Old-school conversational selling used to mean face-to-face selling or selling over the phone (remember vacuum sales people?). Real human-to-human interaction where tone of voice, smiles, facial expressions, and gestures were all tools in the sales person’s arsenal. Older readers may still be asking, “How did I let that guy/gal talk me into paying that much for…?” Those great sales tactics can still work, but we want to leverage that power of conversational selling in our digital marketing.
 
To do that, we have to implement some new tools. They are not exactly new, but they are new when compared to previous tactics in human-to-human sales. I’m talking about new digital tools that help us connect with leads on a personal level, but without it being necessary to sit at the computer screen and wait for a contact.
 
Digital Conversation Tools
Today there are 3 big tools you can use to leverage conversational selling online:

• Email
• On-page chat
• Messenger chat

 
Email
To many, it might not seem like email is a conversational marketing channel. But it can be when used strategically. We recommend these email marketing tools: MailChimp, AWeber, ActiveCampaign, and InfusionSoft.
 
Use Email to Offer High-Intent Gated Content.
You really want your content attracting people to your email list, so use great content to inform the conversation. Open with a line such as, “Want to build an in-house marketing team?” The only reason someone would respond to this is if they want to build an in-house marketing team. So, the content itself is attracting the right kind of people for the sales conversation we ultimately want to have.
 
Send Emails That Ask For Actual Replies.
Most emails ask for a click. If you want to use email to start a sales conversation, ask for a reply. Ask a question that implies you know what they want, based on a previous response to email or your website. “Are you still looking to….” and then ask for a reply. Don’t be afraid to carry the email conversation over into another communication venue. Ask them to respond by email give you a call, or click a link to hop on Messenger.
 
On-Page Chat
These are those little chat windows that pop up on websites and ask if you need help.
 
Avoid open-ended questions.
Instead, ask a question that demands a response: “Hi, quick question: Are you a consultant or a marketing agency?” And provide answer choices to click:

• Yes, I’m with an agency
• Yes, I’m a consultant
• Nope, neither

Asking specific questions leads to specific responses and more conversations.
 
Strategically place your chat-bots to filter unqualified leads.
Be intentional about when and where you display your on-page chat widget so that you’re starting higher-quality conversations with better-qualified leads. We recommend these tools to add on-page chat – HubSpot Sales Live Chat, Drift, Intercom.
 

• Avoid the Homepage – Everyone hits this page, and few people ready to buy.
• Trigger Chat on the Third Visit – People often aren’t ready to buy right away.
• Only Trigger Chat on Bottom-of-Funnel Content – Trigger on BOFU content that indicates the visitor is close to making a buying decision.
• Trigger Chat on Pricing & “Thank You” Pages – Another way of targeting BOFU content is to trigger chat on the pages that people tend to visit just before and after converting.

 
Messenger Chat
Facebook Messenger is one of the newest and fastest growing marketing channels. With these new ads, you can create Facebook ads that lead to an immediate Messenger conversation.
 
Use a chatbot to filter leads.
You will probably want people to begin by interacting with your chatbot in order to filter out spurious questions. That way, only serious inquiries will be referred to a human chat participant on your end. We recommend using the ManyChattool to add this feature to your website.
 
Have the Conversation
All Selling Is H2H. Your future success depends on you learning to invest in real, one-on-one, human-to-human (H2H) interactions. Great new tools are available that allow you to leverage your time and efforts to obtain the best possible results. Use them. We’re not talking about automating every step of the sales process to keep you away from people. That blip on your analytics dashboard is a real, live person who would be more likely to become a customer with a bit of personal interaction.
 
How have you leveraged digital tools like these to create a more personal experience for your customers? We’d love to hear your success stories or questions. Drop us a line in the comment section below.