Congratulations! You have got your prospects all the way through to this last stage of the marketing funnel – bottom of funnel (BOFU). You have engaged them enough to start their journey with you at top of funnel and nurtured them along the way through middle of funnel. You have done this while building the trust and credibility along with dealing with numerous objections along the way. But all of this is futile if they do not convert. This is the last and crucial step where you need to convince them enough to become a paying customer from a mere prospect. At times prospects hang around at this stage for a while until they are ready, or if the time is right and you have done a thorough job until now, they will convert quickly!
Here are some proven tactics to move your prospects over the line and close deals successfully;
Super personalize: By this stage you have moved away from the time where your leads thought you were creepy and knew too much about them. You have engaged them, asked them about their problem areas and have established that you are here to help. So, it is time to problem solve while speaking about specific pain points along with referencing previous conversations. This will establish that you not only understand their issues (empathy) but are here to alleviate them (action). Hyper personalizing your communication will show them that you listened! Here’s a good read on hyper personalized marketing.
Deal with objections: You will face additional objections – be prepared and deal with them in detail. This is the time to go through any doubts and hesitations in detail. Providing long form customer case studies that go in-depth of similar issues and business scenarios, will help build trust and reduce any insecurities. Leveraging social proof by displaying other well known logos that you serve, will give them a confidence that they are making the right decision in trusting you for your offerings. This is make or break time.
Offer a clear value prop: Simplify your offer. Clearly state the value your product or service brings to the business ad how that will impact them in the short and long run. When your prospects understand the value they will get for the price they pay – they will be able to justify the purchase and it wont be a price driven conversation. This will also bring more accountability to your teams who will be involved in delivering the offering at a later stage.
Speak to the decision makers: Many a times, there are more than one decision maker. Talk to each of them early on. Also customize your message for each of them, as they may come from different business units. A CFO will understand the offering in a different way compared to a CTO or a Human Resource exec. It is important to bring out the right benefits that resonate with the decision makers to close the deal. Also, it is important to project yourself as a partner more than a vendor. If they win you win. Demonstrate that it is not just another deal for you, but a commitment to your customer’s long term goal. This will get the C-team nodding in unison at this bottom of funnel stage.
Be persistent but not pushy: Respect that your prospects need the time to think their decision through, but at the same time be persistent in giving them valuable information that will take them closer to making a decision in your favor. Time is of the essence, so follow up diligently but do not frustrate them! Extending time-limited offers, guarantees or risk-free trials are a great way make sure your prospect keeps you at the top of their preferences, but also values your time and effort.
Enable seamless conversion: Offering time-limited options is all well and good, but if it isn’t easy to sign contracts, or make payments then the offers are pointless. Make it as easy as possible to onboard your prospects. With easy refund plans, trial periods, dedicated customer support, around the clock tech support or flexi payment plans, you facilitate easy decision making. Go ahead and help them sign on that dotted line!
Are you facing certain marketing challenges that just won’t go away – check out my blog if these are the ones you face too and discover ways to solve them.
