Proper sales prospecting, setting up lead funnels, and qualifying leads is a lot of hard work, and usually, we as marketers are tasked with making sure that our efforts are not in vain.
Sure, we are all familiar with the premise that we cannot convert everybody, but the thing is, how can we make sure that we are not wasting our time on leads that will never convert?
In this short article, we will be examining the different types of leads that we get as marketers and how we can adequately identify buying signals and make sure we appropriately respond to them.
So sit back and relax as we go through the most common signs of buyer intent.
Some Subtle (And Not So Subtle) Buying Signals You Could Be Missing
There are a couple of signals that some marketers fail to take note of when they are presenting – or tracking – a product or service to a client.
For instance, constant repetition may not always be considered a buying signal especially if a client is insisting on acquiring some level of functionality from something that you are offering them. However, there is also the flipside to this if you think about it.
If the client is continuously asking about something, it means that there is the intention of that need to be fulfilled and this is where you can strategize your product or service to make the most of this opportunity. As long as you can also focus on meeting this need with your product – and not just faking it – then you can quickly make a sale.
Also, look for the constant desire to be in contact with your sales team or metrics indicating that they are visiting your web property multiple times in a week.
Think about it this way, too, the metrics do not lie. If you see them visiting your site more than once in a day, or better yet, checking out your pricing page way too often to be a casual visitor, then the chances are they are ready to be converted at the soonest possible time.
Other tracking telltale signs are them checking out the case studies you have on your site – if you do not have any, then you should start putting them in.
Related: Using Social Signals to Spot Sales-Ready Leads
The Questions You Have To Look Out For
One of the best signs that you have as a marketer is when the prospective buyer has started to ask you questions about your product, services or the business in general. Not all questions are indicative of a buying signal, but there are a few that usually means that the buyer is ready to close.
The most important questions that you have to look out for are questions about the specifics such as terms and delivery dates. These are extremely indicative of a lead that is willing to consider your product as long as it can meet their standards. This is the time for you to play your cards right and make sure that you meet their organization’s needs.
If they ask specific questions about your business in general, this could mean that they are curious about your eligibility because they could already be hooked to your USP (unique sales proposition). This is also a time for you to act accordingly and try to deliver.
Of course, there are the more obvious questions about how the services or products that you offer would be able to meet their needs in general. However, the most significant questions that you should always get them to ask are:
“How Much Does The Product or Service Cost?”
This is undoubtedly the best indicator of purchase intent, and a lot of marketers will even confirm this for you. This means that the product seems to have met the specifications that are needed for it to meet a particular need, but the only question is how much would it cost them.
In essence, there is only one other question that can rival this one, and this would be:
“What Are Your Modes of Payment?”
This goes beyond the former question that was stipulated because this means that the intended buyer is alright with the pricing and is now wondering how they will be able to pay you. This is one of the most potent signs of buyer intent because it shows the inclination of the lead to make the decision soon.
Related: Using Neuroscience to Better Answer 5 Questions Leads Ask Themselves Before Buying
At the end of the day, sometimes the buying signals can be significantly trivial, and it might seem as if they could be more than evident. The critical thing to remember is if your product or service could potentially meet their needs. This is the main tipping point in getting conversions.
Be sensitive and feel around for a response, you never know what’s in store for your conversion efforts.
