Lead Generation Strategies that Actually Work!
“You are out of business if you don’t have a prospect!” – Zig Ziglar
Last week, I opened up a discussion about one of the most important areas of business development: LEAD GENERATION!
Simply defined, lead generation refers to the action steps you take to attract potential customers to your business and guide them along the path toward making a purchase decision.
In my 40+ years in sales and business development, one of the pivotal “golden rules” I’ve learned is the more attention you pay on lead generation, the faster your sales will grow.
Whether your sales are suffering, have stagnated, or simply aren’t where you want them to be, when you shift your focus towards lead generation, you will experience a profitable breakthrough.
It’s All about Trust
Many people think of lead generation as the first step in the sales process. While I agree, I also want to point out that lead generation activities shouldn’t feel like “selling” to you or your prospect!
I encourage my clients at Celeste Giordano Coaching to think about lead generation as the first step in a methodical step-by-step process designed to open up a conversation with your prospect. In essence, when you engage in lead generation you are inviting someone to keep the conversation going and build a relationship with you. And in order to get a prospect interested in engaging with you, you need to earn their TRUST. Lead generation is really a trust building operation.
Lead Generation Strategy #1: Build Trust Using Phone Calls
Hard selling or phony sales pitches don’t build trust; rather, they cause people to become defensive and put their guard up. You can build trust with complimentary calls in several ways. The first way is to ensure that the prospect you are calling is an ideal fit and will benefit from the product or service you offer. You can do so by working with strategic referral partners, networking and doing your research. Talking to the right audience brings you one step closer to building the trust necessary to keep your prospect interested in learning more.
I teach my clients the effective strategies and language I have used over the years to show prospects that I have a good reason for calling and that I care about helping them solve a problem. The more you can demonstrate that you are genuinely interested in helping your prospect, the more likely your prospect is to like you, trust you and be open to continuing the conversation.
Lead Generation Strategy #2: Build Trust Using Content
Sharing content with your prospects is another effective tool for lead generation. The key to successful lead generation using content is that it needs to be valuable to your prospect. Curating great content will help you cut through the clutter online. When you post relevant, useful, engaging content – from industry trends to breaking news to thought leadership – people take notice and begin to trust your expertise and credibility. This is true both when you generate original content as well as curate quality content.
When a prospect meets you or hears about you, they’ll likely want to check you out in order to get a sense of who you are. Upon visiting your blog, website, or social media platforms, prospects will be more likely to trust your credibility if they see a stream of helpful, smart content that you have posted. Your content should clearly demonstrate that your finger is on the pulse of the latest trends in your industry and that you have valuable knowledge and insights that will benefit their lives or solve a problem they face.
Seek out opportunities to share news articles and other content that is relevant to your prospect’s problem, even if they’re not directly connected to the product or service you sell. Remember, the point of the content is to build trust and demonstrate value, not “hard sell”. Don’t make it all about you! Engage in conversations with prospects who read your content by asking questions and responding to comments and queries.
Here are a few different ways to use content to generate leads and build trust:
- Actively share content on a variety of social media platforms including Twitter and Facebook.
- Build a professional LinkedIn bio and post articles in groups where your prospects hang out.
- Post engaging blog articles on a blog platform and share them in your weekly or bi-monthly newsletter as well as on your social media platforms.
- Generate a newsletter that shares your insights, industry news and noteworthy achievements.
- Submit articles and press releases to newspapers, magazines, zines and blogs that your target market reads.
- Create an infographic or white paper that you can send out to support your initial prospecting calls.
- Produce an eBook that demonstrates your expertise and showcases valuable information that solves a problem that your target market faces.
- Make sure your landing page requires visitors to input their name and contact information to get valuable free content such as an eBook or infographic as well as to sign up to receive your newsletter.
- Produce engaging videos that feature valuable information, stories and insights that will engage your prospect and post them on your YouTube channel and social media platforms.
- Broadcast a webinar and promote it using social media and your newsletter.
Lead Generation Strategy #3: Build Trust Using Networking
While there are plenty of lead generation opportunities online and in the media, there are also many effective ways to generate new business offline. Networking is one powerful example. Here are some of the ways that networking will fuel your lead generation goals:
- You’ll meet new people, some of which may be prospects, as well as expand your network.
- You’ll generate referral partners who can provide you with quality leads.
- You’ll build your personal brand.
- You may have opportunities to speak or give a workshop, which will position you as a leader in your industry.
Are You Consistently Generating Quality Leads?
This article has only just scratched the surface of the essential topic of lead generation. It is one of the keys that will unlock exponential sales growth in your business. I empower the entrepreneurs I work with at Celeste Giordano Coaching to master the art and science of lead generation by teaching them the same strategies I have used to build my own Legacy Business!
Contact me at celeste@celestegiordano.com to learn a powerful proven system for generating quality leads and Double Plus your income THIS year.
I am excited to announce the release of my first issue of The Blueprint: For Building a Legacy Business.
Sales is near and dear to my heart. Many small business owners hate selling but over and over again I’ve proven that anyone can learn to sell if they just have the right tools.
I love to lead my clients to success and as a business strategist my desire for this magazine is to help you in all aspects of your business. Several of my high-level clients, from various backgrounds, have contributed articles with tips, ideas, and insights for overcoming the struggles and challenges small business owners face.
The tagline of my business is Learn • Grow • Achieve • Prosper which are the steps to take to become successful. It is my desire as a connector and international business consultant that anyone who is struggling in business finds the help they need.
Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “double-plus” their income and become effective and inspirational leaders in their fields. Whether it’s taking your successful business to the next level or starting a new venture, she will teach you the exact skills and strategies you need to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock-solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real profit and lasting success. Celeste is a professional business growth specialist, a master sales strategist, and dynamic speaker with almost 40 years experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.
To learn more about Celeste, click here.
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