Turn Prospects Into Customers With These 8 Tips Your website won't always hook potential clients. Sometimes, you'll need to jump in to assist and get them to bite.
By Jonathan Long •
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Not all of your prospects are going to pass through your automated sales funnel and automatically convert into customers as you intend. Sometimes it requires a little outside assistance to get them to bite. Here are 8 tips to help you close more sales.
1. Set a deadline. Establish a "no communication" deadline to remove prospects from your funnel.
Example: "We have not heard from you in 30 days. While this will be our final communication, feel free to contact us in the future if you are in the position to move forward."
Related: Getting the Sale Without Being a Sleazeball
This will often get their attention -- and if it doesn't then it will prevent you from wasting any more time and energy on a dead prospect.
2. Ask a question. When you ask a question it requires your prospect to reply. Try something along the lines of, "It has been over a week since we have heard from you. Have you had a chance to go over the materials and make a decision?" This is a good way to apply the pressure while also opening up the dialogue to discover questions or concerns the prospect might have.
3. Put together a FAQ section on your website. Address questions that your prospects might have and make it easily accessible on your website. Talk to your sales team and customer-service representatives to source the most frequently-asked questions. Check out this simple FAQ for Netflix for some inspiration.
4. Mix some icebreakers into your email marketing. Most of your prospects are also being marketed to by your competition, so do something to stand out from the bland and overly promotional emails that are flooding their inboxes. Mix in some fun facts about your company or your local area. This can really get the attention of your prospects, causing them to forget about the other options.
5. Offer incentives. Who doesn't like free stuff? Tossing in a free gift or offering a discount is often a great way to convert sales. It doesn't have to be a significant discount or something valuable. Many people simply can't pass on something for free.
Related: 5 Ways to Stop Your Sales-Pitch Email From Getting Trashed
6. Return on investment reminder. If your product or service has the potential to increase your prospect's ROI, make sure you remind them. You are basically asking, "So, when are you ready to increase your revenue?" Reminding them that you have a solution that is going to make them more money will often trigger the sale.
7. Quick follow-up. Often times a simple follow-up email or phone call asking your prospects if they have any additional questions will get them back into purchase mode. This is a great way to quickly convert them into a customer before too much time passes.
All of the leads that my company generates through our website are immediately contacted and we also follow up with them a couple of days later, offering to answer any questions that they might have.
8. Ask for the sale. Simply asking for the sale is not groundbreaking. It's common sense, yet many people don't do it. Ask your prospects if they are ready to get started and watch how many say "yes." They became a prospect because of their interest in what was being offered. If you don't ask for the sale, your competition will.
What other ways have you used to successfully turn your prospects into customers? Share your experiences in the comments section below.
Related: Your Survival Depends on Following Up on Internet Leads -- Fast
