You’ve reached out to make initial contact, nurtured relationships and pushed for commitments. Following that, silence from potential customers signals their fading enthusiasm. When leads stop responding, rekindling their interest can help salvage the investment you’ve made in converting them to customers. However, as seasoned marketers know, reengaging with cold leads is easier said than done.
Don’t give up if a prospect stops responding to you. Instead, find the best way to revive the connection you’ve already established. Here, 11 experts from Forbes Agency Council share the methods they use to reengage with leads that have gone cold.
Members share effective ways to reengage cold leads.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Reexamine The Data
Reengaging cold leads can be achieved by reexamining the data associated with them. It’s important to dig deep into the data to identify the right decision-makers at the right time in their buying journey. New and innovative ways to do this today are emerging, such as the powerful combination of intent monitoring and business contact data. – Paula Chiocchi, Outward Media, Inc.
2. Differentiate Your Approach
If leads have stopped responding to phone calls and emails or have otherwise gone cold, you need to provide more value and possibly differentiate your approach. Consider a direct text message campaign with a discount code, a non-spammy email with a link to your newest e-book or even a custom video message. Call them out by name, mention the last time you spoke and send a kind word to fuel reconnection. – Bernard May, National Positions
3. Ask How You Can Help
In these times of COVID-19, even our best leads are distracted. Remember, while they are leads, they are people first, with families and jobs and health, financial and security concerns. When you reach out, keep that front of mind. Take a minute to ask how they are doing and how their business is doing. Instead of trying to gently push your agenda, ask first how you can help. – Lori Paikin, NaviStone®
4. Send A Personal Note Via FedEx
Who can resist the temptation of a FedEx envelope at their desk? A personal note sent via FedEx can help reengage leads. Nowadays, folks seek genuine and transparent communication. If this is a client with whom you’ve previously worked, a personal touch, such as a note, email or phone call rather than an email drip or targeted digital campaign, can go a long way toward helping reestablish the connection. – Ajay Gupta, Stirista
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5. Call To Ask How They’re Doing
Don’t make the mistake of trying to use email to reignite a conversation. There’s still no better approach than a personal one. Give them a call and lead with how they are doing. Let the conversation “mature” to include what you are up to, what they are up to and if there are ways you can help. Do your research and use what’s going on in their space as a talking point. – Paul E. Benninghove, Pavone Marketing Group
6. Retarget Through Social Platforms
This is always a great option. You can upload custom audiences to retarget your leads where they already are. The benefit of this is that it also increases the likelihood that they will engage with your brand on social media by following your account. – Katie Schibler Conn, KSA Marketing
7. Set Up A ‘Boneyard’ Email Sequence
We have set up a “boneyard” email sequence in hopes of reengaging cold leads. These are sent from the account managers, and they are very simple emails of a dozen words, at most. The whole point is to just get them to respond. A cold lead is very unlikely to book a call. If we can simply get them to respond and say they’re in the market for services, that is a win for us. – Marc Hardgrove, The HOTH
8. Scan Their Social Media And Reach Out
First, scan their social media to see if they have moved to a new company or have a new role. Sometimes small outreaches, such as congratulating them or wishing them a happy birthday, can open up conversations. Play the long game and be connective by sending a personal note with a link to a new piece of content such as an e-book. If they find your outreach helpful, they will reengage. – Kathleen Lucente, Red Fan Communications
9. Give Them Space And Continue To Drip Good Ideas
Give them space and keep dripping good ideas on them at defined intervals, not haphazardly. When leads disengage, that tells you they have other priorities right now. If you respect that by giving them space, but don’t just disappear, they will likely reengage when the time is right for them. If they don’t, they weren’t really prospects in the first place. – Randy Shattuck, The Shattuck Group
10. Restart The Process Using Paid Search And Social Media
Reengaging leads that have become dormant is an important role for a marketer. A successful way to reengage these prospects is through retargeting. You can use paid search and social media ads to provide these contacts with an offer that will restart the marketing and sales process for these individuals. Make sure that the offer is compelling so that they have a reason to reengage with your brand. – Elyse Flynn Meyer, Prism Global Marketing Solutions
11. Have A Real Person Email A Valuable Offer
Try sending an email from a real person offering something of value. Don’t try to reenage cold leads through an automated email; it just won’t work. Instead, we have our sales development representative reach out with a customized email, sending leads a piece of content that is specific to what we know about them and their needs. This results in a much higher success rate than putting them through a new automated sequence. – Kelsey Raymond, Influence & Co.
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Author: Expert Panel®, Forbes Councils Member
