Everyone talks about the importance of getting the right leads—but where do the “right” leads come from? This is the first step in any marketing strategy. It’s also one of the most critical. The entire sales funnel depends on lead generation, which is why it needs to be at the top of your list of efforts to streamline, improve, and make a priority for both your marketing and sales teams alike.
Lead sourcing is just what it sounds like: finding potential leads that could become customers. Using the right techniques will allow you to find the best leads, reach target audiences, and proactively improve conversions by attracting prospects that are most likely to convert in the first place.
So, where should you look for these leads? There are a few different options.
Here are the most common ways to generate leads for your business.
If you are careful about it, you can buy leads from a few different sources. You’ll obviously want to validate any source you consider and check to see where and how they get their leads. Find out whether they’re validated or if you’ll have to pay another service to do that (or spend hours letting your reps do the work).
If you are going to buy leads, choose reputable lead generation tools and sources, and make sure you’re buying targeted, validated lead lists.
Cold calling and emailing still do a lot for sales teams when they’re used properly. Unfortunately, a lot of companies have let their training on these tactics go by the wayside as things like social selling have become more popular. There’s still a lot of room for improvement here—take advantage of that and watch your lead generation get better, too.
Social media is rapidly becoming one of the most popular channels for lead generation in several industries. Find the platforms where your customers engage most frequently and create marketing campaigns on those social networks. Usually, this will be a multi-channel approach that covers the major networks most used by your leads and customers. Which platforms work best will vary, but businesses can generate a lot of great leads through social media, even on a tight budget.
The best way to differentiate targeting and filtering is to think of them as “before” and “after.” Here’s what we mean.
With targeting, you can break down a very large market (your entire lead base) into smaller segments that allow you to tailor your marketing efforts toward each individual group, or segment.
There are a lot of ways that you can use filtering to gain valuable insights about your lead generation efforts and help you access information about leads much more quickly so that you can take the appropriate action(s).
If you find leads that are already qualified in the first place, you’re shortening the sales cycle and letting both your sales reps and your customers get right to the “sale” part of the interaction. Instead of spending hours qualifying leads that you bought or generated with blanket marketing efforts, you can have targeted, qualified prospects that are much more likely to convert.
Today, it’s a lot easier to do, thanks to consumers and business buyers having access to the Internet. They do most of their research and “shopping” before they even reach out to you, so they’re practically qualifying themselves. Your team just has to step in and seal the deal. If you want to find leads that are already qualified, keep the following tips in mind:
Now that you’re ready to attract better leads, are you prepared for what’s next? We can help with that.
You’ve got a business to run and a long enough list of things to do. Ask how Smith.ai can serve as your 24/7 answering service, as well as how our virtual receptionists can assist with lead intake and appointment scheduling. We can even provide support for your outreach campaigns to help generate those leads in the first place.
To learn more, schedule a consultation or reach out to hello@smith.ai.
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