Here’s a scenario: visitor numbers are up and conversions are down. And you’re thinking, what’s going on? The chances are that there’s something in your sales funnel that’s stopping your prospects from converting. Leads can get stuck in a sales pipeline for several reasons. Here are four of the most common conversion issues:
Your sales and marketing departments aren’t aligned
A failure to align your sales and marketing departments will create two problems that could kill your close rate. Firstly, your marketing department won’t nurture your sales prospects in a way that is conducive to a high close rate. And secondly, your leads won’t be properly qualified (if they are even qualified at all).
Both problems arise because your marketing department doesn’t know what kind of leads your sales team needs. And the end result is that you are constantly trying to convert leads who either have no need for your product or no interest in it (because they haven’t been properly educated by the marketing team).
The solution? Smarketing. The integration of marketing and sales ensures that the two teams are singing from the same song sheet. With open communication, your marketing team will know what kinds of leads your sales team needs, and your sales team will know where in the decision-making process their qualified leads are.
You don’t understand your customers’ needs
Never assume that you know what your sales prospects need. It’s too easy to typecast them according to experience of previous customers, and then misunderstand them completely. Listen to what they have to say and ask the kinds of questions that give you a more complete understanding of their challenges and needs.
Your sales team also needs to be careful to not rush a deal. We don’t listen well when we are in a hurry, and it’s easy to get excited about a deal when you think that your product is the right solution for your prospect. Again, salespeople need to remember to take the time to get to really understand what their sales prospects need.
Your customers don’t trust you
If you haven’t earned your prospect’s trust, maybe it’s because your sales team haven’t given them the most honest and reliable advice. Prospects need to feel that they know enough about their problem and the proposed solutions before they make an informed decision. And, though it’s your marketing department’s job to provide the information most relevant to the top and middle of your sales funnel (especially in an inbound campaign), it’s often up to your sales team to provide reliable advice on your products. Prospects are quick to identify salespeople who only want to close the deal that will earn them the highest commission. And your team needs to realise that it’s much more important to win over a lifelong customer with sound advice than it is to earn that extra little bit of commission.
You push your customers too hard
If you have ever been on the receiving end of a hard sell, you know that nobody likes to be pressured into anything. Gauge your prospect’s interest level and push no harder than necessary. Going faster than they are comfortable with could cost you the deal. Again, this relates to the perception of trustworthiness.
If you seem overly eager to close a deal, it will set off alarm bells. Listen for clues that tell you what your sales prospect wants to hear. Your conversation should not be about your products, but about solving your prospects problems.
If, after this, you’d like to know more about how to improve your close rate, you can download our MQL to SQL guide. In this informative eBook you’ll learn how effective lead qualification can ensure that your sales team has better leads to work with. As experts at B2B telemarketing, we pride ourselves on our ability to provide sound sales advice, and this document contains some of our most valuable tips.
