WHOA!.... These customers have really put up their guards over the last few months. Let’s be honest, we were used to leads reaching out, giving us all their information, wants, needs, and desires. Man, those were the days. Now customers are holding their cards really close. Do you blame them? The news can create feelings of fear, panic, and even regret. So, how do we take what we know and build trust to win the sale? Let’s dive in! 

1. Speed

2. Messaging 

3. Value

4. Creativity

Speed is and has always been the name of the game- get ‘em while they’re in the mood (five minutes or less for new inquiries and immediately for any call-in leads). We used to win by simply answering the phone because everyone was stretched so thin and truly were not capable of getting back to everyone in a timely manner. That’s no longer the case. Your competition is also looking for the next opportunity to connect and win the sale. Velocify put out stats that you’re 391% more likely to convert the lead if you respond in under a minute, 160% more likely to convert if you respond in under two minutes, and 98% more likely to convert if you respond in under three minutes. You get where I'm going here…

What you are sending them matters! Stephen Pancinelli, Chief Marketing Officer with BombBomb, has explained that what you are sending leads now is grooming them for how they’ll react to content you send them in the future. Both in short-term follow-up and long-term follow-up to aged prospects. Make sure you are auditing your templated emails in your short-term follow-up process for the market that you are in. Also, remember to ADD to those templates things that are specific to the leads inquiry. The best way to get them to respond is to give them something that either encourages them to respond (a call to action) or catches their attention and makes them start to develop questions. For long-term prospecting, if you are sending the same thing every month to every lead in the database regardless of their time frame, community of interest, and rating - you’re setting yourself up for failure. We most likely have the time to batch long-term prospecting specific to THEIR interest. 

In any communication with the lead, we have to provide some piece of value that they didn't already know. Maybe that’s a statistic on why buying right now is a good time, information on new vs. used or price vs. cost, a link to a preferred lender, a lesson on how to best navigate your website to find information, etc. This way, they know YOU are the expert! There is nothing worse than leaving a conversation with a “professional” and feeling like you didn't receive anything of value from it. This all starts with being knowledgeable about the industry in general and specific to the current market so make sure you’re doing your due diligence as the professional!

The best way to stand out from your competitors is to do something that they aren’t doing. You have to leave a lasting impression with them so that when they do start to imagine their future, you pop into their head! Remember, what lands with one person doesn't land with another. So mix it up and meet your customer where they want to be met along with where they are in their journey. What worked in the past isn't always what works best for the current/future. 

Once you’ve done these things, you’ve built rapport with your customers, they trust what you’re telling them because you are catering to THEM- the individual, not the masses! This makes the rest of the process so much easier! So, let's get back to quick response, relevant content, valuable interactions, and creative methods of delivery! This is what makes online sales fun!