3 Tips To Engage and Nurture Prospects that Say "Not now"

Movies are now shown straight to audience’s living rooms as cinemas shut down due to the current crisis, but 2020 blockbusters like Wonder Woman 1984 and Mulan may just seem too great to miss the big screen; and filmmakers believe that pushing them to digital platforms would cannibalize the profits.

Like blockbuster movies, leads that are pushed down the sales funnel, half baked, will result in poor conversion rates and deflated ROI. So, when prospects are not ready to buy yet, give them time, but take the necessary steps to lead them through the sales path.

Nurture Them

Not all leads that populate your inbound channels are ready buyers – some are quick and easy to convert, but others take a longer time to decide. That’s because leads have different characteristics, and prospects have varied needs and capabilities, and these factors affect the buying behaviour. Nevertheless, each lead requires a unique way of nurturing, and the best way to do that is by segmenting them. Here are factors to consider in segmenting your prospects in order to nurture them properly.

Purchase Behaviour – how a prospect buys, uses and disposes a product or service, and his emotional and mental responses that precede the activity.
Purchase Pattern – how a prospect buys in terms of quantity, frequency, timing, etc.
Benefit Sought – what your prospect wants to achieve after the purchasing and using your product.
Product Knowledge – the prospect understands how your product works and its benefits.
Brand Loyalty – which product they are using, why and what benefits do they get from it.
Interest – if a prospect has the interest to buy or just wants to compare at the moment.
Timing – their purchase timelines; may still be in an agreement with other providers.
Consumer Status – their capability to purchase; economic status may affect this factor.
Engagement Level – if the prospect is interactive: visit your website, read your blogs, comment on your social media posts, respond to emails.
Customer Satisfaction – how happy were they with the purchase or service, or did they or would recommend you to other prospective customers.

Demographic and firmographic segmentations are established at the outset of a lead, while behavioural and psychographic must be applied throughout the process. It starts at the initial touch base and continues beyond the purchase point.

Add Value to your Relationship

Consider your prospects’ perspective by going beyond verbal communication and delving into their thoughts. Some are very outspoken, consistently bugging you with their concerns and questions, but some would just keep mum and wait, nonetheless, both need support.

So, utilize Content. Send them newsletters, case studies, blogs, and other materials that would feed them with knowledge that could help them decide. Also, share updates and information about the tools and strategies that helped carry out successful campaigns for your other clients.

Moreover, adding value means making the prospect feel that they matter. Engage them further by getting them involved in your events like webinars, trade shows, product launches, etc.

Automate, But Not Everything

We all know that automation removes repetitive tasks, but you have to give it a good mix of personal touch in order to humanize the approach.

Certain acts like calling your prospects to see if they received the eBook you sent 2 days ago, if they have not responded to your email, or giving them the option to chat when they have quick questions, will dash your automation tactic with the right amount of personal touch; a marketing automation tool that utilizes omnichannel marketing, optimizing voice, email, chat, mobile, web and social media, to reach and engage prospects, will help you do that.

When prospects are not ready to buy yet, don’t rush them down the sales funnel instead nurture them until they are all set up and ready to buy. Treat them like blockbuster movies – best when watched on the big screen and on scheduled play date and time.