Difference between Lead Generation and Lead Nurturing

Lead Nurturing

Lead nurturing is building relationships with potential clients even if they are not currently looking to buy a product or service. They may have signed up online to receive your newsletter or follow you on social media, but they aren’t necessarily ready to make a purchase. In the traditional consumer buyer behavior, they are perhaps still at evaluation or awareness – so a hard sales call at this stage won’t work. 

Now that you have some leads, all of which are at various stages of the buying process, what can you do to increase the likelihood of turning these leads into sales? The answer is: lead nurturing. It is not enough to simply gather leads and hand them over to sales. It’s important to understand that each lead is different, and must be handled as such.

Because not all leads are ready to purchase this instant, it’s important to interact with your leads and to determine which stage they are at. Are they just hearing about your products and services? Or, have they been searching for the right products and services for some time and are comparing your offerings to those of your competitors? Just because a lead isn’t ready to buy this very instant, it doesn’t mean they aren’t almost ready to buy. The only way to find out where they’re at is to ask, but first, you must establish trust.

Nurturing Lead starts once a company has a potential client’s contact information and can personalize communication with him or her. 

Lead Generation

It is core to the business sales process. Feeding leads into the sales funnel, qualifying the leads by phone call, meeting or sales call. And then converting the hot prospects into actual sales. Lead generation is undoubtedly an integral part of the overall sales process. But what is it, exactly, and why is it so important.

IMPORTANCE OF LEAD GENERATION

Lead generation is the process of generating excitement around specific products and services. In order to bring potential new customers into the sales pipeline. This can be done by way of inbound or outbound marketing, each of which has its advantages and disadvantages. And so should be used in combination with the highest success rate.

Outbound marketing is a somewhat invasive form of lead generation, and may not appeal to certain types of buyers, so it’s important to research your specific market before diving too heavily into this type of campaign. Examples of outbound marketing include cold-calling, face-to-face direct marketing, television, radio and print advertising. The disadvantages of outbound marketing are that it is difficult to measure, can be off-putting to certain buyer types, and can be quite costly with the potential for little return on investment.

Inbound marketing is a less aggressive form of lead generation, which allows potential customers to find their way. For information about your products and services. And encourages them to request additional information via a lead form or other method of capturing contact information for follow-up. 

Lead Nurturing Throughout the Sales Process

Be sure to check in regularly, but not so often that you drive your leads crazy. By sharing relevant and appropriate content at the right stages of the sales process. Your message is more likely to reach the right people at the right time.If you’re trying to talk about pricing with someone who still doesn’t fully understand. The benefits and features of your product, you could scare them away. Or turn them off to the product altogether by seeming too pushy. It’s all about listening to your leads and letting them take you through the sales process. Versus pushing them when they’re not ready.