In the previous article we covered the first parts of lead generation, namely lead capturing and lead nurturing. The next step in the lead generation process is...*queues drumroll*

Lead Scoring

Lead scoring involves programs that have been designed to keep track of a given lead’s browsing activity on your web pages. For this specific reason, you want your web content formatted into serial content. Serial-content is content stretched out over your webpages in a coherent series with back and forward links, instead of one link. Through serial content you are able to effectively track your lead’s content consumption pathways.

Lead scoring works on a basis where every unit of content on your website is scored. As a lead browses your content, he would build up a score which is equivalent to the extent of which he navigates through your website and also the frequency by which he visits certain pages. Lead scoring works in conjunction with lead nurturing, for example, once you have supplied your lead with solutions to his needs, you will be able to see if he has continued to visit those web pages that display content on the suggestions you’ve made.  Information obtained manually through nurturing procedures could also be added to the leads score rating. Once the lead has reaches a score of a decided threshold number, his details should be passed onto the sales department.

An increase in lead quality results in a significant increase in sales productivity. Nurtured leads handed over to Sales-persons, might promise fewer leads to pursue, yet higher quality leads, promising bigger chances of successful lead-to-customer conversions.

Now, page scores aren’t just pulled out of a hat. You need to construct a system by which you score your pages on a hierarchical system between 1 and 5. For example: Visits on company website pages or blog page would have a rating of 1; Clicks on “link in email” buttons would have a rating of  3; Visits on a product or service details page would rate 3, and visits on pages proceeding after forms have been submitted would rate 5.

The threshold number that a lead should reach before qualifying as a hot lead for a salesperson to pursue should also be carefully calculated. This number will depend on the product or service that you are selling. Someone seeking to buy fresh vegetables will need a lower score than a person that is seeking to buy a house. There are many variables to consider. Once you have a number in place, it should be researched, reevaluated on a constant basis and adapted according to those findings.

Lead Distribution

Once your lead has been nurtured and qualified as being a “hot lead”, he will be handed over to the distribution phase. Hot leads, or leads worth pursuing are distributed fairly among sales-people in the sales department. But, deciding which lead to hand over to which sale-person, again, is not as simple as picking straws. The sales-person must be the perfect person for the specific lead. The most basic corresponding factor between the sales-person and the lead is the geographical area. They should be located in the same area to make direct contact attainable. Other factors that should be considered as aiding the sales-person-to-lead relationship are demographics such as nationality, age-group, gender and language ability. However, the most important factor in lead distribution is that the given sales person should have exceedingly good knowledge on the service or product that the lead has shown interest in.

Let us imagine a scenario where you have gone through a great process of optimizing your web content for the purpose of lead capturing. You have spent all your efforts into generating valuable content and you are spending hours on a weekly basis nurturing your leads with this content, answering questions and responding to comments. Your leads are being scored by your software and you are constantly reevaluating thresholds so that they continue to make sense and be effective to your purpose. The lead is considered hot, and he is distributed among your sales-people, where someone is chosen as the most appropriate person to pursue this lead. The sales-person passionately pursues this lead and they get along like a house on fire, before the lead tells him. “Thank you, but I can’t afford it right now”, or “ I just bought one two days ago”, or something as simple as “Thank you, but no thanks. What now?! “What now”, is the most euphemistic expression that you might use in such a situation, except you haven’t lost anything. You lost a client that you never had, and missed out on a sale, but then again, you only missed a sale, for now. You haven’t lost a lead and you definitely haven’t lost the game! Continuing to engage with leads after the point of sale has proven to promise a good chance of future purchases from the same lead. Continuing to engage with leads after the point of sale has been unsuccessful, likewise, promises a great chance of future purchases from the same lead.  It is not that the lead cannot be converted into a client; it is that the lead has not been converted into a client yet.

Lead Recycling

For this reason leads should be recycled. The unconverted lead should be returned to the lead nurturing system. The importance of multiple contacts cannot be stressed enough, and lead recycling exists simply because human are complex beings, people differ from one another; some need more levels of engagement to feel at ease, some are skeptical and need more convincing than others. Further nurturing the lead will only strengthen the profile that you have of him, and solidify trust. If you continue to share advice, answers and units of value added content with the lead, after he has rejected purchasing from you, will eradicate the idea that you are just after his money. In time, the lead would want to do business with you, for he would feel as if purchasing from you is equivalent to a reciprocal exchange of value.

Sound Idea Digital is a full service digital agency | www.soundidea.co.za

Julian Karstel is a Digital Marketing Consultant for Sound Idea Digital | @JulianKarstel | Julian@soundidea.co.za

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