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Kristine Dawson - Dawson Electric | Gordon Digital

Small Business Banter: How to Close a Lead from Google, with Dawson Electric’s Kristine Dawson

So you’ve set up your digital marketing campaigns on Google, researched your keywords carefully, targeted to the right audience and maybe even got a killer landing page built… so now you sit back and wait for the business to start rolling in, right?

Not quite. Here’s the deal: while a quality Google Ads campaign will get people sending you inquiries, the job doesn’t end there. In fact, it’s only half the job! 

While a digital marketing agency can help you with the first part… the second part is down to you, the business owner. You need to take the steps to ensure you close your leads. At this point, if you don’t give them what they need to convert, they could still turn around and walk out the door. The ability to close leads can make a drastic difference in your ROI.

How to close a Google lead – an interview with Dawson Electric’s Kristine Dawson

Today on the blog we interview Kristine Dawson, the business manager and other half of the husband-and-wife team behind Dawson Electric. She has truly mastered the art of closing leads, taking her family business to the next level. We asked Kristine to give us some insight on how she ensures a lead from Google ends up spending their money with her business. 

Let’s get started!

Welcome, Kristine! First off, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do at Dawson Electric?

I am the owner and business manager at Dawson Electric. I look after sales and marketing.

Many small business owners understand they need digital marketing, but don’t know where to start. How did you start with it and get to where you are today?

My advice would be to listen to a podcast called The Small Business Big Marketing Show and also read as much as possible about marketing and areas of marketing. Knowledge is power. With a deeper understanding of what you need you can approach digital marketing agencies with a list of questions, you want the answers to. Find a company that is transparent. I would also strongly recommend using a professional company rather than trying to do the work yourself as Google is always changing how they do things. It’s hard for an amateur to keep up. 

Now, let’s talk Google. How long have you been doing marketing on Google (Ads and SEO) and how is it working for your business?

I have been advertising on Google now for about 18 months. I would estimate 50% of my business comes from digital marketing. I have about a 10:1 return on investment which is pretty good. 

Walk us through what happens when you get a lead from Google? 

When we get a lead, we either get a phone call or the potential client fills out a lead generation form online and sends us an email. I then aim to respond within 2 business hours. Quick response times win more work. 

Sometimes we see a business get plenty of leads, but none of them ends up becoming customers. What’s your secret to closing the sale, what do you think you do differently?

Phone manner is really important, answer the phone with a smile. Take the time to have a chat about their day to build trust. Response times are also really important. I try to respond to emails quickly and then also get quotes emailed out within 8 hours. This definitely wins more work. I also follow up on all quotes with a phone call a few days later. Sometimes emails can go into junk, so it is important to follow up. 

Why is it, in your opinion, important to nurture a lead?

If you don’t nurture the lead, they may think you don’t care. No one wants to feel like a number. 

What do you recommend other small business owners be mindful of when doing a Google marketing campaign with a digital marketing agency?

Get some references from other clients of theirs. Have a list of questions ready before you meet with them so that you are ‘interviewing’ them. Make sure they offer transparency with their methods and reporting. 

Can you give us 4-5 of your best tips for closing a lead from Google?

  1. Phone manner. They need to trust and like you.
  2. Consistency of brand. Your emails, phone manner, website and ads all need to be in alignment.
  3. Follow up with leads to see if they have questions.
  4. Don’t be pushy.
  5. Take an interest in them.

Find out more about Dawson Electric.

Want to learn about Google marketing? Read about Gordon Digital’s Brisbane SEO and Google Ad management services.