The strategy of generating leads should be just that. A strategy, a plan a comprehensive picture of where the customer will come from; what their frame of mind is likely to be; what their need could be and what MUST you know about them to help you start building a picture and building that relationship.
The Contact Information for your business is generally the 3rd most viewed on a website….your customer is checking how easy you are to communicate with and how much you want to know FIRST! They know the drill, they know they might get thrown into a CRM System, they know they are one of several you are likely to get in any given period of time.
What they don’t know is how you will respond to them! What you need to know is this: YOU MUST RESPOND promptly, some I know demand a 1 hour turn around – but your market and product will also help dictate this response time. If what you sell is something that would be an ‘immediate’ purchase then you need to be immediate with your response (or at the other end of a phone). Example, if you offer air conditioning repair service in Florida in the summer ….you’re gonna be busy! ….but if a prospects air conditioning breaks down, they want immediate an immediate response. If they are organized, they might go to your site and test out your response handling and that may make a future decision.
Ask the minimum on the Contact Us Form…now is not the time to capture all kinds of demographic information. Tell them why want information; tell them what will happen next, and then do it. Example could be: We won’t send you anything you don’t need, so tell us X and we’ll be able to communicate effectively! Or: Once we receive this, an experienced associate will reach out to you and identify your own specific focus so that we can enhance your experience!
The person who follows up needs to have that same mind-set and skill. Not to sell, but to gather information, communicate and find out about THEM….then decide the right course of action. Am I a fan of auto-responders? Only as place holders not as substitutes for a real connection via phone or face to face?
The strategy is then a total one of knowing why you want them to contact you and what the path needs to be so that they know you want their business and why they should chose you.
