OREANDA-NEWS. July 21, 2015. According to InsideSales.com, you are nine times more likely to convert web leads if you do a follow up within five minutes. And did you know that the best time to email any of your prospects is between eight in the morning and three in the afternoon? As you can see, there are several guidelines you should be following to improve your leads. But even when you're following all of them to a T, you'll still end up with more than a few cold leads. Fortunately, though, there are several unique ways to reheat them.

1. Remind Them of Who You Are

When was the last time you came into contact with your cold leads? What do you remember about the situations? You need to be aware of the former communications you've had with each cold lead, and use this information to refresh their memories. By reminding them of who you are, they are more likely to experience brand recognizance, which enhances your company's professionalism and customer trust. The best way to keep track of cold lead interactions is by integrating your sales process with your CRM, including the best time of day to contact a specific cold lead, their topics of interests, and whether or not they are progressing toward a purchasing decision.

2. Personalize the Communication

No matter the form of communication that you use to come back into contact with a cold lead, you must make it personalized. After all, studies have shown that the more personable you are with your customers, the more likely they are to make a positive purchasing decision. When the content you deliver to the cold lead is relevant and engaging, it has a much higher chance of being read/viewed and responded to. McKinsey & Company released findings of a study that stated relevant content can boost the ROI of cold lead investments to \\$44 for every \\$1 spent. The simplest ways to make your communications more personalized are by: Quit routing all of your customers to an automated phone system. Instead, let them speak to live agents Always ask a question when starting off your communications. When you engage your cold leads with a question, they are more likely to be interested in what you have to offer. Talking about the weather. Studies have shown that talking about the weather makes consumers more willing to open up and talk. Think about it. When you start talking about the weather, there are so many different directions your communications can go in. Many of which, can lead to a sale.

3. Surround Them with Communications

No one likes to be smothered, especially with spam marketing material, but to get the point across that you want to come back into contact with a cold lead, it's suggested that you use at least three forms of communication. Ideally, you'll want to reach out by phone, email, and social media. When making a phone call, make sure to keep the greeting short and include the cold lead's name. Then state your purpose for calling — 10 seconds or less — and ask if the person is interested. If he says no, tell him you'll be in touch again to see if your services are needed in the future. When reaching out by email, make sure to include the person's first and last name in the greeting. It's important to keep the body content no longer than a paragraph, or the recipient may avoid reading through any of the email. End the email with your name — not just the company name — and your contact information, including a mobile phone number. When reaching out through social media, keep the communication extremely short. Whether it be by private messaging or posting to a cold lead's profile, all you need to do is state how you think your services or products could be of value.

4. Compliment Each Cold Lead

For many marketing specialists, the best way to warm up cold leads is by appealing to them on a personal basis, and the most effective way to do this is by giving them a compliment. By commenting on a discussion they've started or a blog posting they published, you can be well on your way to warming them up. If a cold lead has social media profiles, you should find and follow them, including their LinkedIn page.

5. It's Very Similar to Dating

Coming back into contact with a cold lead is a whole lot like dating. You must convince the consumer why you are worth taking a second look at. Let the cold lead know that the more you know about them, the more you can be of service. One of the best ways to get them to open up is by walking them through the entire sales process, and most importantly, listen to them. They will likely have many questions about the sales process, and by addressing these pain points, you can then create solutions.

The Takeaway

Cold leads should never sit on the back burner. You need to communicate with each cold lead at least once every six months, and preferably even more often. As stated before, the best way to keep track of cold leads and their status with your company is by inputting each communication data into your CRM.

About the Author

Reuben Yonatan is the founder and CEO of GetVoIP. As an entrepreneur and tech enthusiast, Reuben brings a wealth of hands-on telecom and business communication experience. His expertise is in helping small to mid-size business owners build, maintain, and scale their communication infrastructure. Read more of Reuben's posts on the GetVoIP Blog.

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