Sales Lead Generation: 7 Reasons Why Your Sales Lead Strategy is Broken
Jeffrey Dobkin. Part I of III
Everybody’s looking for sales leads. And for sales. Hey, they’re out there: there are people that need your products and services and want to do business with you. Here’s how to generate leads and get more sales with a better sales lead generation system. But first, let’s take a look at why your lead generation system is broken.
Here’s why you’re not getting customers.
Sales Lead Generation Tip 1. You’re searching for sales leads in the wrong places.
You’re looking high and low, and these folks are left and right.
Sales Lead Generation Tip 2. Prospects don’t know you.
Although you’ve been in an office right down the block for years, ate lunch at the same restaurant, shopped at the same grocery store — they’ve never heard of you, your business.
Sales Lead Generation Tip 3. They don’t trust you.
Why should they: no one likes to do business with a stranger.
Sales Lead Generation Tip 4. Your older direct mail package - it sucked.
Remember the direct mail package you sent customers and prospects about your products? That didn’t work, did it? Then you proclaimed “I tried direct mail and it doesn’t work,” declaring all direct mail doesn’t work.
Say, when was that - a few months ago… a year ago? Couple of years ago? Can I tell you, you made customers the wrong offer. Like offering candy to a college co-ed — they aren’t taking anything from strangers and you aroused only suspicions. Or did that just happen to me… er… a friend of mine?
Sales Lead Generation Tip 5. The old ways no longer work.
Remember how you got most of your customers? Yea, well… that doesn’t work anymore, either, does it. Welcome to the recessionary times of 2010. Would you like to remain seated in the back of the bus with the other older folks who won’t change their ways, or get with the new times and move up?
Sales Lead Generation Tip 6. The end of the era of product isolation.
Before, you could offer customers a product that no one else had, or had access to. If people wanted it, they called you.
They were the good old days weren’t they? Times change: everyone sells everything. Banks sell financial services. Financial service people sell insurance. Even if your competitors don’t have what your customers are looking for, they’ll go out and get it for them. Or they can find it on the Internet… in about 30 seconds.
Sales Lead Generation Tip 7. Why should new clients do business with you?
What makes you so great - besides your good office location, comfy office furniture and that nice looking secretary. I mean, what makes you so great in THEIR eyes. Why should they leave the comfort and security of their current vendor, and move everything to you?
OK, have your reasons? Now prove them to a complete stranger. Over the phone. In 30 seconds. How good are those reasons now? Because that’s what you’re faced with in today’s fast-paced, give-it-to-me-right-now- lead generation environment.
This is part one in a three part article series on lead generation. In the second and third part in this series, you’ll learn 14 new ways to fix it: by kicking up your lead generation program and making it way more responsive.
For then next part in this article series, How To Generate Sales Leads: 7 Ways to Get Sales Leads, Click Here. For the third part, 8 More Ways to Generate Sales Leads, Click Here. To go to our store and buy something - anything - click here. To join our affiliate program, click here. To stay right where you are, click here.
Jeff Dobkin is the senior writer at the direct marketing firm of The Danielle Adams Publishing Company. He has written 5 books of How-To tips and techniques in direct marketing. Jeff can be reached at 610-642-1000 - but then, you knew that - didn't you. You were thinking about calling him up and asking him a marketing question, weren't you? Or placing an order. Go ahead - call.