Stage 4 of our Marketing Funnel: CONVERSION

Before we take a deep dive into what is arguably the most important stage of our Funnel, let's gain a bit of inspiration via one of my favourite scenes extracted from the movie Glengarry Glen Ross, starring Alec Baldwin.

The message is simple, isn't it?!

Always. Be. Closing.

In Business, and in sales specifically, we have a natural tendency to believe that the 'weak' or 'unqualified' leads we generate, are next to no chance of closing. I don't believe in that theory, and if you're thinking with this mindset, you're already behind the 8-ball.

Yes, we would all appreciate the luxury of a high influx of qualified leads entering through the top of our funnel, but until we have our Inbound Marketing Automation engine humming at full speed, we'll have to remain optimistic and make do with any prospect that enters into our ecosystem.

Instead of approaching our "weaker" leads with a losers mentality, use the opportunity as a means of education. We can start by asking that prospect generic questions e.g; How did you hear about us? What solutions are you using currently? How much are you paying for your current solution? What was it about our Company/Offering that caught your attention? Why is it exactly that you're not ready to buy right now?

By asking these questions to your weaker type leads, you are doing a combination of things. Firstly, you are figuring out why you attracted this type of lead. Secondly, you are learning more about the market so as to help you target more suitable prospects. And lastly, you may very well be turning this weak lead into a warm lead by simply engaging in a 'Customer Experience' type conversation. It all leads back to those 3 magical words;

Always. Be. Closing.

Now let's talk about your 'warm' leads and how awesome it feels when a prospect reaches out to you and virtually begs you to turn them into a client.

The big mistake I see a lot of Entrepreneurs making here is thinking that they still need to 'Sell', when what we should be doing is anything but selling.

When I first entered the world of Sales I was taught an extremely valuable lesson that is condensed down into three simple words; Tell, never Sell.

How simple, yet bloody amazing is that?!

When you are talking to a warm lead that has found its way to the bottom of your Funnel, it is important that you educate them with regards to what is available in the market, create value by explaining how your solution can help solve their issues, and ultimately hit them on their emotional triggers. This is the art of 'Telling' and never 'Selling'.

Contrary to that, the moment you start mentioning elements like Facts, Figures, Mathematics, Analysis, and other irrelevant details, you will begin working the side of the brain that is more logical in nature. As a result of this, your Buyer will naturally begin to believe they are being 'Sold' to.

People buy on emotion. We buy something because it makes us feel good, not because of how well pythagoras' theorem stacked up against the mathematical aspect of our product/solution.

When you have the opportunity to talk to any kind of lead, be it Weak or Warm, remember the two golden rules;

Always. Be. Closing; and

Tell, never Sell.

Thank you once again for taking the time to read this post. In my next article I am going to highlight an area of the Funnel that is neglected by a large percentage of Entrepreneurs/Business Owners: Repeat Business and Referrals.

Helpful questions to ask yourself for this stage of the funnel:

• How did our prospects hear about us?
• What similar solutions are our prospects using at the moment?
• How much are they paying to use their current solution?
• Are we "Selling" more than we are "Telling"
• Have we asked the correct questions in the lead up closing this deal?