If prospects don't trust you, they won't buy from you (Photo by davedufour)
Are you concerned about converting leads into sales? You’re not alone. According to a poll by InTouch, lead conversion is the number one lead generation challenge for B2B firms.
One reason why that conversion is so challenging is that those buyers don’t yet trust you. You must prove your trustworthiness. And sometimes you might use tactics that you think are good when they’re actually hurting you, says Michael Maslansky, author of The Language of Trust: Selling Ideas in a World of Skeptics, in his podcast interview, You Might Be a Trust Killer—and Not Even Know It.
“The subtler versions of lying, cheating, and stealing are what get people into trouble, such as claiming your service is perfect,” he says. “You will lose trust because we as people don’t believe anything is perfect today.”
You also want to keep in mind the “personal principle,” Maslansky says. Remember, it’s not about you; it’s about them—your buyers. Avoid talking just about your services and your firm and focus on your prospects’ needs and concerns.
Your expertise can also help develop trust and make you the go-to person in your field, says Vickie K. Sullivan in her article, Become a Must-Have Expert Everyone Wants to Work With. Buyers use three filters when deciding whether to buy your services: if your expertise will help them with the problem at hand, how readily available your expertise and skills are (do you know something they don’t?), and do they agree with your approach and the way you think.
When you tap into those three things, “not only will we get attention, but we will get the incoming emails and calls, too,” Sullivan says.
Lead Generation Tactics
Before you can convert those leads, you must first find them. You could use cold calling, but if the thought of doing that makes you shiver, there are many other tactics you can use, explains Kendra Lee in her article, Cold Calling Alternatives that Drive in Leads. Ideas include email campaigns, online events, social media, press releases, and conference exhibits.
“Some people love cold calling. But if you aren’t one of those people, relax, breathe a deep sigh of relief and change your prospecting strategy,” Lee says. “Not only will you build your pipeline, but you’ll also create awareness for yourself and your company through consistent exposure.”
If you decide to exhibit at conferences or trade shows, Sharon Berman has some excellent advice in her article, Bright Lights, Booth Babes, or Swag: How to Create the Best Conference Exhibit. In the first article of this two-part series, Berman focuses on the initial research to make your investment worthwhile. She also addresses what makes a magnetic booth that draws prospects to you and how to take advantage of the conference resources available to you.
Conference exhibits is a channel not many professional services firms pursue (or if they do, they don’t execute them well) and yet the lead potential is big. The key is understanding what makes an exhibit work and putting in the effort to make it succeed.
“If you haven’t seriously considered exhibiting before, it may be a tactic to add to your marketing arsenal,” Berman says. “Remember that any tactic is most successful when it is seamlessly integrated into a firm’s overall marketing strategy and viewed as a long-term investment.”
