If you’re like me, the idea of tackling ‘lead generation’ might feel less than comfortable. Despite my reluctance to fine-tune my marketing hat into a more proactive ‘weapon’, I’ve been surprised at how much the right tools have eased the process.
With the help of a new lead generation software, I’ve overcome my reservations and started some exciting conversations. Here’s how…
Our most common gripe
As a small business, one of our most common pain points is the time required to nurture new leads. I realised a long time ago that developing those leads is not a short sprint but a process of building long-term relationships. This requires all your skills as a marketer and salesperson- an exercise that we creatives often view as a ‘necessary evil’.
Why is that? Maybe it feels like betraying our creativity? Perhaps the thought of commercialising what we do into a sales format simply goes against the grain?
I’d personally like to think our services are so good that business will just come through the door without an invite, knowing what we do without the need for advertisement. Well, I have certainly been in the game long enough to know that’s just not a good approach to business. In fact, it’s probably doomed for failure, as you’re unlikely to generate the new leads you need in order to grow.
Planning for the dry spells
Let’s face it- the biggest mistake any business can make, is to stop promoting when things get busy. You’re completely focused on the next deadline, but what’s the plan when this busy stretch comes to an end? All too often, we’ve found ourselves in the aftermath of a busy period, wondering why the phone has stopped ringing. Chasing for new business takes time, and time is money.
So we’ve decided to change our ways. We’ve streamlined, reduced our overheads and taken on a more proactive marketing approach, using the tools available to us. One of which, is Lead Forensics.
A helping hand
When a person visits our website, Lead Forensics provides us with information about the visitor and the company they’re from, based on their IP address. It also lists when they visited, what pages they viewed and for how long. We can then identify which of our services might interest them. Then comes the trickier part: finding the person within that organisation, who would most likely have been responsible for the visit.
So how do we do that?
First, we look at the company website. We try to get a feeling of which departments are responsible for procuring the services we identified. Some websites also provide staff details, which can help to identify the individuals to approach. Next we use LinkedIn, to get a deeper understanding of their position and role within the company.
Beyond that, it comes down to emails and picking up the phone. Ouch! Yes, I’m afraid you do have to speak to people but believe it or not you might find they actually want to speak to you too! Approaching these conversations requires a tone of transparency and honestly. Unfortunately, this is sometimes lacking in lead generation and it’s often easy to sniff out a disingenuous sales call. However, you should remember that what you’re offering could be exactly what that person is looking for. If that’s the case, you might find a phone call is just the job.
Like any relationship you will need to develop trust and respect, which doesn’t happen instantly. However approaching the right person and setting off on the right foot can make all the difference. And so the journey begins…
Want to start your own conversations?
Click here to learn more about Lead Forensics.