The Secret to Getting More Customers

The ultimate goal of any business is to attract and retain customers. But it’s not as simple as pestering your contacts until they buy something. Potential customers need to be gently coaxed in to gain their trust before encouraging them to purchase with you. You need to offer them value and show them they are more than just another number. Our methods will help you in your quest to get more customers without scaring your contacts away.

Before thinking about driving your customers through the sales cycle, it is essential to establish some buyer personas. Who are your customers? What do they do? What are they interested in? You can use your buyer personas to tailor your marketing automation activities to your potential customers.

Using the Sales Cycle for Getting More Customers

Stage 1: Attract (Turn Strangers into Visitors)

The attraction stage is critical to the success of your business. How can you expect to drive sales if no one is visiting your website? Blogging is a relatively quick and easy way to attract potential customers. If blogging is not already part of your regular marketing activities, make it one. Think about your buyer personas and what they would find interesting. Write 2 – 3 pieces of weekly content your potential customers would find valuable.

We all know how effectively social media can spread a message, so it is a vital part of your marketing strategy. Develop a strong presence on your social media channels. Post regular updates (including sharing your blog posts), interact with your contacts and answer their questions. By doing this, you should effectively put yourself at the forefront of your contacts’ minds.

Stage 2: Convert (Turn Visitors into Leads)

This is the point at which your visitors become leads. You need to offer your visitors something of value that they can access by filling in a form. For example, offer your visitors a free eBook and ask them to provide their name and email address for you to send them their download. Make sure your website contains valuable content and striking Calls-to-Action. As visitors become leads, your marketing automation strategy really comes into play.

Stage 3: Close (Turn Leads into Customers)

Once you generate a good number of leads, you can assume that these contacts are interested in your company and what you offer. Now is the time to seize the opportunity, close deals, and convert your leads into customers. Marketing automation is vital for making this a seamless, efficient process. You need emails, workflows, lead-scoring… Keep your leads interested and encourage them to make a purchase.

Stage 4: Delight (Turn Customers into Promoters)

Some people believe that after closing the sale, their job is over. They couldn’t be more wrong! You may successfully get more customers, but retaining existing customers is just as important (if not more critical) than generating new ones. Your existing customers can be the cheapest and most effective method of advertisement that your business could invest in. Delight your customers by offering them first-class service and then continuing to keep them interested in your company. By doing this, not only will your customers want to recommend your services, but they will also be more likely to continue doing business with you.

Guiding customers through the sales cycle can be daunting, and it can be months before you generate any paying customers! Don’t be put off. Use marketing automation to save time and seamlessly keep your contacts interested all the way through the sales cycle.