I had lunch with Rob Stump, CEO of ANI, an extremely reputable sales training company I partner with. Since we both run training companies, we shared similar struggles we have faced in the last year. Training is always the first to go when there is a downturn but how quickly it goes is most concerning. I compare this to getting laid off from a job. You usually walk into the office in the morning or after lunch and have been informed it’s your last day and you need to get your things because security will escort you out. Just as you run back to log-out, your password has already been changed and you have no access. That’s how fast training gets slammed, no matter how long you have taken to design, develop and deliver the training, the number of participants signed up, it all disappears at the flip of a switch- poof, it’s gone.
Now, training is making a comeback- a fast one. Everyone wants it NOW but it must be different than before, virtual, updated, revised and translated for every global country in the western hemisphere by tomorrow. It’s this new NOWISM that I refer to as Corporate ADD (one minute we want it and the next minute we shelf it) and believe we must take this NOWISM very seriously.
Let’s apply these NOWISM pricipals to lead nurturing. I reviewed Silverpop’s Slideshare on Lead Nurturning Best Practices in Tough Times which estimates 70-80% of leads generated by Marketing are never followed up with by sales. As marketing and sales continue to work together and each does their part in generating leads (marketing) and developing leads (sales) under the lead nurturing umbrella. Whether it is lead nurturning, sales proposals, demos and presentations- it’s the 48-hours immediately following that present the most critical sales opportunites. There are many unpredictable variables impacting the sales cycle today. The disconnect is these crucial first hours.
Here are five ways you can develop the lead faster in the first 48 hours:
1. Be aggressive- don’t just save it and play hard to get
2. Capture the pain- that is what generated interest in the first place
3. Create a groundswell- get everyone involved immediately and hold them accountable
4. Keep it super simple- don’t throw more at them
5. Don’t discount- instead get your calendar out and talk about implementation.
