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How to convert leads into customers and keep them coming back

Ryan Flanigan
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Gaining a consistent flow of prospects is essential for sustained growth and success. But attracting leads is only half the battle — converting them into loyal customers is the end goal.

Are you struggling to bridge the gap between lead generation and customer acquisition? With the right strategies and tactics, you can significantly improve your lead conversion rates and turn interested prospects into loyal customers. 

The good news is, you’ve come to the right place! In this blog, you’ll learn how to convert leads into customers and keep them coming back for more.

What is lead conversion?

Lead conversion is a coordinated sales and marketing process for turning prospects into customers. The process covers the customer journey from brand awareness to purchase. 

How to calculate your lead conversion rate

Your lead conversion rate tells you the percentage of your leads that become buyers. Here’s a basic formula you can use to calculate it:

Lead conversion rate = (Number of leads converted / Total number of leads) x 100. 

For instance, if you had 500 leads and 50 became customers:

Lead conversion rate = (50/500) x 100 = 0.1 x 100 = 10%

This is one of the key metrics that tell you how effective your conversion process is. 

Other helpful lead metrics

A lead conversion ratio isn’t a complete measure of your lead conversion strategy’s performance. Here are a few other conversion metrics that provide valuable insights into your sales process:

Cost per conversion

This tells you how much it costs to convert each lead into a customer. To calculate this, you divide the total cost of your marketing campaign by the number of conversions.

Conversion ROI

Conversion ROI (return on investment) tells you how profitable your marketing efforts are. It compares your cost per conversion with the revenue you earn from each conversion. The higher the positive difference, the better for you.

Time to conversion

This metric measures how long it takes for a lead to purchase a product or service from the first time they interacted with your brand. Lengthy durations can mean your sales pipeline needs improvement.

Lead value

This metric answers the question, “How much can this lead generate if converted to a customer?” It quantifies the worth of each potential customer, helping you decide whether they are worth your marketing efforts.

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Stages of lead conversion

Every company’s sales pipeline is unique, so it’s crucial to clearly define yours to understand how leads progress through the funnel. Here’s a general framework that captures the typical stages most businesses experience in their pipeline.

1. Lead generation

To convert leads, you must of course first bring them in. In the lead generation stage, you prospect new leads and capture the right ones. 

When prospecting, you identify and engage potential customers who can buy from you. To capture those leads, collect as much information as you can about them through various tools like:

Getting this stage right is crucial as it determines the effectiveness of your sales pipeline.

2. Lead qualification

Not all leads can become customers. Lead qualification is where you determine which incoming leads are most likely to purchase your product or service. Known as the needs analysis stage, it involves asking questions like:

You can use a point system to score each lead. It will be clear which leads you should prioritize when you’re done.

3. Lead nurturing

With your list of qualified leads ready, it’s time to start building relationships and guiding the leads through the sales funnel. Lead nurturing is about providing value, establishing trust, and staying top of mind until the leads are ready to purchase your product or service.

For leads that are part of an organization, identify the key business decision-makers first so you can address them directly. When you reach out to a lead, focus on how your product or service can solve their problems. And, be open to receiving and handling their objections.

Here are a few activities you can include in your lead nurturing process:

4. Closing the sale

At this stage, the customer is ready to make a purchase. You want to give them a sense that patronizing your business is right for them. To seal the deal, create a quote containing details like:

Have the customer look through your quote to ensure the details are correct. Then, deliver your product or provide your service excellently. Of course, you also want to make sure you get paid through proper, verified channels. Consider integrating with trusted payment processors to ensure secure financial transfers.

5. Follow-up and retention

Congratulations on sealing that deal! But it doesn’t mean your job is done. Follow up to confirm your customer is happy with their purchase and receiving needed support. As your relationship with the customer evolves, look for opportunities to upsell or cross-sell to them.

Also, at this final stage, keep an eye on the following metrics:

These metrics will give you insights into what has worked and what needs tweaking. 

