To successfully nurture a lead, one must first know the meaning of nurture. Brian Carroll, author of the B2B Lead Generation Blog, devotes an entire post to the subject, and he starts off by defining nurture: “foster, help develop, or help grow; the act of nourishing or nursing; tender care; education; training; that which nourishes; food; diet; sustenance; the environmental influences that contribute to the development of an individual.”

Once that definition is clear, Carroll makes the point that the “fluff” that salespeople feed to their prospects isn’t really nurturing them. Developing a quality relationship with a prospect requires deep thought, attention to detail, and the delivery of valuable, useful information. To further his point, Carroll provides some examples of how to, and how not to, nurture leads. Read on for his advice, and click here to access his entire post.

• Is NOT Lead Nurturing: Sending the same tired company case study over and over again to your list.
  What IS Lead Nurturing: Sending a very targeted email that includes content based on the recipient’s role in the company. Sending content based on timing or interest or industry. Sending content based on a previous conversation. Answering a question or offering more information. Sending information that is relevant to their problem.
  
• Is NOT Lead Nurturing: Calling leads that are in the early stages of the buying process every month just to “touch base.”  Calling to basically ask if they are ready to buy yet.
  What IS Lead Nurturing: Making calls based on touch point data that adds value to the interaction. Having a valid business reason and goal in mind for each call.
• Is NOT Lead Nurturing: Offering brochures and white papers that in essence just pitch your product or service.
  What IS Lead Nurturing: Sharing content that’s relevant and valuable even if they never buy from you. Giving them information that sticks with them. Giving them information that helps them grow as an individual or company.