Friday 21 October 2011

Easy ways to generate leads for your business


All businesses need to be spending some time and money on generating leads, because new leads mean more sales and greater profits. The key to lead generation is using a variety of strategies at the one time. Just advertising your business in a local newspaper probably won’t generate a large number of leads for you to turn into customers – you need to be utilising a wide variety of marketing tools simultaneously to really reach your target market and draw them to your business.

This does not apply just to big businesses with large marketing budgets, because there are numerous cost-effective strategies that small businesses can use to generate leads. For example, a small local clothing shop could be combining their local newspaper advertising with a website, a newsletter, listings in various directories, building and car signage and a stall at the local markets. All of these strategies are very cost-effective and would expose a large number of potential customers to their business and products. Lead generation is not difficult, you just need to be creative and take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself.

Here are some lead generation strategies that you may not have thought of using for your business:
  • Networking groups

    Many business people go to networking functions for trade associations, chambers of commerce and other organizations on a regular basis. Most of them view these events as a boring hassle and do everything to avoid them. However, networking events are an excellent lead generation strategy for businesses, because the other business people that attend them are consumers too and need products and services just like the rest of us.

    So, instead of standing in the corner and counting down the minutes until you can leave, walk around and start up conversations. You can even ask the people you meet for permission to add them to your database of contacts. It is also a good idea to follow up with the people you have met after the event with a quick phone call or email to build the relationship.
     
  • Alliances 
    Building alliances with other businesses that target a market similar to yours is a great way to generate new leads for your business. Choose a reputable business that treats its customers well, engages in proactive marketing strategies and is open to trying new things. Once you have built a relationship with this business and have come to an agreement, you can start targeting their clients with your own marketing. 
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