More than ever, your lead-generation program must include a strong nurturing component. A DemandGen survey, notes Cheryl Goldberg at the High-Tech Communicator blog, found that nurtured leads produce a 20-percent increase in sales opportunities versus non-nurtured leads.

And—realistically—many of your leads will require at least a little nurture. "According to Brian Carroll, CEO of InTouch and author of Lead Generation and the Complex Sale, up to 95 percent of qualified prospects on your website are there to research and are not yet ready to talk with a sales rep," she notes, "but as many as 70 percent of them will eventually buy a product from you or your competitors."

So how well do your nurturing strategies address a lead's real concerns? "These arguments tend to be logical, typically citing the need to assist prospects through the buying process and keep your company top of mind," she continues. "But arguably, an even more important reason to nurture leads is overcoming prospects' emotional objections—specifically their fear of buying from you."

Consider that buyers who make purchase decision aren't simply thinking as the dispassionate employees of a corporation; they're also considering the negative repercussion a "bad" purchase might have on their careers.

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