Unlike B2B customer prospecting, B2C customers, the end consumers, generally have a shorter and simpler sales cycle. In addition, it must be taken into account that the level of commitment of customers to the brand is also generally lower. Thus, some aspects deserve attention when talking about how to prospect for B2C customers:
QUALIFICATION OF THE BASE
To optimize the performance of the sales department, it is necessary to qualify the leads that will be directed to the sales professionals, separating those that are close to the ideal profile targeted by the company from those that are not ready to be contacted.
TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE CUSTOMER’S PROFILE
Not all people who have expressed interest and/or left information to learn more about a company’s solution need it or are ready to buy it.
In this sense, it is necessary to take into account the prospect’s profile and assess whether it is worth taking them to the next step in the sales process.
EVALUATE THE MOMENT OF EACH
When we talk about B2C prospecting, the timing is a little different.
Thanks to specific tools, it is possible to track a certain user’s interactions with the brand.
It is recommended not to approach him immediately, giving him time to process the information he has been in contact with.
However, if the user asks to be contacted through the service channels, it should be done immediately, showing that he is concerned and ready to do so.
KNOWING WHAT TONE TO USE
The B2C approach can and, most of the time, should adopt a less formal and technical tone.
Ideally, the conversation with the sales professional should flow naturally and the prospect should feel comfortable, whether reading an email, interacting on social media or, most importantly, on a phone call.
LISTEN AND ENJOY
Listening is fundamental. During the approach, it is necessary to take note of everything that has been said.
This information will be used to define whether the lead is in fact ready for a new contact, whether it is ideal to wait or whether he is ready to formalize a commercial proposal.
The feedback received during this process can be used not only by the sales team, but also by the content marketing team, thus filling any gaps in the company’s communication.
KNOW HOW TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
When prospecting for customers, it is necessary to ask strategic questions that not only assess the lead’s maturity but also guide them through the process.
The objective is to ask questions whose answers provide valuable information so that the sales professional can move on to the next step and the prospect feels that he or she is receiving the attention he or she deserves.
KNOW HOW TO USE E-MAIL
As we commented on in the B2B prospecting stages, email is a channel that is considered less invasive and therefore receives less resistance from prospects.
E-mail is ideal for the first contact and to start a relationship with the customer.
For this, it is important to focus on messages that catch their attention, such as personalizing the content for each lead and using calls to action.
PLAN THE NEXT STEP
Once a lead has been qualified and a contact has been made, it’s important to have a plan to ensure that the sales process moves steadily through to closing the deal.
Essentially, this means scheduling new contacts to engage the prospect and keep them interested.
TYPES OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT TOOLS
We can divide most business development tools into three categories:
Customer Prospecting Applications:
These are designed to facilitate customer service and communication, assisting the salesperson on a variety of fronts, from lead management and email automation to monitoring stages of the sales funnel and generating reports and analytics.
Prospecting Control Software:
This is CRM that allows you to prospect and automatically generate customers, build ideal customer lists and send proposals, all the way through the lead nurturing process. All this with the storage of interaction history.
Prospecting Intelligence Tool:
Solutions that use Big Data to help companies prospect for customers, allowing, for example, segmentation by region, industry and size, as well as the ability to apply advanced filters to find the ideal customer.
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