Every business aims to grow and gain market share from its competitors. Unless you have a magic wand or a secret weapon, you'll inevitably have to prospect at some point to find new customers. But lead generation remains a complex marketing strategy, where it's easy to go astray.
We will therefore look at the mistakes to avoid in order to have a viable strategy, while also outlining the attitudes to adopt for this task.
Neglecting the importance of targeting
When prospecting, it's equally important to refine your targeting. Your goal is to acquire new customers, but not just any customers. Keep in mind that not everyone will be interested in your product or service. In fact, a basic marketing principle is that "trying to target everyone is the same as trying to target no one.".
Therefore, you need to create a profile of the typical prospects likely to be attracted to your products or services. There are three fundamental steps to take.
Segmentation
Market segmentation involves dividing the market according to criteria that you have chosen and that you deem relevant to your offer. These can be physical (interests, age, company size, sector of activity) or behavioral (actions taken by the prospect on your website, on your social networks , in relation to your emails).
Targeting
By asking the right questions, you'll be able to precisely target the individuals or entities that could become your customers. Among the criteria you've chosen, is there a typical profile that stands out and would benefit from your products or services? Can you offer them added value? This is how you can properly target your lead generation strategy and ensure it's built on a solid foundation for future operations.
Positioning
This step is often underestimated. Positioning refers to the image you want consumers to retain of your company, brand, or product. A clear and distinctive positioning can strengthen your appeal to potential customers .
Generalize lead processing
Generalizing your leads means failing to consider each prospect's position in the buying decision process. Your communication will then become standardized, even if you remember to include the person's name in your email messages. So, what consequences will this lax approach have on your lead generation strategy?
First, you lose effectiveness because you'll be offering content and arguments that aren't necessarily relevant since they're too general. Second, you risk damaging your brand's image, as your prospects will feel attacked and harassed by things that don't concern them. Finally, it's simply a waste of time and money.
Therefore, it's necessary to distinguish between "hot" and "cold" leads . Hot leads are potential customers, those already convinced of the benefits they could gain by buying from you. In this case, offering them a discount, even a small one, could trigger the transaction. Cold leads are those who are just discovering your products or services, who may have already browsed all your offers, but aren't yet convinced.
In this situation, the solution would be to work with them to find the offer that best meets their needs. Of course, it's essential to highlight the advantages of your products and services compared to those on the market and to emphasize what makes them unique.
Neglecting the importance of human relationships in favor of automation
Technological advancements have enabled the implementation of precise actions that are automatically triggered based on a prospect's behavior across your company's platforms (website, social media, emails, etc.). When properly implemented, it becomes possible, for example, to send follow-up emails to leads who have abandoned their shopping carts, all through software. This enthusiasm for marketing automation significantly reduces the workload for human resources, but we tend to forget the human element, which is the very foundation of marketing.
Don't forget that your leads will always need human contact. While 67% of the B2B customer journey takes place online, the remaining 33% involves traditional sales support. But that's not all. In the sales funnel, there will come a point where your prospects have doubts to address or hesitations about buying. Only a skilled salesperson will be able to turn things around and ensure your prospecting efforts are successful.
Having a fixed lead generation strategy
Marketing isn't an exact science, so you might make a mistake. Whether it's in your targeting or the channels you use to reach prospects, don't hesitate to adjust your approach if you fail. The important thing is to understand the reasons for your error and take the appropriate steps. Of course, these changes will inevitably involve expenses, but the key is to keep your prospecting goals in mind. The important thing is to remain profitable in your efforts.
Lack of communication between the marketing and sales departments
Lead generation is essentially a sales strategy aimed at acquiring new customers. If you've read this article carefully, you'll understand that it's essential for the marketing and sales departments to work in close collaboration throughout the entire lead generation process , from defining the strategy and implementing it to analyzing the results. Why? Because the sales team will be the ones in direct contact with your prospects. Marketers will constantly need their feedback to ensure optimal lead generation
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