On Internet Business

Lead Generation – how to do it

Posted by Michael under Business Growth

A lot of businesses struggle to integrate the online part of lead generation with the traditional part that came from meeting people, cold calling people or generating lead referrals through referrals.  This is tragic, because online lead generation is quite possibly the most powerful tool in existence and even the smallest business can benefit from it.

To master the lead generation business, you need to use the principles from traditional lead generation and turn them into business online:

Even though it’s internet-based, the relationship you’re creating is one between individuals and your potential buyer has to have trust, respect and liking to give you money.

This means that you have to convert them from a total stranger to you and your business, into a confident purchaser and the way to do this is via these five tips:

Make it simple

Leads are usually generated through some kind of form – and that form needs to be as simple as possible while still giving you all the information you need. Don’t add extra fields for people to fill in (occupation or age, for example) unless you absolutely have to obtain that information. Many potential leads will look at the amount of information they have to input and turn away from any too complicated or long-winded form

Make it fast

Keep complicated graphics and other slow to load details for your other pages – if a form takes more than a couple of seconds to load, you’ll lose your potential customer: there are plenty of other places for them to go, and usually if they are working online, they want to get things done in a hurry.

Give something in return

Perhaps you offer to supply a quotation within 24 hours, or say that every pair of jeans ordered online will come with a free belt, or perhaps say that everybody who contacts you asking for winter travel insurance will get a free downloadable map of the ski resorts, whatever you say you are giving, make sure you give it. As a test, I completed email forms for seventeen firms claiming to offer a quotation to install radiators in a house. Ten came back with quotations, three said they needed more information (two rang, one emailed) and four never replied at all …

Be available in a variety of ways

Sometimes people want to pick up the phone and call you – make sure that they can.  Perhaps you need to have a public face at trade events to allow business to business customers to get to know you in a business environment. Make sure that people know that you are a real business, not just an online presence.

Consider who to dump

Every business has a few time-wasting clients: those who are difficult to deal with, pay late, demand ridiculous discounts, don’t refer other people or who complain constantly about your service or product while still using you again and again.  It’s hard to let these people go, but consider how much time you spend servicing them and whether that time couldn’t be better spent generating new leads with better manners and, maybe, deeper pockets. Sometimes letting go of the time-wasters can allow you to invest in new clients who really boost your business.

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