With the explosion of business on the Internet, it is far easier to gain clients at a distance. Unfortunately, with an increased focus on SEO, business owners tend to forget about the business that’s right in front of them. While Internet exposure is a critical piece of the overall marketing picture, it is only a piece.
Are you missing out on some of the
low-hanging fruit right in your own database?
To follow are some tips to turn your company into a lead generating machine.
Develop a core story about your business.
- What is the pain your client may be experiencing if they are not accessing your product/service?
- Include the benefits, results, and solutions your product/service provides.
- How will your company deliver these results?
Please note: If you have a clear handle on your business, your core story should take no longer than 10 minutes.
List the names and contact information of everyone who know, like, and trust you.
These are the individuals with whom you have developed a rapport, which is the deepest level of relationship you can establish in a business setting.
These people view you as the “go-to person” or trusted adviser.
Once you’ve accomplished this, people will not only purchase from you but will give you quality referrals.
Share your core story with every individual on your list.
Make sure your message is well understood by those you interact with regularly. Put it in “laymen” terms as more often than not; they will not expend the energy to ask you further questions if it’s so far “over their head.”
For example, if your field is technology, make sure you “dumb it down” so that they clearly understand what you do.
The majority of your potential clients want to know that you’re willing to make them feel comfortable, and if they just don’t get it, even though they may need what you have to offer, you’ve lost them.
Ask for quality referrals.
The people you know may or may not need your product or service at this time, but each one has at least 200 friends, relatives, and acquaintances, and some of them could be potential customers/clients. On the other side of the coin, you, too, should be an excellent resource for referrals as you’ll find people love to reciprocate.
Keep in mind that when you refer someone, make sure you know, like, and trust them.
And most importantly, have seen them in action or you know someone personally who has had a great experience working with them. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is referring to someone you know casually, and that company lets the person you referred down. In turn, this blunder will reflect on you since you were the one that introduced them to the company, and you may end up losing their trust.