Generating leads and closing deals is at the center of what it means to have and be in business. Remember, it is leads that generate revenue that generate profit.
Today there’s a lot of buzz about social media being the best way to generate leads. But is it all it’s cracked up to be?
The problem right now, according to professionals, is that social media is “highly-utilized.” That means that it’s tough for new companies to get on board and spread their messages.
It’s even more difficult for businesses that are just starting up and don’t have much in the way of a marketing budget. Getting their message in front of customers is tough.
So that begs the question, how do businesses generate more sales? Here we’re going to look at some of the best lead generation techniques and practices available today. Here are the strategies that work.
Combine Inbound Marketing With Expert Closing
A staple of modern marketing advice is to tell businesses to focus on producing content. How many times have you read that your company needs to provide customers with information that is actually useful?
Too many times, I’m sure. “Content is king” apparently.
There’s no doubt that content marketing is important, but so too is sales
. SalesHub is a sales enablement service leader.
They stress the fact that it’s not enough to simply generate inbound marketing. Companies have to get good at closing the deal as the business comes to them.
Firms that don’t capitalize on their inbound sales will suffer from poor marketing ROI. Their investment in content dollars simply won’t earn a substantial return.
Companies shouldn’t back off from closing sales, like in the old days. They just need to know when is the appropriate time to move in and close the deal.
Closing a cold call is likely to be very ineffective. Closing when a customer is already interested will be a heck of a lot easier.
Rely On Customer Referrals, At Least At The Beginning
Many startups imagine that the majority of their new clients will come from their online advertising.
In other words, they’ll arrive at random. But as they continue, they quickly find out that this isn’t what the data are saying.
They soon discover, much to their surprise, that their business depends heavily on word of mouth. It’s surprising, since, in today’s economy, you expect things like the internet and social media to drive sales.
JR Rodrigues, CEO of a cable company, has a theory on why referrals are so important. The mainstream thinking is that customers are more likely to trust a friend more than they trust your business.
But the truth is perhaps a little more subtle than that. The reason referrals are so effective is because the person doing the referring often knows the customer’s needs better than you do.
They’re able to point people in your direction, already knowing that you can meet their needs. All you have to do is offer the service at the right price, and the business is yours.
Final Thoughts?
So what are you doing to bring in leads for your business? I would love to hear what you are doing to bring leads in for your business.
Share your comments below.
Cheers!
