It is very important in the business world to attract customers, but how do you go about doing it? Whether your a seasoned pro in business, or you’re just getting started, it vital for your success that you understand lead generation. Below you will find many good ideas that will get you started in this area, so keep reading.
Build your presence on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the most business-friendly social media channel out there. People use linked in to network and even broker new deals. It’s the perfect place to create lead generation opportunities for you and your company. Invest in a Premium membership as it will allow you to see everyone who has viewed your profile.
Be careful about buying email lists to use for lead generation. A lot of companies swear their lists are fresh, but quite often 30% or more of the names you are purchasing will be out of date. Prior to purchasing, negotiate with the list selling company in regard to this. You should get a partial refund if a percentage this high is noticed.
Be more active on niche-relevant forums and discussion boards to generate easy leads. If you hang out where consumers ask questions, you can gather trust, brand yourself and be a go-to source for them. Not only will they appreciate your assistance, they will also most likely visit your site for more info or to make purchases!
Set time every week to follow up with potential leads. It usually takes more than one touch point to turn a potential qualified lead into a real hot lead. SO after you’ve made first contact, set time a week or two later to touch base again. It’s about frequency here to make this person into a customer.
Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone. A lot of people get scared of making a call to generate a lead. They think it’s akin to annoying telemarketing. But if you’ve got a solution to a problem a company is having, you’ll definitely get phone time with someone. Even if it’s not a long call, pitch it and get a meeting to continue the conversation.
Team up with other companies to cross-promote and generate more leads. For example, if your website sells nails, join forces with a site that sells hammers. The mutually beneficial relationship should gather more leads and most likely sales for both of you. Just make sure the partner you choose is closely related to your industry and highly reputable.
Consider volunteering to help build leads. Choose a group which somehow relates to your niche, such as Cub Scouts if you are a dentist or a French club if you happen to be a tutor. Volunteering shows you have a good soul and can help build a positive reputation.
Hold a party for your best sources of referrals. Make it worth their while to show up by providing great food, drinks and entertainment. If you show them you appreciate their help, they’ll continue to bring you leads and you’ll all end up better off for the arrangement between you.
Consider giving a yearly gift to those who bring you the most referrals. It doesn’t have to be something big, even a bottle of nice wine will do, but it shows them you care. Be sure to deliver it by hand and personally so you can tell them how much you appreciate their help.
Stop trying to butter customers up! When you need to generate more leads, use a direct approach with them, because chances are good that neither you nor they have a lot of time for small talk and schmoozing. Get to your point, offer a great price for clicking the “buy now” icon and get better results.
Use a lead generation schedule for best results. Leads often ignore you if your lead generation efforts are too persistent. When you base it on a schedule, you will present a more professional approach to it. Also, this can help you to filter out the bad leads.
Can you work in webinars, seminars or free tools and downloads for your business? If you can provide this type of information related to your niche, then people will sign up for them. When they do, you have their contact information as a new lead, and of course this is a targeted, niche specific contact.
Don’t put up content on your site unless it is valuable and informative. Publishing content which is interesting is helpful in gaining leads. Make certain that it contains relevant information that is free from grammatical errors. You don’t want to lose a customer over these obvious errors.
Try not to focus solely on contests. If you rely solely on contests to generate leads, then you are convincing people to only approach you to win contests, not do business. Instead, have a biyearly or yearly contest that people can anticipate.
Keep lead gathering simple. Do not force your potential lead to fill out endless amounts of information. Use simplicity such as name and email gathering at first and as they look further ask for more. Your initial info gathering gets you a potential lead, but the further information you gain will allow for qualifying potential.
Be sure that all of your campaigns drive people to very specific landing pages. For example, if you are a real estate agent marketing to newlyweds, make the landing page you link them to specific to their needs as a new couple. Don’t just link people to the front page of your site!
As stated in the above article, finding success in the business world is easier when you know all about lead generation. It is key to your success when you figure out how to best generate the kinds of leads that attract consumers to your products and services. Remember what you learned here, practice these strategies, and soon enough you will see more of the right consumers coming to your business.
