the website
Most prospects share some things in common. They obviously prefer the speed and ease of digital transactions. They have likely responded to a request for information on one or more competitors- sites as well. And while they expect a prompt reply to their request, they are not necessarily prepared to purchase anything at this time.
“Before taking any other action, investigate the visitor-s activity on your website,” Durant advises. “Which pages did they visit? This information can yield talking points for your initial sales conversation. What free offering did they accept in exchange for providing contact information? For example, if they downloaded a guide on how to form an S-Corp, your follow-up email can include helpful, related tips on small business formation.”
When a lead appears, it-s vitally important not to put off a response. The right timing can make the difference between successful conversion and a wasted lead, Durant says.
“For prospects who prefer contact via email, remind them how you obtained their email address and try to engage them about their particular needs (based on your investigation of their web activity). If and when they reply favorably, suggest an exploratory meeting or follow-up phone call.”
If on the other hand the lead offered a telephone number, it-s OK to make contact this way. Whoever is chosen to serve as first point of contact should be the same person they deal with throughout the sales cycle. “You can-t build rapport if prospects talk to a variety of different people throughout the sales cycle,” Durant says.
During the exploratory meeting or phone calls, the first objective is to qualify the lead. Try to price qualify within the first 15 minutes of the conversation. This way, no times is wasted on prospects who cannot afford the small business-s services. If they pass muster, move the conversation toward their expectations and make sure everyone is on the same page.
Once information is compiled from the exploratory call or meeting and the lead is qualified, it-s time to submit a proposal. Prepare this document with care, double-checking the information and figures provided. Have someone proofread it to avoid any typos or grammatical errors. (Professionalism impresses a prospective client, sloppiness does not.) In a perfect world, the proposal should be delivered in person. If the prospective client is located in a distant city, a phone call or video conference will do.
Bop Design is with offices also in the New York metro area. We express a business values through branding, advertising, design and web design. We also help attract a firm-s ideal customer through search engine optimization and search engine marketing. The marketing firm-s focus is on small businesses that want an external team of marketing specialists to help give their brand an edge in the marketplace.
Jeremy Durant
760-470-1275
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