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Best practices when learning how to convert leads into customers

As you’re learning how to convert leads into customers, keep the following high-level practices in mind: 

1. Understand your audience

The more you know about your audience, the better your chances of turning them into paying customers. Here are a few ways you can understand your audience:

Identify their pain points

Your audience’s pain points are those things they find frustrating and challenging. Show them you have a solution to those problems, and winning them over won’t be as difficult. You can identify those pain points by conducting:

Get similar insights from feedback from your sales teams and customer service interactions. 

Do keyword research

Keywords give unique insights into how your audience thinks about you and your product or service. With tools like SEMRush, you can identify the terms and phrases your audience uses when searching for products or services like yours and how often they conduct the search.

These insights can be a goldmine for your content marketing strategy. 

Consider lead scoring

Quality trumps quantity when it comes to leads. That’s why lead scoring is a crucial process. The process involves assigning a numerical value to each lead based on their:

Take the following steps to score your leads:

This strategic approach saves time and enhances the efficiency of the sales funnel, ensuring that the most promising leads are nurtured toward a successful lead conversion.

Create buyer personas

A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer, created based on real data and research about your existing customers. It lets you customize your product and marketing strategies to meet specific customer needs and preferences. 

2. Communicate your value

You know your product or service is awesome, but does your audience? If not, then your work is well cut out for you. Your audience will consider patronizing you only if they know how valuable your offering is. Here’s how you can make them see your value:

Address your audience’s goals and pain points

Let’s be frank: your audience doesn’t care about you or your fantastic product. They care only about their own wants and needs. You can use this to get your brand into their minds. Focus your brand’s messaging on each lead and their problems, and show them your solutions. You will be converting those leads into sales soon after. 

Make it a conversation

No one enjoys being lectured to or pressured into a sale. And chances are you won’t make a sale the second you hop on the phone. It takes an average of 18 calls to connect with a buyer. So, approach your lead like a friend striking up a conversation and not as a salesperson with a pitch. Be ready to keep it going long enough for them to see the value you’re offering.   

Gain your leads’ trust

Nothing you do will get you your desired results if your leads don’t trust you. You can earn their trust by demonstrating your expertise and judgment and consistently delivering on your promises. The more you build your reputation and market reach, the easier building this trust becomes.

3. Keep leads warm

Lead conversion is mostly a marathon, but most salespeople treat it as a sprint. 48% of them don’t make any follow-up attempts after an initial no, and 44% give up after one follow-up attempt.

If you don’t want to be included in that grim statistic, here’s how you can keep a lead’s interest through the sales pipeline until you can convert them:

Remember your lead information

You worked so hard to get your lead’s information. Don’t discard it because of one rejection. With a reliable CRM (customer relationship management) tool, you won’t break a sweat to store that data.  Keep track of data like:

Such information makes it easier to keep your conversation with the lead going for as long as possible without appearing disorganized.

Reduce your response times

Speedy response has been known to influence lead conversion positively. If you reach out to a lead within an hour of receiving their inquiry, you’re 7x more likely to qualify the lead. So, reach out as quickly as possible.

Regularly follow up and ask for the sale

According to our research, 60% of customers say “Yes” after saying “No.” Let that sink in, and think of how many opportunities you’ll miss if you don’t follow up regularly.

Top 10 strategies for how to convert leads into customers

Knowing how to convert leads into customers is a delicate art. The following strategies will help you master it:

1. Build and optimize your website

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Your website is the online equivalent of your office building. That’s where potential buyers go to learn about you and your offerings. A well-designed website is the cornerstone of lead conversion, offering a platform for your online marketing efforts. It can help you:

You can optimize your website by taking the following steps:

Produce quality content

A website is only as good as its content. Keep your content relevant and engaging to ensure visitors find you through search engines and enjoy their experience on your site.

Create an SEO strategy

Your website can’t give you maximum returns if your audience can’t find it. An effective SEO strategy solves this problem as it helps you:

Run A/B tests

A/B testing lets you compare two web page versions to see which converts better. It’s a data-driven way to make decisions and can significantly improve user experience and lead conversion. 

