Where do you turn for low-hanging fruit?

“Low-hanging fruit” is a term I’ve heard many times from sales teams seemingly keen to jump on the output of a vaguely encouraging conversation following an event or similar activity. 

The reality is, once that fruit has had its day the majority gets dumped on the compost pile along with that deemed not worth a look in the first place.  ROI anyone?

Telemarketing, events, and search engine optimisation (SEO) are just three of the growing number of marketing activities that can generate leads for businesses immediately. However, when it comes to whether they are good-quality leads which go on to yield a full harvest, is the subject of contention.

Money down the drain from the get-go.

OK, sometimes they’ll get lucky and be there in the right place at the right time to bump a competitor out of a deal that has already progressed as far as a buying decision.  Or they'll discover something of an idea that's about to be sewn into a newly allocated budget, but this is not a reliable strategy.

Feast and famine

Sustainability is the watchword today, yet this approach is far from being an efficient and economic use of budget - especially when under scrutiny for cuts. 

Undoubtedly, each activity has its strengths and limitations, but, if you want to see a high ROI on your investment, it’s essential to integrate them into a broader programme that will be more effective in turning them into high-quality leads for both now and the longer term and not being tempted to cut activity out to match shrinking pipelines.

Now’s not the time to take risks

Of course, many say they already know this.  Some do, some don’t and some do it better than others.  But in these times of challenged budgets (for buyers and sellers), it’s never been more important to make sure every pound you spend counts and your brand is visible whenever purchasing decisions are being made. 

That means summer holidays, Christmas breaks and any other times in a quarter that businesses think "there's not much point until ....".

Here we look at just three of the many tactical activities and associated merits.

Telemarketing

Telemarketing, traditionally known for its direct and personal approach, involves contacting potential customers via phone - often for the first time without any other engagement.

While telemarketing can generate meetings, its effectiveness in delivering high-quality opportunities can vary. Cold-calling, for instance, can be met with resistance and scepticism, potentially resulting in lower lead quality. This is especially the case if the product or service is of high value or a core strategic decision.  However, warm-calling pre-qualified prospects demonstrating a high-intent interest will yield a far better result.

It’s worth remembering also that buyers are online savvy.  They validate products and services before they wish to engage and usually only if they can see a relevant project on the horizon. 

By turning it on its head and only engaging telemarketing to follow up on leads that are regularly engaging with content, and being actively measured against intent markers, businesses can increase the likelihood of connecting with qualified prospects and generating high-quality leads. 

For telemarketers to gauge any real estimate of intent before making a call, it requires a comprehensive approach to ongoing communication far greater than a few emails, a connection on social or an encounter at an event. 

When used properly it's an essential tool that creates real-time interaction and which leads to valuable insights into customer needs and preferences.

Events

As a favoured option for vendors and their channels, events such as conferences, trade shows, networking and seminars offer opportunities for face-to-face interactions with potential customers.

Whilst they create a favourable environment for building relationships and showcasing products or services, it can often be difficult to justify cost with ROI.

Characteristically, they attract attendees who demonstrate at least a level of interest.  Not all of them may be the ideal fit or have immediate buying intentions. Additionally, events alone may not provide sufficient data for lead qualification or follow-up.

Once sales have taken their perceived “low-hanging fruit”, the quality of leads generated from events needs to be enhanced, sometimes for the (very) longer term.  Businesses should be prepared for this and integrate them with effective post-event nurturing strategies.

This ensures that leads are properly qualified, engaged, and nurtured to increase the chances of conversion and ROI.

SEO

SEO, a digital marketing technique aimed at improving a website's visibility in search engine results, can generate organic leads. By optimising websites and creating valuable content, businesses can attract relevant traffic and capture leads. However, SEO efforts alone may not guarantee high-quality leads.  For any number of reasons.

Organic search traffic may include individuals at different stages of the buying cycle, and not all visitors may be ready to convert into customers.

To maximise lead quality, businesses should focus on optimising landing pages, providing valuable content tailored to specific buyer personas, and implementing lead capture mechanisms managed through a martech platform.

This allows for better lead qualification and personalised follow-up, ensuring that SEO efforts translate into quality leads.

Summary

While telemarketing, events, and SEO can generate leads, their effectiveness in sustainably delivering good quality leads in isolation is limited.

It's tempting to try to boost a failing pipeline by deploying tactical rather than strategic approaches, but by taking a comprehensive approach and leveraging multiple channels, businesses can generate higher-quality leads, improve conversion rates, and achieve greater success in their marketing efforts.

There's no shortcut to “low-hanging fruit” in any volume. Just like anything in life, if it’s worth having you need to work at it and it will come from perseverance over time.  Once you’re at that tipping point, it’s easy to keep it going and it will bear fruit month after month - even in a rainy season!

Author:  Shelley Hirst, The Amigos Network

Contact:  shelley.hirst@theamigosnetwork.com

How we can help

If you need help we offer a managed, plug-and-play programme that will deliver your sales teams guaranteed high-intent leads so they have a continual supply of  “low-hanging fruit”.

For those ill-equipped to manage the complexities of managing buyer intent in the digital realm our fully managed, plug-and-play, buyer-community-led programmes put you in front of the very buyers you seek to influence. 

For 52 weeks of the year, Market Activation keeps you in the minds of buyers, monitors their engagement and delivers them to you at a point where they are ready for a sales conversation.  That sales conversation is backed by the intelligence we can present for every individual interaction.

Now that's a full harvest.