With everything going on right now, B2B companies are turning to digital marketing to increase pipeline. There’s no doubt about it, business is changing rapidly, but one thing remains constant: people around the world are craving human connection and conversation. Now is a great time to focus your website efforts on increasing pipeline, accelerating sales, and open the door for instant conversations with your valued customers and prospects. 

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been inspired by what our customers are doing with Conversational Marketing. Here are 5 tips for how to increase sales pipeline using conversational marketing. 

1. Double-down on “Speed to Lead”

‍Speed to lead is everything, especially right now, and Conversational Marketing is the perfect opportunity to accelerate sales pipeline. Focus on converting inbound website visitors into live meetings, either by upgrading a live chat conversation to a phone call, or by using the meeting booker to lock in a meeting later that day. By doing same-day discovery meetings, your sales reps can increase pipeline, accelerate their sales pipeline, and increase their changes of closing a deal.

Did you know?
If an SDR can schedule a meeting with a prospect the same day the lead comes in, the opportunity close rate is 3X higher than if they connected with that lead 48 hours later. (Source: Salesforce)

2. Put humans at the front of your experiences

‍Now isn’t the time to hide behind forms or bots. Increase pipeline by putting your team’s faces and personalities at the front of your Conversational Marketing experiences.

Here’s how:‍

Include sales rep photos in your greetings. This encourages engagement and shows website visitors that there are friendly reps standing by and ready to chat.

Route high-intent website visitors to live conversations with your sales reps. Drop everything to engage with VIP inbound traffic, like those who engage with paid marketing campaigns or are exploring your pricing page.‍

Be authentic in your engagements. It’s OK to acknowledge that the world is in flux, and weave that into your greetings with a genuine, positive note. At Qualified, our sales team has been testing out more relevant greetings geared at connecting with our website visitors on a more human level. We've found that this approach has helped us to accelerate sales pipeline and increase qualified leads.

3. Proactively engage with more visitors

‍You have a ton of website visitor data at your fingertips, thanks to integrations with Clearbit and 6sense. Scope out your visitors’ profiles, and if they resemble your ideal customers’ industry, employee count, or region, reach out and say hello. Now’s the time to widen your net for who you proactively engage with, going beyond your standard list of ABM target accounts. By having more website conversations, you’ll increase pipeline,  generate more leads, and improve conversion opportunities. Don’t forget to get creative with your greetings—get inspired with these conversation starters. 

4. Maximize every open opportunity

‍The deals that you have in your pipeline right now should be treated like gold. These buyers have shown interest in your products or services, and have the power to close a deal or walk away. Every interaction counts. Leverage Conversational Marketing to nurture and progress your open deals. Because Qualified can pull in Salesforce Opportunity data, you can alert the right Salesforce owner the moment their opportunity arrives on your site, and route the conversation to them immediately. Here’s a breakdown of the Open Opportunity Fastlane Strategy.

Pro Tip:
Try setting up voice-alerts when open opportunities arrive on your site. When your sales rep hears “Lynn, your open opportunity Cisco, Enterprise Plan, is on the site” she is sure to jump at the chance to connect with her buyer. Also set up Slack alerts so your team never misses a chance to engage. 

5. Show your customers love ❤️

Your customers are the heartbeat of your business—show them love and appreciation during this trying time. Build an experience that fast-tracks existing customers to their Account Owner or Customer Success Manager. Surface relevant data from Salesforce, like account health or plan type, so your customer-facing teams can check in and have hyper-personalized conversations. 

Wrap up

Now that we've explained how to increase sales pipeline with conversational marketing, the decision is clear. Conversational Marketing gives businesses the chance to have instant, human conversations with your prospects and customers. Don’t be afraid to shift your Conversational Marketing strategy right now; this pivot will help you connect with more people, strengthen relationships, and increase pipeline.

Whatever you need, we’re here for you. Our team is standing by to help you brainstorm strategies and build out experiences. Questions? Talk to us live right here on the site, or shoot us an email.