Automate lead collection with digital forms

Automating lead collection with digital forms helps you collect potential customer data organically through content like blogs and newsletters. Your automation tool also helps manage the data. See an example of a digital form below.

2. Employ an advertising strategy

Your organic content can only get you so far. With a well-planned advertising strategy, you can multiply your reach and:

Take the following steps to create an effective advertising strategy:

  1. Define your objectives.
  2. Identify advertising platforms, preferably those your audience visits most often.
  3. Craft a compelling advertising message that resonates with their needs and desires.
  4. Set your budget.
  5. Launch and monitor.

In addition, keep in mind the following:

Test different ad formats and platforms

Exploring various ad formats and platforms can help you find what works for you. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, a digital marketing model in which advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their online ad, is a highly efficient option.

Use clear calls-to-action

Clear, concise, and compelling calls-to-action (CTAs) are crucial in guiding users toward the desired action. It’s key to center your reader and drive action with attractive messaging. By using “Claim my free trial” instead of a generic “Submit,” for instance, you can grab attention and encourage interaction. 

3. Invest in email marketing

Many business owners use email marketing to nurture leads and build relationships. It’s cost-effective, measurable, and allows for targeted messaging. Build a strong email list and craft personalized content to create engaging email campaigns that drive sales and customer loyalty. 

Keep in mind the following for your email campaigns:

Segment your leads

Targeted marketing is one of the superpowers of email marketing. You can’t unlock that without properly segmenting incoming leads into distinct groups with similar characteristics like:

Use tracking codes

Using tracking codes, like Google UTM parameters, allows you to:

You can use these codes to find out exactly where your leads are coming from, and the path they follow down your marketing funnel.

Create targeted campaigns

In segmenting your leads, you’ll quickly realize they don’t all have the same characteristics. Use targeted campaigns to communicate directly to each group in a manner that most resonates with them.

Implement email automation

Email automation simplifies and optimizes email campaigns for you. With an automation tool, you can send targeted, personalized emails to prospective customers based on specified triggers or timelines.

4. Talk to your existing customers

Existing customers are a goldmine for opportunities to improve your conversion rates. Talking to them can help you:

Leverage testimonials and social proof

When your customers use and say nice things about your product or service, that’s social proof. Share it as widely as possible and craft customer success stories with it. Leads tend to trust customer reviews more than your marketing messages, as they’re coming from people who have tried your product or service and have no stake in your business performance.  

Pay attention to negative feedback

Negative feedback isn’t as damning as you may think it is. You should view the constructive feedback that comes in as a learning opportunity, and use bad reviews to grow, evolve, and address issues with your product or service.

5. Leverage social media channels

Most, if not all, of your leads spend some time on at least one social media channel. Stay active on those channels to extend your leads list and nurture them until they convert. Among them, LinkedIn, Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and YouTube have a combined 9.02 billion users. And there are tens more of those social media channels you can use.

To effectively leverage social media channels:

6. Build a community

Building a community around your brand or product:

You want to focus on developing genuine relationships through interactions and mutual learning. Use the following effective strategies to build your community:

Network with fellow industry professionals

Most of the leading voices in your industry have a profile on LinkedIn. Connect with them and you can get in on important conversations in your field. Or, simply reach out in person or over the phone to build up those connections, whose existing audience you can leverage.

People or organizations with a large following of your potential customers are exceptional grounds for lead prospecting. Partner with them to open new doors for your marketing team. 

Engage in online communities like forums

These are places where your potential customers go to discuss their challenges. Demonstrate your understanding of their issues and proffer solutions to them, and you will surely grab their attention.

Attend local events in your niche

Local events are excellent opportunities to follow industry trends and reach more people. If you have an event idea that no one has hosted yet, go ahead and plan it. 

7. Explore freebies, discounts, or promotions

Freebies, discounts, and promotions are like the secret spices that make any deal irresistible. They’re not just about giving something away — they’re strategic tools to attract new customers and reward the loyal ones. 

