Are processes in the way of closing sales? Marketing can’t fix that.
Leads are coming in. But if they aren’t converting to sales, it may not be a Marketing department issue – although it is almost certainly a communication issue.
I have a friend who helps doctors and dentists with their marketing. As her first step, she has their team walk her through every step of what a patient would experience. How does the phone get answered? What is the experience with appointment reminders? How are patients greeted when they arrive? What is the post-procedure staff follow-up? She tells the medical professionals who hire her (at a healthy 5 figure rate) that until she understands how Operations function, she can’t help the business with ads and websites.
Why? Because marketing IS communications. And communication happens everywhere in your business.
Think about all the places your customers interact with your staff and processes that are not marketing. There are many places to lose a customer:
- Are your customer service staff trained to help with solutions? Customer-first focus?
- Where are the email inquiries going? (Last week I followed up with a company I’ve been working with to develop and deliver content. Turns out, all sales leads were going to a Sales email address – which wasn’t being checked! And yes, there was a 3 week old lead in that Sales email box. #TruStory)
- Is the phone number on your website wrong, and interested prospects have to hunt down another method of contact? (Also #TruStory)
- Is your IVR (phone tree) unnecessarily complicated? (The answer is probably yes. Most are not built for call-ins who don’t know the company.)
- Did your engineering staff say “we can’t do that” when presented with the customer plans after Sales vetted the prospect?
- Did Sales quote one price and a different price was invoiced by Accounts Payable?
- What are other points in your process that need to be reviewed?
Marketing did their job. Leads came in. But leads only convert to sales with the right communications from every level of your company. When was the last time you reviewed your sales experience – from the viewpoint of a new customer – and evaluated how both your processes and staff are communicating your brand?
Remember, those brand communications lead to:
- Customer referrals (Word of Mouth marketing)
- Customer reviews (SEO and WOM marketing)
- Testimonials (SEO, social media, case studies, brochures, ads)
- Repeat customers (improved Lifetime Customer Value)
Hope you found this helpful and worth your time. I appreciate you reading it.
Chat soon,
Alexandria