Trappe Digital LLC may earn commission from product clicks and purchases. Rest assured, opinions are mine or of the article’s author.
Finding the right customers who are ready to buy can be difficult. Every business owner knows the frustration of spending valuable time on sales calls with prospects who aren’t ready to move forward. But what if you could use smart assessment tools to identify your most promising leads before investing that precious time? It’s been called scorecard marketing.
“Think of it as a weeding tool,” said Maxwell Nee of ScoreApp on a sponsored episode of “The Business Storytelling Show.” “It’ll weed out everyone that isn’t ready – they’re not ready to work with you, they’re not ready to make a decision, they’re not ready to spend any money.”
This approach helps businesses focus their energy where it matters most while nurturing other prospects for the future.
The science of customer readiness
We have to remember that only about 3% of any market is ready to buy right now. These customers have already identified their problem, started actively looking for solutions, and mentally allocated funds for their purchase.
The next 7% of prospects represent what Maxell calls the “biggest bang for buck” in any business. While not ready to buy immediately, these prospects want what you’re offering but need more time. This group is particularly valuable for two reasons: they’re twice the size of immediate buyers, and most importantly, they haven’t yet decided who to purchase from.
This timing factor creates a unique opportunity. When someone is ready to buy immediately, they’ve typically already chosen their vendor. Trying to convince them to switch at the last minute rarely works – it’s like trying to convince someone who just bought an iPhone to suddenly switch to Android. However, catching prospects before they’ve made that decision opens up tremendous possibilities for businesses who can identify and nurture these relationships effectively.
The mechanics of scorecard marketing
Scorecard marketing evaluates potential clients based on their responses to carefully crafted questions. The system then segments leads into cold, warm, or hot categories, allowing businesses to tailor their approach accordingly.
“We’re seeing conversion rates of scorecards and quizzes of about 20 to 40% when typically it’s about 10 to 15%,” Maxwell said. These impressive numbers demonstrate the power of giving prospects something valuable in exchange for their information – a personalized assessment of their situation.
Behind the scenes, this data flows into a comprehensive dashboard showing how different segments answered each question, average scores, and overall result distribution. This wealth of information helps businesses understand their market at a deeper level while simultaneously qualifying leads.
The multi-channel approach
Smart businesses implement these assessments across their entire digital presence. Email signatures, marketing campaigns, social media platforms, and website landing pages all become potential touchpoints for engaging prospects through assessments.
Some companies are taking this approach even further.
“We have people that create a new scorecard quiz for each one of their YouTube videos,” Maxwell explained. “They create one video about happiness, and they create the happiness scorecard quiz. They create one video about purpose, then they create the purpose scorecard.”
This targeted approach ensures that each piece of content serves as an entry point for qualifying and nurturing potential customers.
Read next: Root cause problem solving: How leaders can spot what’s really breaking their business
The art of personalized follow-up
The true power of scorecard marketing lies in how businesses use the gathered data to personalize their approach. Instead of generic follow-ups that feel like mass marketing, companies can craft specific messages based on assessment results.
“I’ll probably call you or email you and say, ‘Hey, thank you for filling out our assessment, and I can see that you scored seven out of 10. If you have two minutes, I’d love to share with you three things that you could do to go from seven to a 10,” Maxwell said.
Who’s finding success with scorecard marketing
While the tool works across various industries, it’s particularly effective for businesses that aren’t tied to physical products or specific locations. Coaches, consultants, service providers, and online entrepreneurs have found success with this approach. Financial planners use it to qualify potential clients, personal trainers employ it to understand fitness goals and readiness, and even engineering consultants utilize it to assess project compatibility.
HR companies have discovered an innovative use for scorecard marketing in their recruitment processes, using assessments to narrow down candidate pools efficiently. With over 6,300 paying clients across more than 100 countries, the versatility of this approach is clear.
The future of lead qualification
Traditional lead generation often resembles casting a wide net and hoping for the best. Scorecard marketing represents a more sophisticated approach, helping businesses focus their energy on the most promising opportunities while maintaining relationships with prospects who might convert in the future.
This methodical approach to lead qualification doesn’t just save time – it fundamentally changes how businesses interact with potential customers. By understanding where prospects are in their buying journey, companies can provide more relevant, timely, and valuable interactions. The result? Better conversion rates, more satisfied customers, and fewer wasted resources on unqualified leads.
“This really comes down to your products,” Maxwell explained. “If you’re selling iPhone cases, you probably just want to segment them into email marketing and promotions. But if you’re in a high ticket space, selling something for thousands of dollars, you want to book people onto a call.”
Discover more from Christoph’s Content Corner
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.