When you ask sales people what they hate about their jobs, their answer will be cold calling. Approaching an absolute stranger to try and sell something to them is difficult, heartbreaking and downright unpleasant at the best of times.
Replacing cold calling, or at least supplementing it, is a lot easier thanks to the Internet. Your website should be generating leads for you every day – and there are several ways of doing this.
Most websites will have a contact form. Most people who fill it and submit it are interested in your product or service so you can gather qualified leads this way. They may you to contact them to discuss a quote or they may have specific questions or a product or service they’re interested in.
Many visitors in your website are interested in the products and services you’re offering but they may not be ready to contact you yet. If your buying cycle is generally a long one, then these are the people you want to reach. If you want these people to give you their contact details, the most popular method of doing so is to offer them something in exchange.
This offer could include either a special offer, voucher, an ebook, whitepaper, or an industry report but it would depend on the nature of your business. The purpose of this exchange is not to make a sale, but to get the prospective customers’ details. Industry relevant is what the materials you provided should be and not pushy sales material. To a database, add the details you received and you can use it for email marketing campaigns.
Offering a newsletter is another way to get customers’ details just as long as you don’t call it a newsletter. Whether you offer weekly tips, secret tricks, or industry highlights, you must deliver a weekly email with relevant, helpful information.
Your email campaign will add to the information you send your prospects, the idea being that you build a relationship with them, convince them of your expertise in the industry, and when they are ready to make a purchase, you are the first company on their list.
Instead of trying to sell to your clients, you should be helping them gain knowledge and understanding within your industry but occasional sales messages can be included. An excellent foundation for future sales is trust and this is something it will build.
Your leads are all the contact details you received which were on your website and they’re interested in what you have to offer. Because of email automation programs, you can simplify this process in a way that the program will run itself once you write the emails. Unlike cold calling, it’s a lot easier and more cost effective.
Jewelry designer and artist Caroline Jasper creates one-of-a-kind gemstone beads necklace – each piece handcrafted by an artisan.