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The 9 main reasons for failure to generate leads in start-ups
1. Your website is not optimized for mobile.
Do you think that decision makers don't use mobile devices?
Indeed, nowadays this hypothesis is as stupid as it seems. Do you browse websites using your smartphone? They do it too.
If you're still not completely convinced that your prospects need a mobile version, here's something to shake things up: Google has changed its search algorithms to promote mobile-friendly websites. To avoid disappearing from SERPs (search engines), you need to optimize your website to meet the needs of mobile users.
Discover over 40 free SEO tools to help you optimize your website
But what is a mobile-friendly website? It can be scrolled, the images are optimized for their size, the text is well presented and everything is simply clickable.
Additionally, a mobile-friendly website gives a good first impression to a user looking of a product, you will thus avoid the risk of these potential customers thinking that you are an amateur.
READ MORE: What is SEO and how do you optimize it?
2. Your product description does not hold water
The description and title of a product are the starting points of any customer experience on the web. It's one of the first points of contact they may have with your product. The message conveyed needs to be powerful and many businesses are still falling into the trap of creating vague descriptions that don't provide meaningful information. Don't be a part of these businesses.
The hardest part is not describing what your product does, but finding the right way to present your products so that prospects understand the importance of your solution.
What makes a description compelling?
- Start from the difficulties and motivations that your audience is facing, and focus on solutions;
- Keep your descriptions action-oriented by using strong verbs;
- Make sure your value proposition is clear;
- Structure your text well and keep it short. (”Less is More”)
Such text will catch the reader's attention and encourage them to click on your proposed CTA.
If you think your product description still needs to be worked on, we recommend that you test other messages and test them with A/B testing campaigns.
Thanks to this method, you can segment the messages and pages that have the most impact on your audience. Do this work iteratively to always seek the best possible conversion rate.
3. Your offer is not convincing
If you're struggling to get more leads, it's likely that your offer isn't compelling enough to generate leads..
Consider how to make your offer relevant, exclusive, or time-limited. Analyze their difficulties and offer them solutions.
Add even more value by offering an extended trial period for your product, 24/7 support, a lower price, a quote valid for a certain period of time, or additional features.
4. You are not presenting case studies
What could be more convincing than showing a positive customer testimonial on your website so that visitors can refer to a concrete example that illustrates real results?
Let them see how other businesses have already benefited from your product, add numbers, and use company names.
5. You're not taking advantage of existing customers
Don't forget your existing customers.
Check in on them regularly and ask them what they would like to improve. If you want to go further, offer them benefits and launch referral programs.
They will feel valued and will consider your brand differently, what better than satisfied customers to recommend your product?
6. You don't have a contact form
You have perfected the content of your website and your product is attracting visitors. What are they supposed to do next?
If they can't subscribe online, they should contact you.
But no! Don't tell us that you forgot to embed contact forms into your website pages. Make things as easy as possible and offer potential customers multiple ways to contact you.
Remember to provide users with a user-friendly experience.
You need to make these forms quick and user-friendly.
Many businesses scare away potential customers simply because their forms are too long, don't work, or aren't optimized for desktop and mobile.
7. Your product demonstration is poor
In the tech sector, one of the most effective ways to generate qualified leads is to provide them with a demonstration of your product.
When you offer product demonstrations to your potential customers, you're showing them your product in action. And even more so, how it will solve their problems.
At this point, they are so ready to buy that nothing could be worse than a bad product demo that leaves them unsure about how the product works.
Make sure your demo meets all of their expectations. Offer them a personalized and adapted demo. Give them valuable tips to get them started.
Is your prospect still not ready to buy? Double the bet with an extended trial!
8. You have failed to define the communication channels.
Are you bombarding your prospect with emails and it takes forever to get a response from them?
The problem may be that they don't check their emails often, or that your messages get lost among thousands of others.
Remember that every user is different. This principle applies to the channels where they are most comfortable connecting to you.
Have you noticed that they are on Facebook or LinkedIn more often? On Twitter?
Use the slots where they are present and where they are most active.
9. You are having problems with your CRM
Do your teams often lose track of your prospects? Or does information not flow well between your sales and marketing teams?
You are probably having trouble implementing your CRM.
Having a great CRM and ensuring that your employees use it effectively isn't the only solution: it's just the beginning. A CRM depends on the people who use it, but also on how it has been implemented, regardless of the quality of the software.
That is why it is essential to explain the importance of integrating it into the work process of each employee. Remember that these same employees need to understand and benefit from this CRM. If it is only a system of flicking by managers, it will have no interest and no added value. Invest time in adequate training and challenging goals to align all the strengths of your business.
Un marketing and sales alignment has become vital for the future of tomorrow's businesses.
If you do nothing, you will fail both ways.
Your prospects will be exasperated by the inaccuracy of the information concerning them, your knowledge in the maturity of their purchasing process or even the channels they prefer to be contacted.
Our advice is to store every piece of information about your prospects, to ensure that it is accurate and that all your teams can access it easily and at any time. (in compliance with the RGPD or any other local legislation in your country concerning the personal data of your customers)
READ MORE: The 17 best free CRM software
Final opinion on lead generation failure
Do any of these issues concern you?
Go ahead and adapt these lead generation tips for your startup! But remember that success doesn't happen overnight and starting a business requires time, effort, and lots of experimentation.
So feel free to add anything that wasn't mentioned.
Do you have other relevant ideas? Share them below in the comments section!
