The number one hurdle for anyone working in sales is how to convert email leads, i.e. potential customers, into actual paying customers. 
There are many factors to be considered in this situation, but some are more important than others, and if you have the right advice, you can certainly start to benefit from it almost immediately. This is certainly a question worth exploring in detail, but this will be just a short guide, offering a list of suggestions and advice on how to go about boosting your sales numbers with a few easy tricks.
- Offer your Leads Incentives to Buy
Very few people can really resist the allure of giveaways, and this is a tried and true method of getting people to commit to a purchase. When they are being offered something extra, be it a special, limited time only discount, or some sort of a present as a token of your appreciation, the Lead will get the feeling that they are getting a good deal for their money. It doesn’t matter that the actual monetary value of whatever it is you are giving out may be miniscule. There is also an air of exclusivity involved, as you may opt to use the classic technique of offering your customer concessions in secret, away from other customers. This is in fact a well thought-out technique you came up before even approaching the Lead. This also leads to a feeling that the Lead is getting a better deal, and may put more pressure on them to buy.
- Ask the Lead to make a purchase
Many people are simply more likely to finally commit to a purchase if they are asked to do so. This is what we refer to as a ‘call to action’. When you want people to do something, simply asking them to do so is a very simple way of getting a surprising percentage of them to actually do it. Unfortunately, many salespeople simply skip this step, and there are a couple of possible reasons for that. Firstly, they may think that a call to action is unnecessary, and that the Lead knows that you are angling for them to buy the product. This is a rookie mistake. Secondly, a salesperson may feel as though it is rude for them to ask for a commitment before the Lead expresses it themselves. It is quite alright to ask for a purchase, as long as this is done courteously, and without being pushy. Finally, a salesperson may simply forget to tell the Lead what they expect, for reasons connected to both of the previous ones.
- Don’t sell a product, offer a solution
In today’s business environment, the way you frame your sales pitch is of particular importance. Lots of companies sell products, but you should try to present your product or service as a solution to the particular problem your Lead may be faced with. This is done by refocusing the language you use, and approaching the pitch from a different angle. You should base your pitch around anticipating the exact nature of the problem, then offering detailed solutions to it. The Lead will then get the sense that someone knows what they are dealing with, and by virtue of that knowledge, the Lead will be convinced that your company has the expertise required to solve their problem. This helps to establish trust between your company and the Lead, and this is a crucial step toward conversion. You may also want to entice your Lead with the prospect of a Return on Investment, i.e. convince them of the fact that your product or service practically pay for themselves.
- Have a good F.A.Q. page in place
This is a small but often overlooked aspect of a good product website. It is well known that it takes up to seven visits to form a detailed grasp of the particulars of any product or service before a Lead will commit to a purchase. With the rise of the Internet, people have become more informed than ever, and are less likely to accept anything shy of perfection. This means that the average Lead will have many questions about the product or service you offer, outside of the typical description provided on the site. You should try to anticipate these questions, and give concrete and clear answers to all of them. This has been shown to dramatically increase sales, as it helps boost the Lead’s confidence in your company’s professionalism and ability to deliver on promises.
- Set a time limit on your prospective purchases
If you have been emailing back and forth with a potential client, and they go silent for more than thirty days for example, you would do well to contact them again, saying that it is your policy to cease communications with customers if they are unresponsive for a certain number of days. You should also include in your message the invitation that they contact you again should they wish to resume process of purchasing your product or service. This is a classic sales maneuver, as it exploits a common human sense of urgency. You are giving your Lead a deadline, and this causes a certain amount of tension which may be enough to finally get them to pull the trigger on a purchase.
- Target your Audience
It is of crucial importance that you only advertise to those who are likely to need your product or service the most. If you carpet-bomb the populace with advertisements, you could get more sales, but you are far more likely to waste your time and resources (mainly money) on people who simply do not find what you are offering important enough to commit. Today there is a vast array of refined techniques for targeting your audience offered by the major online advertisers. Sure, these are more expensive, but you are far more likely to actually close a purchase with someone who is genuinely interested in what you are offering, so you get your money’s worth.
We hope that his brief guide will help you get your sales skyrocketing in no time!
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