In the world of B2B interactions, you want to know when a prospect is just about ready to buy — or at least considering your product. If you aren’t paying attention to the analytics behind your web site, you might know when a prospect is interested.
This is information that can be helpful to have. Know when a prospect is sending buying signals, and you can pounce in a way that helps you close the deal.
If you are trying to figure out whether or not a prospect is ready to buy, we offer 7 signals that can indicate that a potential client is getting close:
1. Multiple Visits to Your Web Site
Your analytics can help you figure out who has been visiting your site — and how often he or she has stopped by. Look into the analytics to get the IP address, and then use a reverse IP lookup to see who’s at that site.
If you have multiple visits in a short period of time, from one IP, that’s a sign that someone is searching for more information. Now might be the time to gently reach out and offer more information.
2. Checked the Pricing Page
A business prospect checking your pricing page is shopping around — and interested in doing a deal. Set up your analytics to track who is visiting your pricing page. This can be applied even for clients who are already in discussions with one of your reps.
A visit to the pricing page, during negotiations, can be a sign that the prospect is just about ready to buy. All you need is a nudge in the right direction, or maybe some added value to sweeten the deal.
3. Looked through Case Studies
Someone who looks at case studies on your site is seriously considering whether or not what you have will work for them. Use your data to find out who has been looking at case studies, and then contact those companies. You might have a sales lead waiting for you.
4. Browsed Your Products and Services
Another B2B buying signal is a look at your products and services. Perhaps the prospect isn’t sure that you can customize a solution, so he or she didn’t contact you further. You won’t know unless you reach out.
Contact a business that has looked at your offerings, and offer to provide a demo, or talk about how you can tweak products to fit specific needs.
5. Filled Out a Form — But Didn’t Take the Final Step
Many businesses discount the value of someone filling out a form, but not actually sending it. These are leads that are getting away. Clearly, that company was interested enough to fill out a form, but something happened to prevent the actual submission.
Now is the time to close the deal. Set up your programs to alert you when a form is partially filled out so that you can see who it is. Then, have a sales rep contact that company offering information. This might be just the nudge to get the prospect to buy.
6. Free Trial Sign Up
Go back through sign ups for free trials and other freebies. Did someone request a free information packet? Did a company representative attend a free webinar you offered last week? Has a company been using a free trial for a service you offer?
These are great leads to work off because it means that the prospect has already had some experience with your product or service. Go back through these sign ups, and look for those who aren’t using your products and services regularly. Reach out to them.
Since they already have an interest in your product or service, you have an “in,” and it might be easier to sell the company on moving from a free trial to being a paying customer.
7. Social Media Mentions
Any more, many people ask for help in the realm of social media. Follow B2B prospects on Twitter and consider hitting the “like” button if the company has a Facebook page (“friending” a prospect on Facebook probably isn’t a good idea). Pay attention.
If you are mentioned in a positive light, or even if you are mentioned as a company that the prospect is looking for more information on, it might be time to reach out. After all, this is a signal that the prospect is considering making a buy.
Even if you aren’t mentioned, and your competitor is, getting a rep to contact the prospect can be a good idea. The important thing is that the social media mention could mean that your B2B prospect is ready to buy.
Keystone
You can’t just put up a web site and expect prospects to sell themselves on your products and services. Set up useful analytics to help you get a picture of what the prospect is looking for, and to monitor when he or she is getting ready to buy.
When you have this information, it is easier for your reps to be in the right place at the right time to close a deal.
This guest post is written by Lior Levin, a marketing consultant for a psd to html conversion company, and who also consults for a company that offers a task management tool for businesses and individuals.
