You’ve attracted leads, qualified them from MQL to SQL and nurtured them all the way to the bottom of the sales funnel. All that remains now is to convert them into sales won. How? By convincing them your solution is the best option available. Welcome to part 3 of our series focused on lead generation tips to boost conversion via bottom of the funnel marketing.
Lead generation tips to boost conversion
In this article, we’ll cover:
- BoFu goals and objectives
- What do leads look like at the bottom of the funnel
- How to increase conversions at the bottom of the funnel
- The importance of sales enablement
- Towards the customer funnel: Retention and advocacy
Also, seek funnel management insights by emailing sales@think-beyond.co.uk to book a free marketing consultation.
BoFu goals and how to boost conversion up close
The bottom of the funnel is the last frontier between prospect and sale. This is where your leads convert into customers.
Your goal is to help them take this final step. You must convince them that you are preferable to the competition, providing qualifiers and further information so that customers can be confident in their decision. According to the latest figures, 74% of companies believe that converting leads to customers is their top priority. Need help standing out from the crowd? Find out how to create a winning competitive marketing strategy.
Lead behaviour tips at the bottom of the funnel
BoFu leads have clearly defined their pain points and have found a solution. They will convert; it is just a question of which vendor/provider they will choose.
These ready to buy leads require information specific to their situation so that they can whittle down their list of suitors and tie up any lingering questions or doubts.
For B2B clients, additional decision makers may be brought in before final sign off.
Increasing lead conversion to sales via bottom of the funnel marketing
No one wants to lose leads at the bottom of the sales funnel so follow our strategic tips to help ensure that this does not happen to you:
- Be clear: Firstly, concisely state your offer and why you stand apart from the competition. Do not be afraid to conduct direct comparisons or to draw attention to your award, accreditations and previous work.
- Only ultra-personal will do: Secondly, make every touch point count. This is customer relationship management gold level – think personalised messaging, exclusive demos, webinars that address specific issues and more.
- Demonstrate implementation: Thirdly, focus content on what choosing your product or service looks like. This could be in the form of FAQs, video testimonials or social media reviews. Whatever you choose, make sure your content is sharable so that especially in the case of B2B, multiple decision makers can access the content.
What about sales enablement? Is it important for bottom of the funnel conversion?
In order to close more deals and increase revenue into the business, it is important that sales teams have the right tools and resources to hand. Sales enablement aims to do just this.
At a basic level, sales enablement means to equip your sales team with the strategic resources they need – everything from content to coaching, technology and more – so that they are supported in their role and have the right structure from which to flourish. Sales enablement is concerned with removing barriers and creating a seamless buyer journey.
Consider this statistic: 64% of B2B decision makers say they won’t engage a sales person if the communications are not personalised. Sales enablement technology can help provide that strong sales data into customer pain points and personas that is needed for personal outreach. And the proof is in this bottom line stat: when companies invest in sales enablement it leads to 15% better win rates. Is sales enablement important? Ultimately, it is very important if it matters to you to close more deals, faster.
The tips don’t stop because BoFu is not the end: The customer funnel
Whilst there is agreement that converting leads into sales is a priority for many businesses, it is important to remember that the customer journey does not end at sales won.
Upsells, cross-sells, repeat custom and customer advocacy fall under the customer funnel (CoFu) which requires careful analysis in and of itself. Indeed, the focus of lead generation should never be solely new acquisitions. This is borne out by the following facts; the success rate of selling to an existing customer is 60-70%; the success rate of selling to a new customer is only 5-20%.
Additionally, as Bain and Company point out, a mere 5% increase in customer retention can increase profitability by 75%. The message is clear: retain custom, create customer advocates and feed data insights into your CRM to boost your sales success.
Similarly, don’t overlook reverse funnel analysis to drive efficiencies and underpin accurate forecasting throughout the sales and marketing process.
Where to get lead generation and bottom of the funnel support
Wondering where to start with your funnel analysis and management? Or perhaps you want insights into how you can reduce that reported 79% of marketing leads are never converted into sales? Start with Think Beyond. Our team helps businesses to unlock their funnel strategy. We can fill, optimise and increase your sales funnel to deliver real results.
Furthermore, our team has tonnes of experience in B2B marketing, lead generation, sales funnels, sales enablement, inbound marketing and more. In summary, we are a great place to start or an ongoing partner to get your sales funnel flowing and converting.
Now you’ve read our lead generation tips to boost conversion via bottom of the funnel marketing, call 01565 632206 so that you accelerate your sales strategy. Alternatively, you can request more information about our marketing support service by completing our 30 second contact form.
Finally, want to know more about sales funnels? Go right back to the top of the funnel or check out our middle of the funnel optimisations.
[2] https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions/b2b-sales-strategy-guides/the-state-of-sales-report