Marketers know that marketing initiatives can take months before achieving measurable ROI. However, when clients see no traction in the first few weeks, they may become concerned. Clients might think the campaign is suffering despite marketers’ assurances that they’re on the right course.
You can avoid that scenario by setting the right expectations from the start.
It’s crucial to keep clients from jumping the gun and interfering with their own results. For example, if clients don’t know you need time for testing and iteration, they may insist on pivoting from the strategy prematurely or cutting it entirely.
Setting expectations is necessary, but it can also be difficult. Clients can easily get tunnel vision regarding ROI; they may want to see immediate results after launching a new campaign. Because ROI is the ultimate goal, marketeers need to guide their clients when setting and meeting goals within a time frame that makes sense.
Convincing clients that marketing is a long-term play requires finesse, setting realistic expectations in a way that doesn’t leave them desperate.
The Art of Setting Expectations
The importance of lead generation cannot be overstated. It’s the first step in filling the sales pipeline, essentially putting your clients’ sales teams up to bat with potential buyers and qualified leads.
Nurturing leads from the beginning of the funnel can produce up to 20% more sales opportunities for most businesses. With so much on the line, it’s important to outline your lead generation process in detail for clients. You can’t do that retroactively, so don’t assume up front that you and your clients are on the same page.