Many wise men in the B2b lead generation space have emphasized on the importance of lead nurturing in the lead management process.

Way back in 2006 Brian Carroll, CEO of InTouch and author of Lead Generation for the Complex Sale had found in a research that 95% of prospects on your website are not yet ready to talk with a sales rep, they are probably on the site to research your solution. Of these only 70% actually buy a product from you or your competitor.

The scenario is not very different even today. Many of the leads your marketing automation solution identifies may actually be dumped into trash or labeled useless by your sales team because the lead is not sale ready. In truth many of these leads could be turned into future sales if nurtured properly.

If I were to define Lead nurturing I would say its the art of building long term relationships with people who might at some point need and purchase your services. It is the art of adding that personal human touch to the entire lead management cycle.

It also requires a plan.

Below are few simple techniques you can use to nurture your lead and build a relationship of trust with your prospect…

1. Read up on your prospect

To win the trust of a prospect – it is essential to be in a position of certain authority. To build that authority, its important to know your prospect well. You should have full knowledge about his company, the space/industry he operates in, the challenges faced by the industry, by his company and how the solution you offer best suits his needs. Knowledge is key in this relationship – because only with knowledge can you provide him with relevant information and slowly assist him in his decision making process.

2. Showcase your know-how

Self promotion is not the only way you can tell a prospect about your area of expertise. Help him find his weaknesses and he would believe you understand him. If you have a customer evaluation form or questionnaire send it across to him – do his evaluation for free. Offer him an insight into what you think his pain points are and what kind of solutions would help him tackle those pain areas. Give him a neutral viewpoint without promoting your solution. It is a given if your evaluation and advice makes sense, you will be his first choice for further discussions. If not, do not haste, maybe he still wants to check out other competitors before he takes a final call. Moreover, the exercise has given you enough knowledge on your prospect and has also put you in a better position than your competitors.

3. Send him relevant content

Did you just find an article or post which could be relevant information pertaining to the product or industry of your prospect? Email him right away, mention you thought this would be useful to him. This tells your prospect that you understand his industry, keep a tab on it and also that you care about his company. If you are planning to send him an e-newsletter, check – send only if the content in it is relevant to him. Don’t clutter his inbox with useless stuff.

4. Share your thought leadership initiatives

Has your company just published a Research report/Whitepaper which would be relevant to your prospect but requires payment or registration – send it to him for free or on email and he will know you are serious about this relationship.

5. Treat him like a king

Is your company hosting a Webinar or an event which you think would be of interest to your prospect? Invite him.

6. Give him a good example to compare with

Has your team just put together a case study on a client which is similar to the prospect? email the case study to him – he will be in a better position to understand how you will go about solving a similar problem/challenge.

7. Ensure he hears the buzz around you

Has your company received any third party endorsements, awards, media coverage or are there any feature enhancements in your product which might be of relevance to your prospect – share it with him. These work as feedback on your capabilities and will help build his confidence in your company, your product and its relevancy for his company.

8. Go Social

Use social media tools to follow your prospect and his company on social networking sites, microblogging sites, blogs, groups etc. – Often these are the places where your prospect shares his thoughts, fears, foresight etc. and might be a good place to find some relevant information to understand your prospect better.

9. Use the democratic approach

Create a group of your existing customers, where they can discuss your product/solution. Their experiences, challenges etc. – You can invite your prospect to join this group to have a better understanding of the solutions you offer and the customer experience and feedback.

10. Give him priority

Is your company coming out with a special offer as a lead bait for lead generation? Remember to send your prospect an email informing him about the offer and how he can avail it.

Lead nurturing takes on a whole new meaning when you see it as a relationship building process, trust me with that perspective in mind you can be really creative in the ways you approach a prospect without being too promotional and pushy. How often you reach out to a prospect is again dependent on the response you get every time you get in touch. Having said that, experts say that anywhere between 3 -4 weeks is a good time to touch base with your prospects.

Remember the Golden rule of Lead Nurturing – Be patient, with that half the battle is won…

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