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Writing
for business-to-business lead generation is a balancing act: On the one
hand, you want as great a response rate as possible; on the other, you don't
want to clog the sales pipeline with useless leads用eople who don't have
the authority, interest, or money to buy what you're selling.
Your
real goal? A high number of genuinely qualified leads葉he attention of
prospects who actually have the power to make or influence the purchasing
decision. The following are five pragmatic ways for you to increase your
success rate with the prospects who matter葉he ones more likely to lead to
a sale.
Know
your segments and position accordingly
Any
large purchase will involve a variety of people with different titles and
roles. But a "one-size-fits-all" message won't work; instead,
you'll need to segment your deliverables (whether mail, email, ads in
various media, etc.) by title, and reposition your message for each segment.
Think
of it this way: Each title has a different set of hot buttons, and they'll
only respond when you press the rights ones for each role. Consider a large
software purchase, for example. For the CEO, you may want to position the
software as an investment for facilitating corporate growth. For the
financial officer, you'll need to address the bottom line揺ow will it
affect overall financial health? The IT people, the ones who'll have to
deploy and maintain it, need more pragmatic insights: Is it easy to use?
Will it require training or new hardware? How will it work with the systems
and software they already have?
Fortunately,
you rarely have to write an entirely new piece for each segment but can
create variable sections用erhaps the Johnson (headline) and the first
paragraph of a letter, for instance葉o address the specific needs of your
different titles.
Ask
for incremental steps, not giant leaps
No
mail package, no matter how beautifully designed, is going to close the deal
on a $2,000,000 product. And very few will even land that precious
face-to-face sales call you want.
Plan
your communications strategy as a step-by-step process that systematically
builds confidence in your product or service while drawing prospects
progressively closer to the sale. Think of it as a funnel that, with each
contact, winnows the remaining prospects to a core list most amenable to
you葉o those prospects who would be most likely to convert through an
in-person sales pitch.
In
the initial communications, therefore, it's important that you concentrate
on selling the next step, which could be a white paper for prospects to
download, a webinar they can join, or an event they can attend. Emphasize
the value of these offers. By concentrating on modest, low-risk steps, you
can overcome the resistance that prospects would otherwise present to more
intimidating leaps, such as a request for a meeting.
Offer
useful, relevant information
In
one of my recent campaigns, my client made two offers. One was a USB data
stick loaded with a product demo. The other was a report that promised
"top ten tips" for making better M&A deals. Both pulled well,
but the quality of the leads varied dramatically.
The
data stick attracted too many spurious responses用eople who wanted a free
device but had little or no role in M&A. The tips booklet pulled a
slightly lower response rate, but because it promised insights and know-how
relevant to people in the M&A field, it attracted prospects with a much
higher degree of interest in the subject葉hat is, genuinely qualified
leads.
"Toys"
will lift response, but offers that are directly relevant to your product
and its industry will draw a better-qualified prospect.
Illustrate
your case with real life examples
I
don't wear plaid jackets or smoke stogies, but my credibility as a marketer
isn't much greater than that of the old used car salesman stereotype. Who
has credibility? Look in the mirror謡e tend to trust people like
ourselves.
That's
why it's important to lard your mail packages, collateral, Web sites, and
other pieces with endorsements, testimonials, case studies, and examples
drawn from real life. These success stories are empathy builders that come
from people your prospects can trust, people like themselves. Get their
stories and, whenever possible, let them speak in their own words.
Create
a lead-maintenance device
A
positive response doesn't necessarily mean that the prospect is ready for
the sales call. Most leads will need to be maintained on a back burner擁n
some cultivation program that keeps your company in front of your prospects'
eyes and "top of mind."
Think
about creating a communications vehicle such as a monthly e-newsletter (with
opt-in, opt-out provisions) featuring brief, informative articles. Or
regular email or postcard updates of events, conferences, and other
activities that feature your thought leaders, products, or services.
The
tactics may vary, but the goal is the same: To keep the responders you've
attracted in your camp, until that opportune time when they're ready for the
full-force sales pitch.
Jonathan
Kranz - author of Writing Copy for Dummies and the principal of Kranz
Communications.
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