Marketing Opinion South Africa

Are your marketing leads not converting? This could be why

As marketers, we help our clients generate plenty of leads from their websites and social media. But often we see those initial queries aren't converting to sales, meetings or pipeline.
Photo by Dominika Roseclay© from
Photo by Dominika Roseclay© from Pexels

There could be many reasons for this:

  • Sales follow-up is too slow, infrequent or you have the wrong message
  • Lead nurturing may not be doing enough to educate the prospect or persuade them that you are better than your competitors
  • The wrong types of leads could be generated


Here are some tips to turn your online leads into paying customers:

Act fast!

Online leads require a faster, more engaged response than a traditional lead because, by the time someone fills in your lead form, they’re ready to start engaging. Act quickly! If you respond within 30 minutes of receiving a lead’s contact details you increase your chance of a sale. Take too long, and you’ll likely lose the business to someone else.

Having any sales team person contact the lead immediately, rather than waiting until a later time when the right sales person is available, also increases your chance of success.

Monitor your pipeline

Are your marketing leads disappearing into an abyss, where it’s impossible to keep track or get an idea of what’s happened to them? Set up a dedicated mailbox for all your marketing leads and create a dashboard (even if it’s on Excel) where all sales data can easily be seen at a glance.

Get the basics right

Use your lead form to get more information about your lead. This will help you direct them to the correct sales person and give you the opportunity to make a warm sales call, already armed with this basic information.

Nurture your leads

If someone shows interest in your business, it doesn’t always mean that they’re ready to buy immediately. One way to keep a lead warm is to ask them to join your company mailing list. By sending them regular information about the business, new products or your promotions, you keep your business top of mind, and you’re more likely to be their first call when they’re eventually ready to buy.

With a little more structure in your process, your marketing will be working so much harder for you by turning those online leads into sales.

About Sylvia Schutte

Sylvia Schutte is the MD of Stratitude, a full-service marketing agency that provides strategic and creative solutions focussed on making an impact on their clients' brands and their bottom lines.
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