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INNOVATE
their fingertips, it’s much easier for
your sales team to learn about the
prospect and connect. However,
theymay still consider it a waste
of time. Perhaps the prospect
isn’t ready to buy or is in the early
education process. Regardless,
if this happens only a few times,
your sales force won’t prioritize
the leads you send them. But these
“bad leads” often are anything but
bad. According to SiriusDecisions,
80 percent of prospects deemed
“bad leads” by sales teams go on
to buy within 24months, perhaps
fromyour competitors.
Goodbye ROI.
A High Percentage
Of Leads Aren’t Ready
To Buy Today
The reality is that over 70
percent of the leads you receive
aren’t sales ready. Of the leads
that are qualified, 50 percent
aren’t ready to buy now. That’s
why you need lead nurturing.
What Exactly
Is Lead Nurturing?
Lead nurturing is the process
of developing relationships with
buyers at every stage of the sales
funnel and through every step
of the buyer’s journey. It focuses
marketing and communication
efforts on listening to the needs
of prospects and providing them
information and answers.
Nurturing is essentially a
journey for your buyers where
your company plays the tour
guide. You’ll learn more about
what buyers like based on
their activity and behavior.
You’ll provide relevant, timely
information based on those
preferences. Ultimately, you’ll
learn to recognize when buyers
are approaching a purchasing
decision and begin a conversation
with your sales team.
A Nurturing Program
Pays For Itself
Effective nurturing programs
generate increased revenue—a
significant amount of revenue.
• Fifteen to 20 percent of the not-
ready-to-purchase leads convert
into sales after lead nurturing.
• Nurtured leads make
47-percent larger purchases.
• Nurturing programs are
characterized by timely
follow‑up, and time does
matter. Thirty-five to 50
percent of sales go to the
vendor that responds first.
Automated lead nurturing
programs can further improve
performance. Gartner [an
information technology
research company] reports that
automated lead management
programs result in a 10-percent
or greater increase in revenue in
just six to nine months.
Effective Nurturing
Targets Unique
Buying Stages
Whether online or in person,
buyers interact with you at
different stages of the buying
process. Each phase requires
unique communications to
assist the prospect through that
stage and onto the next one.The
communications parallel the steps
a sales rep takes with a prospect.
Depending upon the prospect’s
industry knowledge, product
knowledge and needs, that
conversation is vastly different.
But today a sales rep may not
Companies That Excel At Lead Nurturing Generate…
50
%
MORE SALES-
READY LEADS
AT
33
%
LOWER COST
The reality
is that over
70 percent of
the leads you
receive aren’t
sales ready. Of
the leads that
are qualified,
50 percent
aren’t ready
to buy now.
That’s why
you need
lead nurturing.