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Marketing Needs To Be More Nurturing

There were several issues that captured attendees’ attention at the SiriusDecisions Summit in Scottsdale. One of them was lead nurturing and the need for marketing to understand its role not just to get leads to sales, but also to help after leads enter (or stall in) an active selling process. The old focus on generating as many new leads as possible at the top of the sales funnel won’t cut it when the leads that have already been generated are not moving through the funnel as fast as they used to move. Nurturing is a shift in skills and sensibility for marketers, because later in the selling process there is a context to work within that is defined by the buyer. Marketing is accustomed to starting a conversation. It’s a different challenge to keep one going when the person talking to you might be a little bored, and there’s someone else in the conversation that’s had more interactions than you have (i.e., sales).

Here are a few takeaways from the Summit:

• Nearly three-quarters of attendees are either working on or have a lead nurturing program in place. What sets programs apart is the quality of execution and the information used to define next steps in the nurturing process.
• SiriusDecisions data shows 94 percent of all marketing leads fall out of the funnel for most companies. That means it’s essential to understand and implement the three types of lead nurturing (pre-Marketing Qualified Lead, Recycled, Reconstituted). If sales ignore leads that marketing thinks are qualified, find out why and fix it.
• Even one new deal brought back via nurturing is worthwhile, but SiriusDecisions data shows it’s more likely that 5 to 10 percent of leads previously disqualified will be revitalized. Also key to nurturing is pipeline stimulus, where stalled late-stage leads get a nudge with programs from marketing.
• Marketing cannot go it alone on lead nurturing. Sales must be part of developing business rules around what gets recycled and when, then marketing can define the steps it will take to see if they’re ready, or hold onto them until they’re ripe for sales. Sales must also participate in the development (and delivery) of stimulus offers or marketing risks doing more harm than good. 
  
  

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