Whether it’s a buy-one-get-one-free offer, a hefty discount on the next purchase, or limited-time access to premium services, these tactics can create buzz and encourage customers to take the leap from consideration to conversion. It’s all about adding value that feels exclusive and time-sensitive, making the offer too good to pass up.

8. Create a remarketing strategy

A remarketing strategy targets leads who have interacted with your brand but haven’t converted. Its goal is to give them a compelling reason to return and complete their journey through the sales pipeline. Targeting people with abandoned carts, for instance, can reduce lost leads and increase conversion rates.

9. Collect and analyze your data

Lead conversion is a dynamic and ongoing process. A consistent reporting process helps you make sure that every piece of data is captured and can be reviewed for insights. 

Keep in mind the following key metrics to report on:

With this data, you can:

10. Develop a video marketing strategy

The world is moving towards video. You should, too. Not because everyone is doing so but because it works. Using videos that align with your sales funnel can boost qualified leads by 66%, maximizing your conversion potential.

To develop an effective video marketing strategy:

  1. Define the target audience.
  2. Determine the video content types.
  3. Choose distribution channels.
  4. Set metrics and KPIs.
  5. Create engaging thumbnails.
  6. Optimize video titles and descriptions.
  7. Analyse and adjust.

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How to improve your conversion of leads to customers

Maximize your lead sources

The more leads you generate, the more customers you are likely to convert. Maximizing lead sources is about creating multiple ways to attract potential buyers to your business. You can attract more prospects with lead magnets like:

Make your lead magnets accessible only after a user provides their contact information. You can also gain more leads by placing your lead forms in more areas across your digital platforms.

Apply your data-driven insights

Reporting is useless if you don’t draw actionable insights from it. Pay attention to what your data tells you. It’s the most reliable determiner of your next action. Your data will tell you what has worked so far and what hasn’t and what you should do more or less to get you closer to your goals.

Try different tactics

Do not be afraid to experiment. Even if you think your current strategy is working, try a different tactic. Create multiple versions of your marketing materials and try them all. You might just discover a goldmine that would wow you.

Up the urgency

Creating a sense of urgency encourages leads to act sooner rather than later. You can up the urgency with tactics like:

For uninterested leads, setting deadlines can rekindle interest and encourage action.

Invest in lead management software

A lead management software solution can turbocharge your entire sales and marketing process. With it, you can:

An affordable lead management tool like Method can do all these tasks and more.

Method: The best CRM software for managing leads

Now that you’ve mastered the art of converting leads into customers, it’s time to equip yourself with the right tools to put your knowledge into action. Method CRM is a top choice for small businesses looking to efficiently manage their leads and sales processes.

This versatile platform allows you to organize contacts, track leads, and streamline your sales pipeline. Method CRM keeps your lead and customer data separate, providing a clear view of both without disrupting your financial transactions. 

Through its powerful integration with QuickBooks and Xero, Method CRM simplifies day-to-day operations, automates workflows, and offers a unified platform for managing both customer interactions and financial records. It’s an all-in-one solution to boost your business’s efficiency and growth.

How to convert leads into customers FAQs

What is a good lead conversion rate?

An average conversion rate is between 2% to 5%. Anything above 5% is great.

What are SQLs and MQLs?

Marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) are potential customers who have expressed interest in your business but aren’t quite ready to make a purchase yet. These leads have engaged with your marketing efforts and demonstrate potential, but they still require further nurturing before they convert into paying customers.

On the other hand, sales-qualified leads (SQLs) are prospects who are more prepared to purchase your product or service. These leads have taken clear actions such as requesting a quote, scheduling a meeting with a sales representative, or engaging positively with product demonstrations, signaling their readiness to move forward in the buying process.

Can a customer be a lead?

A customer is not typically considered a lead because they have already made a purchase. Leads are potential customers who haven’t yet bought anything and are in the early stages of the sales process. Marketing efforts for customers focus on retention, cross-selling, and upselling rather than conversion.

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