It has been said that, contrary to popular opinion, nobody actually hates sales. It's not selling that people hate. And though failing to make a sale can be disappointing, marketers should be more disappointed about the sales they miss out on because they never even get a chance to try. These are willing, qualified prospects who don't give your company a chance to earn their business due to some problem with your website or lead generation process.
Because these lost sales are invisible, companies can remain blind to the problems that caused them. To find and fix the problems, you have to approach your company through the eyes of a potential customer.
Below are some of the main problems that might be driving away prospects, along with advice on how to identify and fix those problems.
They Never Find You
Most people go online to start the search for a product or service. If your company does not rank highly in the search results, qualified customers may never learn that you exist.
Because search engines have become more personalized, you may not notice this problem when searching yourself. Your nearby location and history of interacting with your own site will cause it to rank higher in your personalized results.
Improving your website traffic through SEO is the long-term answer, but you can also gain immediate exposure through keyword advertising.
They Find a Competitor With a Better Website
First impressions are important, and your website is usually going to provide that first impression. An inferior website design will make your company appear inferior, even if your products and services are tops in the industry.
You may need to turn to outside observers to get an unbiased opinion of how your site stacks up against the competition and to identify ways to improve your site's design.
You Never Get Their Contact Information
Even if they do visit your website and like what they see, some people will never take the initiative to contact you. They might respond positively if you were to contact them, but that means you have to get their contact information.
You can get information from interested prospects if you ask for it in the right way. Usually, this involves giving them something of value, such as an eBook or white paper, in exchange for filling out a form. If you have nothing to offer (or your offer is not compelling), you will miss out on a potential lead.
You are Too Slow With Your Response
Finally, many sales are lost even when prospects provide their contact information. If you take three days to respond, and your competitor only takes one day, your potential customer might have already placed an order with someone else by the time you contact them.
The key here is to have an effective lead nurturing campaign that tracks the progress of leads and ensures they are followed up with in a timely manner.
By identifying and rectifying these missed opportunities, potential customers will more quickly find what they are looking for, and you will wind up with more warm leads and more closed sales. It's a can't-lose scenario.
* Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
