Look to Industry Specific Review Sites for Hyper Qualified Prospects

[Garrett Sussman]

Look to Industry Specific Review Sites for Hyper Qualified Prospects

Selling is tedious.


When you?re dealing with an unsophisticated customer it can be tough. They don?t know what they don?t know, they?re not sure which questions they should ask, and they don?t know what they need.


They?re relying on you to flesh that out for them ahead of time, which is where industry specific review sites come in. Industry specific sites tend to attract customers who are more sophisticated.


These sites reward customers in turn with information that goes above and beyond the traditional review site.


Most of the time, customers expect you to do the vast majority of the work, up front. What?s worse, if you?re an experienced marketer you know what it?s like to nurture and cultivate prospects, to spend a lot of time educating them only for them to turn around and choose a competitor.


It?s a frustrating problem with an obvious solution.



It?s obvious, you need sales-ready prospects

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You need sophisticated customers who have done a significant portion of the work up front, on their own. That?s significant because in the long run, these prospects are far better for your business.


Why?


Aren?t all leads the same? I mean sure, you have your cold, warm and hot leads, but they?re all the same, right? What makes these prospects so ?effective??


Sales-ready prospects aren?t the same as your average prospect. They exhibit a very different set of behaviors.


1. These prospects are conscientious. They?ve taken the time to learn about their desires, goals, fears and frustrations. They typically have a general to specific idea of what they need and when they?ll need it. Their project is important to them. They?ve taken the time to figure things out.


2. They?re invested in the outcome. If a key influencer or decision maker has taken the time to research, plan and prepare, they have buy-in. That buy-in means these prospects are less likely to fight with, ignore or harass you. They have skin in the game so they?re less likely to disappear.


3. Sales-ready prospects recognize value. They understand the value of the products and services you bring to the table. They?re typically aware of the difference you can make for them, so they?re less focused on arguing a particular point and more focused on getting things done.


4. They?re ready to buy, quick to act. Sales ready prospects have done the upfront legwork they need to make an informed decision so the sales cycle is typically much shorter. That means your prospect is more willing to take risks, less focused on objections, and less fearful.


5. They?re aware and confident. Inexperienced prospects have lots of questions. How much will it cost, can I get my money back, what am I getting for my money, etc. A large part of the sales process is filled with can I, will you and what ifs.


This all sounds great, doesn?t it?


Just one problem. Where are you supposed to find these sales-ready prospects?



Go where the sales-ready prospects are

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Where do sales-ready prospects spend their time? On industry specific review sites! Here?s why industry specific sites are so helpful.


Sales-ready prospects are sophisticated and they?re often looking for answers to very specific questions.

Read the rest of Andrew's post here, and check out his 3 industry examples of companies benefitting from industry specific review sites.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Thanks Garrett!

This is such a sound strategy that sometimes is overlooked.

So often businesses focus on the big 3: Google, Yelp & Facebook but if you want to catch fish, go where the fish are! And many are reading reviews on the industry specific sites, especially if they rank high on Google for the "City/Profession+Reviews" keywords.

 

[Garrett Sussman]

Thanks Linda! I agree, many businesses neglect industry specific review sites, and they're highly qualified leads.

We get some of our best leads from sites like Capterra and G2 Crowd. That's our niche.

Since there are more and more industry specific sites within the same industries, I'd be curious which specific sites businesses are focusing on.

For instance, in home services, I'd be curious if businesses are prioritizing HomeAdvisor, Houzz, or Thumbtack

For healthcare, I'd be curious about Healthgrades, ZocDoc, Real Self, Vitals, or one of the others available.

The online review ecosystem is becoming more saturated, but still offers highly targeted value.