The 1-2-3 Strategy: How to Turn Prospects into Customers

It might be tempting to blast out sales emails to every prospective customer in your database, but be careful! After acquiring a prospect but before making the sale is a very delicate time. It can be difficult to strike the balance of keeping their attention without scaring them off. Fortunately, the 1-2-3 strategy makes this process straightforward. It works by dividing prospects into 3 categories: New, Existing, and Warm.

#1. New Prospects

New prospects have never heard of your company or organization before. When dealing with a brand new prospect, it is important that you don’t try to sell your product immediately; rather, you should use a 1-2-3 drip campaign. A 1-2-3 drip campaign refers to a sales strategy with 3 distinct stages.

In the first stage, the customer is unaware of your company and your product. At this point, it important to link your company name to relevant and useful industry information. This is your opportunity to show the customer, perhaps through an article or a video, a problem that they might be facing and need to solve. Associate your brand with a useful solution. In the second stage  you can now promote your company and your product as the best way to solve the issue you brought up previously. Finally, in the third stage, you hit hard with your product and explain why your product is the best solution for your customer.

#2. Existing Prospects

Existing prospects are the most readily available: acquiring new prospects can be expensive, so why not go back to people who have bought from you before? There is no need to introduce these prospects to your company, so a mix of first stage and second stage emails is the most effective strategy for nurturing existing prospects. It is important that these prospects remain aware of your company and brand. It is highly recommended to send emails periodically to remind them that you’re available to help if needed.

#3. Warm Prospects

A warm prospect has shown interest in your product but isn’t quite sales ready yet. Perhaps they attended one of your events, downloaded whitepapers from your website or watched a video about your product. Watch for buying signals carefully and track your prospect’s visits. Timing is everything. When the timing is right, you need to ask for their business. The best strategy at this point is to send exclusively third stage emails to convince the customer that your solution is best for them.