I have a confession to make.. I’m not much of a gardener. I planted some seeds a few weeks ago, and the package clearly said that the seeds would germinate in 7-14 days. I examined the plot of ground each day as I watered it, looking for signs that the seeds were sprouting. And by day 8, I expected to see some tiny sprouts. But alas, there was nothing. I started to conclude that there was something wrong with the seeds. I’m embarrassed to admit that I actually dug up a couple seeds to see if anything was happening. There was nothing – no root, no sprout, no sign of life. I figured the seeds were bad. But instead of throwing them out and starting over, I re-buried the seeds and continued to water them a little each day, and to my surprise, a week later, I had a bunch of tiny plants.

Are you doing that with your lead nurturing? Do you plant a bunch of seeds, and then dig them up in 8 days to see if they’re sprouting? Do you discard them if they’re not yet showing signs of life?

Prospecting and lead generation is a lot like farming. But in sales, you never know how long the germination process will be. Buyers need to go through a process of developing awareness of their internal problems and needs before they start researching and evaluating solutions. Your organization needs to have a plan for cultivating these early-stage seeds over time – feeding them bits of information to support their process, without drowning them with information overload. A consistent trickle of personalized information is best. Then let them grow. Nurture their interest and help them see ways they can benefit from your products or services. Be available to weed out the competitive claims and keep them on track. Eventually, many of them will mature and be ready to harvest into the sales process.

Warm regards,

Candyce

Warm regards,

Candyce