Recently I have dealt with several suppliers In different Industries. The buzz words In sales are always “lead generation”. This Is true, If you are not bringing new leads In, you are not making money. But what happens after you get those leads In?
Customer Service Is King
The different suppliers I have dealt with, all have their unique lead generation sources. Some were from Facebook, others Google, and some even through direct marketing and networking. In marketing, finding the right channels to generate leads is difficult, but the key thing to remember is the right channel is what works for your business.
Once my leads were received, I started hearing back from the relevant suppliers. One thing became abundantly clear, if you do not handle your leads with care and courtesy, all your marketing efforts were for nothing. There is nothing more frustrating for a customer when promises made are not honoured. Or the line of communication breaks down. Some of the suppliers I have dealt with got it spot on and have won me over. But others, not so much. Even getting to the point where the job was cancelled.
It is Empirical that you treat every customer as if they are your only customer. Yes, things can get busy, I mean, most of you are running your own businesses, playing salesman, accountant and even playing marketing manager. But you cannot lose sight of what is most Important to your business, your customer.
Tips for good customer service
Here are some good practice tips for customer service that will leave your customers happy and coming back.
- Always respond to communications as soon as possible
- Be friendly, explanatory and patient in your communications
- Don’t promise something you cannot deliver. Always under-promise and over-deliver
- Manage their expectations. Some customers have never used your service or bought your product. They are going to have a lot of questions and even some expectations, even if they are not in line with reality. It is up to you to manage this and walk the customer through the details
- Follow up. If your lead has gone quiet, follow up. But there is a fine line between a friendly follow up and what feels like harassment. Be cognisant of that.
- Make them feel special. As simple as remembering their name or asking how they are doing goes a long way with your customer
Lead Generation, How do I do It?
Lead generation sounds scary, but it is not. It Is simply the means of bringing new leads Into your business for you or your sales team to follow up on. Why is it called a lead? Because it is not a sale. A lead needs you to follow up on it and “lead” it down the sales funnel into a conversion.
No lead is guaranteed to turn into tangible capital unless you work the customer to the point of conversion. This is where marketing and sales need to work in synergy, to make sure that marketing brings in quality leads for the sales team to follow up with. If you are not getting quality leads, your conversion rates decrease, and your time vested into each lead starts to add up to no tangible sales. Never a good thing. So keep an eye on your conversion rates to make sure that your lead generation is working for your business.
So, where do you get the leads from? There are infinite ways to bring leads to your business. The most important thing to remember and follow is that the method suits your business and works for you. We could tell you to use SMS marketing, but your customers don’t respond well to them. Or we could suggest print media but all that will do is cost you a lot of money in your line of work. Facebook advertising could be great for others but not so much for your B2B company.
What are your next steps? Speak to us at Shrike Marketing & Design and we will evaluate your entire marketing strategy and work with you to determine what marketing channels work for your business. We are not here to sell, we are here to guide you to the best marketing strategy to grow your business and capitalise on the channels that work for you.