It seems like almost all companies and sales people these days want short-term leads because of the overwhelming need for immediate results. In the search for the quick close, however, some of the most promising leads get lost in the endless streams of cold calling, email blasts, and direct mail. That’s unfortunate, because prospects who don’t respond immediately, or who say that they are not interested, often represent the most promising base of potential new customers.

Companies that focus strategically on long-term opportunities realize-by far-the highest rates of lead conversion.  By taking the time to nurture leads, companies are best able to forge deeper, genuine relationships that ultimately translate to business.

Let’s take a look at some critical components in the art of lead nurturing:

List segmentation.
Even with the best lists, some leads are inherently more promising than others. If the goal is to capitalize on leads with the most sales potential while reducing time spent on weak leads, properly segmenting them is absolutely essential. That’s true regardless of the number of leads, and it’s an ongoing process.

Initial segmentation is a matter of doing quick, basic research on each prospect. Doing so weeds out prospects that aren’t really a match for a product or service offering and allows grouping of related companies to similarly target. Most companies find it extremely helpful to group leads by industry, annual revenue, employee headcount, or similar high-level characteristics.

Additional segmentation into short-term and long-term prospects should come while initiating contacts. With each lead, navigate to the actual decision maker, and then, in initial exchanges, ascertain whether the decision maker is receptive to buying now.

It is critical to remember to interpret “I’m not interested” to mean, “I’m not interested at this time.” Any lead that fits high-level criteria for determining a high-value prospect, even those who claim not to be interested, should be kept in the prospecting loop. Changing circumstances may transform “I’m not interested” into “let’s talk.”

Employ multiple touches and multiple media.
Do not abandon leads because they don’t respond to repeat contact attempts. Prospects often don’t respond because they aren’t yet ready to buy or are simply focused on something else. In an age of communications overload, it can easily take ten to twelve touches to identify whether a prospect is sales-ready.

To further increase chances of reaching promising leads, employ some mixture of media – quality outbound calls, voicemail messages, email and direct mail – to touch prospects repeatedly over time. Multi-touch, multi-media campaigns work because they build familiarity with busy decision-makers. Such campaigns also increase the likelihood that you will reach prospects at the “elusive point of need” – when they have identified a need and are ready to buy.

A great offer that meets prospects’ needs and concerns.
While using multiple media and multiple touches increases your chances of eventually “getting through” to a lead, fine-tuning the content of communications can increase a welcome reception. Depending on the service or product, meaningful groups will have different primary concerns that will need to be emphasized in promoting a solution, such as increased productivity, lower costs, or streamlined operations. And it’s important to vary communications over time to increase the chances of hitting a pain point with which previous communications didn’t connect. A simple way to fine-tune communications with a high-value prospect: Once they have been engaged, ask what they’re focused on fixing. The answer can go a long way toward informing subsequent communications.

Testing messages within a portion of a market segment, or testing two different messages within the same market segment, is an efficient and effective way to fine-tune offers and communications. Testing messages may also provide ideas for following up with more reluctant prospects.

Disqualify the non-qualified.
After carefully focusing on segmentation, employing multiple touches and multiple media, and fine-tuning communications, some of what seemed like high-value leads simply aren’t receptive to any offering. When a lead has proven to be a non-lead, it’s best to cut it, and spend time and energy on more promising prospects.

Finding the right touch volume, the right mix of media and taking “we’re not interested” at face value can go a long way toward maximizing leads and turning prospects into customers. Let the nurturing begin.