Converting B2B Leads into Sales and Sales into Leads

So you’ve spent a lot of time and energy on B2B lead generation and bringing a user to your site to make them a visitor, but a visitor is not a customer yet. These visitors are on their way to becoming or are already considered a lead, but not all leads convert to sales. This can be attributed to how 65% of B2B marketers have not implemented lead nurturing, according to MarketingSherpa.

Converting B2B Leads into Sales

Before a visitor becomes a qualified lead, they typically must become a returning visitor.

To turn a visitor into a return visitor means taking the time to nurture them as a lead. Lead nurturing can involve many different aspects and combinations of digital marketing best practices. Some ways to keep a visitor returning to your site include:

• Offer consistent useful and relevant content. Visitors are coming to your site to find the answers to their questions. They want to see that you are an expert in the subject and are able to solve their pain points. Offering useful resources, like articles that solve common issues and questions in your industry or case studies that show how you have successfully helped others, can show that you understand their needs and can fulfill them.
• Email newsletters. If a visitor is interested in your website, then they will most likely want to know more. Offer site visitors the opportunity to subscribe to your newsletter, if you have one, so that they can remain up to date on all your current and future offerings.
• Use remarketing and retargeting. Remarketing and retargeting are often used interchangeably, but actually have two different meanings and uses. Remarketing is associated with re-engaging users via email campaigns, such as abandoned cart emails or reminding previous customers about upcoming sales or promotions. Meanwhile retargeting can be implemented through many applications, including the Google Display Network, to show ads for your site to those who have visited your site in the past or who have not visited your site, but show similarities to those that have. When done well, remarketing and retargeting can be some of the most beneficial methods when your goal is to convert leads into sales.
• Communication. Have your marketing team (or agency) communicate insights with your sales team. If your marketing team discovers that most site visitors are heading toward a specific page or product, then it is important that they let your sales team know. The marketing and sales teams can work together to understand why visitors are behaving this way and how to translate that behavior into conversions or into optimizing other pages to increase their engagement.

Once you have spent time nurturing and developing your leads, then it becomes time to work on closing the sale. Keep these three tips in mind for how to convert leads into sales:

1. Respond quickly. Consumers, especially B2B consumers, do not have the time to wait around for you to respond. If your responses take too long, then they will feel unimportant and look for someone else to fill their needs. Respond to their messages, even if it is just letting them know that you received their question and will get back to them in a specified time limit.
2. Understand a lead’s pain points and meet them. Before offering a solution, make sure you truly understand their problem. Be sure to ask questions and then offer a variety of solutions that would fit their needs. Show your customers that you take the time to comprehend each issue that they are dealing with in order to solve the actual issue rather than just the symptoms. This will show them that you are an expert in your industry who is capable of handling their issues moving forward.
3. Don’t be afraid to follow up. This one can sound a little obvious, but it’s true. To get the maximum value from every lead, sales teams should contact leads between 8 and 12 times, according to Inside Sales, but most sales representatives contact a lead no more than 6 times. Being responsive and following up is large part of how to convert leads into sales.

Converting B2B Sales into Leads

While it is true that sales come from leads, leads can also come from sales. Satisfied customers enjoy sharing their positive experiences with others, but also enjoy developing business relationships with organizations that have fulfilled their needs. Offering quality services and positive experiences for your customers can be an efficient strategy when deciding how to generate B2B leads. When done correctly, a satisfied customer can become a returning customer which, in some cases, can become a partnership.

To grow your B2B lead generation after converting a sale:

• Continue to offer relevant content for lasting sales. This may sound simple, but remember that your customers will always be looking to ease their pain points. Continuing to offer solutions and answers will help to grow your relationship with them and make you the first place that they come to when an issue arises.
• Examine behaviors. Did a new customer have different behaviors or a different background from previous customers? If so, then this customer could open new opportunities to discover a previously unknown target market or buyer persona. Review their behavior and ask them questions about their experience to understand why you had not previously targeted them and learn how to target similar leads in the future.
• Ask customers for reviews. As mentioned, people want to talk about their experiences, whether positive or negative. Asking your customers for reviews means getting the chance to highlight your successes and show future leads what you are capable of. Even negative reviews can be helpful; they give you a chance to understand previous mistakes so that you can fix and prevent them. Reaching out to unsatisfied customers to make corrections shows that you are determined to create positive experiences. It can also help you identify any unknown issues in your sales process. To learn more about how to reach out and ask for reviews, check out our previous posts How to Ask B2B Customers For Reviews In Person And On The Phone and 4 Email Strategies To Ask B2B Customers For Online Reviews.

To be successful in your industry, you must understand more than how to solve your customers’ problems. Understanding the customers and leads themselves can help you determine a) why customers choose you, b) why leads don’t choose you, c) how to generate B2B leads, and d) how to ensure that you become the best choice for future leads.

Generating B2B Leads

If your business needs to generate B2B leads and sales in manufacturing, distributing, or B2B services, it’s time to contact SVM E-Marketing Solutions. Since 1995, SVM has worked to generate leads and sales through targeted marketing tactics that lead to real, bottom-line results. For a further in-depth look at how SVM can assist you in attracting new prospects, visit the Our Process page.