Marketing Leads - My Experience

Leads- the "pot o' gold at the end of the rainbow" for the salesman. Obtaining the best leads is the most efficient use of a salesperson's day. Some sales people spend an entire week calling hundreds of "leads" with no results and wonder what the problem is. Is it me? NO!

Many methods are used for gaining leads; however, I have found a few to be the most efficient use of my time. Referrals. Referrals is the most effective lead you can get because someone already believes in you and also your product or service and is willing to recommend you to a friend or colleague. After you have given the best customer service you can to a client, ask if there is anyone else that he or she knows that could benefit from the same product or service.

Of course in order to get better referrals you must be willing to give something to your client as well. People want to help friends and that is why building a relationship and helping that client will go a lot further than just asking out of the blue. Jeffrey Gitomer, my favorite sales and networking author, says it best in two of his books that I highly recommend. "The Sales Bible" and "The Little Black Book of Connections" describe plainly and effectively how a sales person should treat their customers in order to keep them and "earn" more customers.

Plug in to the community. Attend networking groups, the chamber of commerce, merchant's associations, or business expos. People attend these meetings in the community to meet other business owners and earn leads. The number one rule is do NOT try to sell them on anything at the first meeting that you attend, for this will make you appear to be a pushy sales person. Socialize, work the room, and offer up your friendship; and then when they ask about your services or after you have established a relationship set an appointment with them to discuss what you have to offer that will benefit them.

Many people that conduct business choose to do business only with already established relationships or with people that are apart of their social network.

Another method that I must warn about is buying leads offline. Many people believe that pre-populated leads lists at sites such as leads.com or salesgenie are an easy way out. I wouldn't completely discredit these sites; however, the problem that arises from these methods that must be at least considered is how many people in your area have generated leads from the same list and called on those particular businesses. Use the leads, but do your own research on each business to see if they are actually a fit for your business products or services.

A lead generation method that has worked for me as an insurance agent offering benefits consulting for small businesses was found at the planning and development department or business lisence department for the county I work in. People that apply for business lisences are on file at these offices and include their business location as well as the owner's name! Some offices are free to get a copy of this list; my county charges 25 cents per double sided page. I personally paid for a listing for all new business listings for the last 6 months and it has been highly effective for generating qualified leads for my business.

In my personal experience, leads can be generated from almost any source at almost any time of day. You can get leads from someone you meet in a line at the grocery store that offers up some intrigueing information about the area, from your local clubs and groups, from friends, referrals, and lastly online.Don't be afraid to ask. That is the lesson I have learned from sales Friends and colleagues are often willing to share leads and clients with you if you just ask.