Imagine for a moment you’re browsing online for a new car. You’ve come across a model that really takes your fancy. It fits your budget and has all the features you’re looking for.
Now you need just one simple action from the dealer…
With a little more info you’ll be ready to start thinking which paint job will look best in your driveway. You complete the website’s enquiry form along with your contact details and the questions you need answered. Then you spend a few minutes anticipating an email or phone call from a salesperson.
But you hear nothing.
You realise you won’t be responded to quickly and go do something else – maybe watch TV, do some chores or take a walk with your significant other.
A few hours later the salesperson’s email arrives and contains all the info you need.
But the response came after you’d already thought about dozens of other matters, and in the process lost much of the buying intention you felt when you made your enquiry. Besides, you since found another model at a different dealer you might like better.
The Zone is a place prospects are at when they first decided your offering is likely what they want – a psychological state most receptive to buying. Now, a few hours might not sound that long. But the delay is usually enough to drastically reduce the chances of converting that lead into a sale.
In fact a few hours is way too long.
Research shows that if that car dealer had responded within five minutes of your email he would have a 900% better chance of making the sale, simply because you were in a state of mind ready to move forward with the buying process. Because you were still in the Zone.
Why Prospects Buy More When They’re in the “Zone”
The faster you get back to a prospect the more your business and products will still be on his mind. He is in the same emotional state that prompted him to contact you in the first place, an frame of mind that makes him much more likely to buy than he will be if you delay your response to his enquiry.
If your prospect was starting to wonder how trustworthy your customer service might be, or whether you will be attentive to his needs, you’ve just gone a long way to making him feel good about doing business with you. Before you’ve even spoken a word you will have demonstrated you value his business and place his needs first.
Although your prospect really wants a reply from you right away, he probably doesn’t expect it. But if you send a reply within a few minutes – even a note addressing him by name and promising the info he needs within a definite timeframe – you’ll impress him enough to move the buying process up a notch. A powerful advantage.
The thing to remember here is you’ll make more sales by connecting with your prospects closest to the moment they first reach out to you. It’s your big opportunity to begin forming a relationship of trust and loyalty in your brand, simply by proving you’re on the ball and care about your customers.
It’s a sales tactic most businesses still don’t apply.
Make responding to prospects within five minutes a priority. Catch them while they are in the Zone and you’ll reap the benefits… not only with more sales, but also greater competitive advantage, and many more fans for your business.
Install timetorepy on your website and,
1. Boost sales by measuring and improving your response times
2. Increase customer engagement with your timetoreply Speedo
3. Build your brand credibility with great customer reviews
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