Every day I witness how companies (or marketing agencies they work with) overcomplicate their process of generating leads with unnecessary jargon or some fancy formula.
It doesn’t have to be that hard.
After years in the industry, I know that simple solutions often bring the most results. Therefore, generating leads is equal to the sum of these three simple steps:
- Share the good news
- Follow who cares
- Be available, answer all inquiries
That’s it.
Yet what I see most often is that SMEs often miss one of these three simple but important steps. This equation requires all three components to be adequately represented.
Let’s further explain each of the steps to help you increase lead generation.
1. Share the Good News
By “good news” I mean anything interesting to your ideal customer. It could be industry recognition, a favorable mention of public relations, a new offer or case study, and customer success showing how you helped that client.
It’s important to note here that the good news you share must be hyper-targeted to active, potential customers. It is far better to send something focused on a small, segmented group than to send something in general to your entire network.
It should also be something that your existing and future customers (not just you) would find valuable. It’s not enough to tell someone how great your company is; you need to help them understand how you can improve their life or job.
Be strategic and intentional with what you have decided to share and with whom. Remember, you want to generate leads, not brag about how you were on vacation.
2. Follow Who Cares
If the path to income is paved with buy signals, not only does it make sense to follow them, but it is extremely important today and easier than ever.
Before the pandemic, we went to fairs and collected hundreds of business cards. Then we would contact them and hope to finish with at least five ice. But now one-hour webinars have replaced three-day personal events. The silver backing of the pivot of a fully digital experience is that everyone leaves a trail of crumbs wherever they go. And that digital footprint makes it much easier (and faster) to understand and attract potential customers.
3. Be Available, Answer All Inquiries
After sharing your good news and follow who is interested, you now need to be available and answer inquiries. While it seems logical, this is a stage where many often fail thus losing the leads.
In the business world, this is often referred to as “sales and marketing alignment”. In small and medium-sized businesses, it’s even simpler: “Make and make offers.” Regardless, everyone must step in the same rhythm and understand that A + B + C = income. It is a big challenge when companies try to separate this part from the rest of the process.
However, even if you have a team of salespeople, they are often considered in management roles, far from their strength: doing business. Very few companies have used virtual call centers to help them. In the days before Covid-19, this was fine, but this is a responsibility in a pandemic. As personal opportunities for sales and closures disappeared, the sales of many companies suffered. Moving to a digital model and owning a virtual sales and business development team can help your company think differently about this crucial step in the lead generation process. The digital environment is there and if you want to stay competitive you have to digitize.
Let’s start calling the “sales team” the “accompanying team”. After all, there are no sales versus marketing; we are all one team with one goal: income.