Ask any entrepreneur if they would love to see their business venture grow to be as valuable as Facebook or Google and you will be met with a resounding yes. Businesses (especially those in their infancy) want to grow their customer base and brand presence as quickly as they can, with the budget that’s available to them.
There are several proven methods that will generate qualified leads for the business’s sales pipeline and will allow them to close sales and earn a sales income.
Here are some lead generation tactics that your business should be using this year.
1. Reach out to potential customers by calling them on the telephone
Many people claim that telesales is dead or is an outdated marketing tactic.
However, it is still one of the best ways to generate leads and sales for a business. Unlike other marketing tactics, telesales involves direct selling and allows the salesperson to build rapport and a relationship with the prospect that is on the other end of the phone.
2. Be creative when using cold calling
This is evidenced in films such as The Wolf of Wall Street, The Pursuit of Happyness and Wall Street. One person can reach up to 70 new clients per day. But be creative in how to reach new clients.
Entrepreneur Alicia Glenn of Rich20Something shared a case study detailing the value of cold calling, based on the fact that she accumulated over $24,000 in sales over the course of 1 month. So don’t make the mistake of dismissing telemarketing as a viable marketing channel.
3. Email marketing funnels still work
Email marketing sounds synonymous with spam.
However, when it is executed well, it is a great way to generate qualified leads that will also generate sales for a business. Once you understand the journey that your customer takes, you can create an email marketing funnel that will guide them through to the sale.
4. Answer questions online
This is a great way to generate qualified leads to your business.
Several people are asking and searching for questions that can be resolved by an expert.
By answering those questions online, you can position yourself as an expert, attracting more qualified leads through to your business in the process.
For example; you can find unanswered questions on web forums, blogs or question and answer sites. Spend an hour a week contributing to answering those questions online and over time, people who read the answers that you provide will start enquiring about your business’s products or services.
5. Publish relevant content
It’s important to publish content that will allow people to discover your business over time.
You can publish blog posts on your own blog, guest blog, publish videos on your YouTube channel, participate in podcasts or share slideshow presentations.
By publishing on the web, you will be able to get your content and your brand in front of hundreds, thousands or even millions of potential customers.
6. Advertise on facebook
Facebook is the world’s largest social media platform, with over 1.25 billion users.
Its advertising platform allows businesses of any size to promote their products or services cheaply to people that are matched to their target market.
Simply putting an ad on Facebook isn’t enough. You will need to develop a Facebook ‘click-funnel’ strategy that will create qualified leads and allow you to close sales.
Facebook marketing experts like Jon Loomer or Andrew Hubbard explain the benefits of Facebook advertising on their website.
These effective tactics are guaranteed to generate qualified leads that will provide your business with a lucrative sale over the long-term. It is important to keep your sales pipeline full by getting cost-effective leads. By using these channels, you will be able to get leads for free, pennies or even a few dollars.