“More” is a popular word in culture and business today, and especially when it comes to marketing your practice.
More leads.
More clicks.
More calls.
More traffic.
“More” seems like the key to growing your firm, increasing your profits, retiring sooner, realizing your professional aspirations.
Except when it’s not. (This is a conversation I was having with my team this week.)
“Already” is a word I’d like to visit today.
Because often, the fastest way to grow is NOT to get MORE leads, but to focus on converting the leads you already have.
There is terminology we like to use in the marketing industry that helps categorize different types of leads: cold, warm, hot. It doesn’t really require explanation; you probably already understand the main difference between cold and warm leads.
The old “cold call” strategy where you call someone you don’t know, or have any relationship with, to see if they want to sign up for your services is the perfect example of how hard it is to make a sale with a cold prospect in your first conversation.
There is obviously value to bringing in cold leads because you only know so many people. But I do want to make a contrast between the difficulty of converting someone you just met (cold lead) versus onboarding someone who has been tracking with your company for some time and has expressed some desire to connect with you on their own (warm lead).
Not doing the work to nurture relationships with the folks who didn’t sign up on the first call is akin to a teacher flunking every student who doesn’t pass the pop quiz on the first day of school.
What a waste of potential that would be.
But that’s what’s happening to the people on your list (for whom you did a lot of work to get there). They’re languishing in the lobby.
A good teacher works with his or her students to inform, train, answer questions, and ultimately grow their knowledge and awareness of the world. A good business owner approaches a list of prospects the same way, warming them up over time into relationships of trust and finding ways to add value to the relationship before any funds exchange hands.
Your prospect list represents what you already have — a group of business owners, taxpayers, families, and retirees with unlimited client potential that just need a little more time and conversation (some more than others).
So give them what they need:
– Regular and valuable emails that are relevant to their everyday life
– A social media post that they happen upon that answers that question they’ve been meaning to ask
– Text reminders about the introductory consultation they’ve rescheduled three times
– Follow-up emails addressing the life or business situation they already expressed to you that they need help with
– A check-in call to address their concerns that your prospect follow-up system reminded you to make today
– Blog articles that they can find and read (because they’re optimized for search) while they’re researching the best way to solve a business problem
– Seminar or webinar where you give away some of your expertise and wisdom
– Want more ideas? Find them here.
(Note: You don’t have to reveal all of your “secret sauce” for free. I would say that the businesses that tend to give away more info and value on the front do better in the long run.)
The fortune is in the follow-up.
You don’t need me to remind you of that. Or maybe you do.
There are people and tools that can automate all of this for you. (Ahem.)
Make the most of who you already have sitting in your waiting room instead of focusing exclusively on cramming more in the door. Because what’s the point of an overflowing lobby of qualified leads that you never usher into your office?
Don’t leave them languishing in the lobby. Your most valuable business growth mechanism is something you already have.
Let’s harvest…
The post Don’t Leave Your Leads Languishing in the Lobby appeared first on TaxProMarketer.
