You probably already know how important sales leads are if you’re the owner of a business. If you don’t, then you should. Leads are the lifeblood of every business that currently exists or has ever existed. They were important to businesses hundreds of years ago. They are important to businesses today. They will remain important to businesses in the future. As long as someone has something that they wish to sell to someone else, a lead on the identity of that someone else is vitally important. Therefore, because leads are important, how to generate leads is important, as well.
There are a number of different ways to generate leads. The common thread among all of them is the attempt to attract the interest of an individual in a particular product of service by appealing to his or her curiosity or needs. If an individual becomes curious about a product or service, then they have a natural desire to satisfy that curiosity. One of the easiest ways to do this is by trying the product or service for themselves. Alternatively, if an individual has a pressing need that a product or service can meet, then by purchasing that product or service the need will be eliminated. Therefore, leads are generated by making people curious about what you do or by showing them that you can meet their needs in an economical and efficient manner.
Also, people are much more likely to satisfy their curiosity, or meet their needs, when they trust the person or business who is selling the product or service they are interested in. The value of trust in lead generation cannot be emphasized enough. If you cannot build a trust relationship with your potential customers then they will remain just that – potential customers. Window shoppers, browsers and potential customers are not money in the bank or extra numbers on your bottom line unless, and until, you engage them.
The only way to engage cold leads is by warming them to you, you product or your service. You warm them by appealing to their psychological need to be liked, to be important and to be number one. Excellent customer service does just this. In fact, top notch customer service is nothing more than a business tactic designed to convert a cold lead to a warm lead and, finally into a customer and, hopefully, a repeat customer.