Capitalising on Sales Leads During Times of Lower Demand

As an industry, following on from the last couple of years’ disruption, we’re now entering yet more unprecedented times, with inflation at an all-time high, interest rates rising at a staggering rate, and consumer confidence at an all-time low. The concern for the industry is that demand is now reducing as a result. So what can companies do to maximise the potential of any sales leads that may come their way?

Group Sales Director Nigel Bishop and Head of Customer Relations Charlotte Curtis, from leading systems company Liniar, discuss lead generation and conversion, offering advice on navigating consumer buying behaviours.

Lead Generation

Nigel tells us, “Starting with a positive – when consumer confidence is low, potential leads tend to be more inclined to convert as enquirers are more likely to be ready to make a purchase. But handling those enquiries needs some strategic thought. Consumers with low confidence need reassuring, compelling evidence that they are making the right decision. They need to know that any investment they make is sound and will help them in the short, medium and long term.”

Nigel continues, “As budgets are squeezed by rising inflation, windows and doors are likely to be a distress purchase – a purchase made out of necessity, rather than pleasure. Let’s be honest, we’d all prefer a lovely holiday to replacing our windows and doors, and as the squeeze on the UK’s wages becomes tighter, people will have to make some tough choices. Communication with prospects should be nurturing, helpful, reassuring and most importantly transparent. Offer genuine advice, be honest about energy savings and make sure your messaging is easily understandable.”

Lead Conversion

Charlotte says, “If your marketing and lead generation systems are working (and I can’t stress this enough) make sure you respond to enquiries in a timely manner. Not just at the initial point of contact, but throughout the buying process. If you say you’re going to get back to a potential customer, make sure you do. I know it sounds simple, but you’d be staggered by how many customers leave the buying process due to poor communication.”

Put yourself in your customer’s shoes

It’s easy to make assumptions, so take a moment to really think about what information and communication would make you happy during a large purchase and apply that to your customers.

Charlotte advises, “It’s easy to take it for granted that potential customers understand everything you’re telling them, so it’s important to check and give them the opportunity to ask questions. Empower them during the buying process so that they feel well informed and reassured.”

Nigel adds, “We can all believe that we are giving potential customers a great experience, but we only know if that’s true when we ask for honest feedback. Taking this feedback on board can help your future marketing and lead generation activity as well as improving your conversion rates.”

Word of Mouth

Before a project is completed, consider how you’d like the customer to feel – and more importantly, how they are likely to share their experience. Word of mouth (WOM) recommendations are one of the most powerful marketing tools you can have in your arsenal! However, if the customer service hasn’t been good, negative reviews can travel a lot further than news of a positive experience. Always bear this in mind during any project, and go out of your way to identify and resolve any issues as they arise to make sure the customer is satisfied by the time work is finished

Charlotte tells us, “Capturing a positive review digitally is a fantastic way to capitalise on WOM testimonials. Consumers and companies will carry out due diligence when considering making large purchases and at times like this, more than ever, they will want to be reassured that they are making a sound decision. Having good digital reviews can not only help create lead generation but can also be used as a tool to aid conversion. Rather than wait, build it into your follow-up system to ask every customer for a review via either Google, Facebook or Trustpilot. Many won’t think about doing so unless their experience has been bad, so proactively seeking good reviews will help your business to stand out.”

Support for Liniar customers

Nigel concludes, “At Liniar, we believe in supporting our fabricator network and as such we pass on all leads for trade and retail work. We work closely with fabricators and installers to create case studies and news articles to share online, which can help raise their own brand awareness and website rankings. As we go into the next period of uncertainty this will be more important than ever for the Liniar family of customers.”

To have your project featured on the Liniar website contact marketing@liniar.co.uk with details.