How do you balance lead generation and lead nurturing in your B2B sales funnel?

Lead gen is all-encompassing in 2023. Ultimately, everything you do, both on and off social media, can be viewed as a lead-generating tactic. Every single post I make is made for my followers and prospects in one way or another, even the personal family posts. My social media profiles are not for me, they are for my followers and my prospects. It is the exact same thing in the "real world." From the way I dress and speak to the events I attend, I view every single action as a potentially lead-generating action. I know, this seems a bit "overkill-esque," but it is vehemently the truth. You never know when the next sale is going to fall in your lap. Remember, it takes just one right deal to change your life.

FOLLOW-UP, FOLLOW-UP, FOLLOW-UP! There is no more excellent tool when it comes to the nurturing of leads or prospects than follow-up. Nobody is going to reinvent the wheel when it comes to sales training. Cardone, Sandler, Ziggy, nobody is delivering groundbreaking new tactics. What sets them apart? The same thing sets every sales trainer apart from the rest; is themselves. They are delivering the same tactics in ways that are more relatable to their specific followers. Because of this, the age-old tactic of follow-up will ALWAYS reign supreme. Set a reminder for every single prospect in your CRM to follow up WEEKLY. Even if it is just a text that says "Hey John, just wanted to see how you're doing!"

There is a relationship side to this as well, or at least there should be. It's not about pitching your services at all times. Remember that your 'lead' won't think of themselves as a lead and they won't care where you place them in the sales funnel. They'll want to be treated like a human, not a sales target - humanise this part of the process. Make it personal.

The chicken or the egg? Lead-gen or lead nurturing? That is the question! Both are equally important to your sales game and you must be ready to spend ample AND equal time on both. Please fill your pipeline, or funnel if you prefer to call it that, and then be sure you are using your CRM as it is intended to be used and follow up to nurture them through your sales process. It is very important that you don't think one is more important than the other. Doing so lets the other fall behind and the second either of these two falls behind, sales slip through the cracks. Lead generation and lead nurturing are equally weighted parts of your sales process and should be treated as such.

The perfect balance is a systemized plan of attack. I teach all of my clients how to set their sales day and sales strategy up for success. We all know the things we can do for lead gen so the rest of the time should be spent nurturing those prospects along the path from cold lead to buyer and referral partner. To strike that balance, be sure to set aside time STRICTLY for prospecting and lead gen. Know EXACTLY what vertical you are going to call upon, or message depending on whatever medium you are selling, the problems that they face and you solve for their business, and a tailored value statement. Every single day should have a prospecting block built into it with another block designated strictly for follow-up and lead nurturing!