How to turn cold leads into paying clients…automatically!
More leads. Cheaper leads. Lower competition.
Those are the benefits of targeting prospects below the top level of The Buyer’s Pyramid.
Source: https://chetholmes.com/attracting-new-buyers/
In the first two blogs of this series, I explained how your market falls into five different layers (Part 1) and how to successfully attract leads from the bottom layers (Part 2). If you haven’t read those posts yet, take a minute to catch up now so you’ve got the foundation before moving on to the next step!
So now that you’re starting to build your database of leads, how do you convert them into clients?
Remember, these leads are coming from further down The Buyer’s Pyramid, so they aren’t ready to buy yet. That’s okay! You simply need to warm them up, to “date” them, in a sense.
Build a relationship and THEN ask for the sale.
Normally, it takes lots of time and effort to grow a relationship like this. But thanks to the wonders of technology, you can actually do this relationship-building automatically.
You only have to set up the system once and it will warm up your prospects on autopilot for months or years.
The auto-magic way to turn new leads into prospects
Let’s get right to it. Drumroll, please…
The simple way to warm up cold prospects is with an automated email sequence.
Not sure what that is?
An email sequence is a series of emails that are sent in a particular order. In our case, it’s a carefully-planned set of messages to take your prospect on a journey, from near-stranger to trusted friend.
The “automated” part? That’s the magic of it all. You can use an email system to send this email sequence out automatically when a new lead engages with your Facebook ad. Even if you’re out to dinner and miles away from thinking about work, your marketing machine can still be running perfectly.
Two email systems I recommend for your automated email sequence are Mailchimp and
Aweber. They’re both easy to use, very low cost, and get the job done well.
What do I include in my email sequence?
Length
I recommend creating an automated email sequence of 15 emails to go out to new leads. Yes, 15!
Using 15 emails gives you space to naturally develop a new relationship. Like the 12 stages of intimacy, building this sense of trust doesn’t happen instantly.
After receiving 15 emails from you, leads are going to be familiar with your name, your voice, and your style. That’s exactly what you want out of this sequence.
Timing
Once someone signs up for your lead magnet, have your delivery email (more on this in a second…) go out immediately. Your lead wants to access your free report — don’t make them wait too long!
After that, I recommend sending your emails 1-2 days apart. You want to make a strong impression and daily (or almost-daily) emails does that.
Content
The key to writing your automated email sequence is to always focus on WIFM: What’s In It For Me? And “me” doesn’t mean YOU… it means your prospect.
Make sure these emails are interesting and valuable for new leads to read. This email sequence is NOT a glorified sales pitch! It’s a tool to move your lead up The Buyer’s Pyramid.
The 4 emails your sequence needs
Here are 4 ideas for emails to include in your automated email sequence:
- Delivery email
Place in email sequence: Beginning
Goal of email: Deliver the free report your prospect requested and start the relationship on a good foot
I recommend you automate this email to send as soon as possible after a lead engages with your Facebook ad. It’s great customer service to deliver the report right away and starts to build trust from the get-go.
I also like to include a teaser in the first email about what’s coming in the next email. That keeps people engaged and continuing to open. Something like “Tomorrow, I’ll be sharing a tip that helped my client Karen wipe out her mortgage in 7 years. Make sure to look for it!” works really well.
- Education-based email
Place in email sequence: Beginning/middle/end
Goal of email: Share value, help your prospect
For most of the emails in your sequence, you want to educate your leads. Teach them how to do something. Share helpful tips or tricks. Build on what you taught them with the free report.
Sending educational emails does three things:
- Helps your prospects (always a good thing!)
- Shows you’re knowledgeable and positions you as an expert
- Makes you seem generous by sharing this information for free, which taps into the Law of Reciprocity
The psychology behind the Law of Reciprocity is simple: when others do nice things for us, we want to return the favour. These helpful emails start to tip the scale in your favour, so that when you ask for something (email #4 below), leads will be inclined to say “yes”.
- Case study email
Place in email sequence: Middle
Goal of email: Paint a picture of what it’s like to work with you
After you’ve sent a few emails, share a success story from one of your clients. Allow your new lead to see themselves in your client’s shoes. Write about the problems your client had, how you provided a solution, and the positive results they achieved.
Case studies are great forms of social proof. Sharing them is a sneaky way to show prospects how great you are and give them a peek at what it’s like to work with you.
- Book a call email
Place in email sequence: End
Goal of email: Invite prospects to book a call
Include at least one email dedicated to talking about booking a call with you. After all, you want to make it easy for leads to move up The Buyer’s Pyramid — so you need to make it clear how to take the next step.
I always tell my clients to promote a value-based call rather than a sales call in these emails. Something like a free call to learn 5 tips to find the best deals in your area will entice leads to sign up because they can see the clear benefit to them. (Remember, it’s all about WIFM!)
You can talk more about your services once you have a prospect on the phone — after you wowed them with the value you delivered, of course.
I love using an automated booking system like Acquity or Schedule Once. These programs are amazing — they link with your calendar, allow prospects to schedule their calls with a few clicks, and even send reminder emails. Check them out!
Bonus: Soft CTAs throughout
You’re providing a lot of value up front with the free report and emails, which are heavily education-based. So don’t be afraid to promote yourself throughout this series.
Include a soft call-to-action of booking a phone meeting with you in a few of your emails. It’s unlikely that a new lead will open every single email, so if you only mention booking a call once, they may miss their chance.
The key is keeping the ask soft and casual. Don’t lay it on too thick, but mention the free opportunity as often as it feels natural.
If you think writing 15 emails sounds like a lot of work, I get it! But think about how much you’ll gain…
Your emails will go out to every single new lead that comes into your database automatically…
Helping new prospects get to know you, like you, and trust you…
And book themselves on your calendar…
So when you get on the phone with someone, they’re already toasty warm and motivated to work with you, making it easy to close the sale.
Remember, this sequence can be used again and again, warming up new prospects for weeks, months, and YEARS.
Not too bad, considering all you need to do is write 15 emails, right?
Put on some music, grab a cup of coffee (or a glass of whiskey), map out your sequence, and get writing!
Let’s map out your email sequence.
During your free Marketing & Sales Strategy Call, we can explore lots of different ways to nurture your leads and move them up The Buyer’s Pyramid. Every business needs something slightly different!
Click here to schedule your FREE Marketing & Sales Strategy Call.