Getting
"Good" Leads
By Gerry Foster
Copyright
2003 by Gerry Foster
The Bible says, “Where there is no vision, the
people shall perish.”
Well, I say, “Without good sales leads, you
struggle.”
A big mistake people often make when marketing
their services is not having a system or methodology – the
machinery - in place for attracting qualified prospects
(people who are eager, willing, and ready to take action now).
Instead, it seems that most service providers do a better
job attracting suspects (people who might, someday,
maybe, when-I-get-around-to-it, possibly use your services).
I mean, let’s deal in reality here. There’s
nothing more frustrating and demoralizing than dealing with
people who are merely curious and not serious.
Is this bad? Yes. Is this sad? Definitely.
See, most service providers expect referrals
to always be there for them. Others are more realistic and
know they’re doomed to failure if they don’t “keep the pipeline
filled” with a steady stream of new, non-referred qualified
prospects to talk to! The fact is, referrals are no longer
a sure means to success. I can’t put a dollar amount on it,
but loading the apple cart with “good” leads will keep an
avalanche of new clients rolling in to you.
One thing’s for sure, once your lead generation
machinery is in place, just put it on automatic pilot and
spend each day reaping all the financial rewards you can.
Stop wasting your time and hundreds to thousands of dollars
on ads that don’t work, referral sources that don’t refer
often enough, phone calls that don’t produce, and so on.
Instead, why not get business to come to you
with minimal effort and expense on your part? And you can
by connecting the right emotional message to an interested
audience to get qualified prospects to come forward - TO CONTACT
YOU.
Let
me illustrate exactly what I’m talking about:
Let us suppose, for example, that you are a
business consultant. And one of your areas of expertise is
in advising manufacturing companies on how to increase productivity
and achieve greater operational control. You have a proven
track record, are an authority in eliminating the end of the
month rush and late shipments that increase overhead costs,
and are known for offering practical guides on productivity
improvement, particularly for metal manufacturers.
You make a quick decision: you are willing
to consult with presidents of metal manufacturing companies
that are being hurt financially by low productivity and poor
operational control. You will analyze their situation and
render good advice. Without a doubt you can save these companies
hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars in pre-tax profits,
and help them avoid costly oversights such as tying up cash
in excessive inventories and not taking advantage of shorter
lead times.
Accordingly, you know exactly what unique value
your service will provide. All you need to determine is WHO
to offer your services to – your best prospects, the ones
MOST LIKELY to become your clients. And how you can avoid
wasting your precious time, energy and money on deadbeat suspects,
and attract qualified prospects instead – quickly, easily,
and as inexpensively as possible.
So, you weigh your options.
One option is running print advertisements in
major trade journals. But that is prohibitively expensive.
Direct mail is another option. But a little
investigation shows that a more-than-likely low response rate
makes that a bad idea.
You consider others ways to market. Exhibiting
at trade shows, speaking at the local trade or professional
association that presidents of metal manufacturing companies
belong to or are affiliated with, and giving seminars. But
none of those appeal to you.
Another possibility is to rely upon positive
word-of-mouth advertising. Unfortunately, you have little
control over referrals; you essentially have to wait for them
to happen, which makes that option too “hit or miss.” Besides,
you need to land some new accounts NOW! You can’t afford
to just sit back and wait for the phone to ring with referrals.
What’s more, it has been pointed out – quite
convincingly, by both current and past clients – that what
they really bought from you were not your consulting services
per se, but actually the solution to a problem, a promised
desired result, an incredible contribution of some sort, or
an emotional benefit (i.e. in other words they bought something
of “unique value” from you).
So, after much contemplation on your part, you
decide that the best prospects to pursue are metal manufacturers
that not only need to increase productivity and improve operational
control but also are suffering from it. Specifically,
they are losing customers to inferior competitors with lower
prices and want to do something about it.
Furthermore, you find there are two requirements
you must meet when marketing to this client group:
- You must find a way to win the prospect’s
confidence. This is because he (or she) is going to
rely heavily upon your judgment, technical expertise and
know-how, and is probably going to risk important decisions
based on your input. Therefore, your image is everything.
It is important that you come across as a dignified, qualified,
and highly respected master in your field – a world-class
consultant.
- Any kind of marketing that makes it appear
as if you are chasing, soliciting, or “begging” for business
is off limits. Instead, the “proper” marketing to do
is to find a way to attract prospects that are already interested,
pre-qualified, and pre-sold on you. At a minimum, you will
want to engage in what’s commonly known as a “3-step” sale.
Specifically, you “funnel” prospects that want (not need)
to stop losing customers to inferior competitors with lower
prices into your marketing “churning machine,” you follow-up
by phone to screen out the “tire kickers” and idle curiosity-seekers,
and enroll those that can be enrolled into hiring you (i.e.
make the sale), signing a contract.
What does this mean for you? Your marketing
and/or sales plan must take these two items into account,
especially the first one. Therefore, your next step is to
determine “how” to reach those company presidents you decide
are your best prospects. Since most people are skeptical
and mistrusting when it comes to hiring service providers
they’ve never worked with before, right off the bat, you must
become a trusted advisor and counselor. You must “let go”
of wanting to sell your services at the outset.
Get Clients To Come To You
See, the best method for meeting your two marketing
requirements is direct response marketing. With such
a “branding” strategy you dangle a carrot – offer a freebie
– that makes the presidents of metal manufacturing companies
(your target market) come forward with minimal effort and
expense on your part. The freebie could be a special report,
booklet, audio or videotape, workbook, audio or video CD-ROM,
articles, software, ebook, or service.
Just as many manufacturers give out free samples
of their products, direct response marketing is a “try me
out first” approach. Personally, I prefer offering “free
reports” by snail mail or on a website. My clients have found
this to be a very effective and inexpensive way not only to
separate prospects from suspects, but also a quick way to
get a boatload of clients at the rates they want to charge
(just check out some of my client testimonials on my website).
Its part of the “3-step,” gradual qualification process that
significantly increases your prospect-to-client conversion
rate by building a prospect’s level of desire along the way.
Having consulted and coached many service providers
over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that the availability
of something useful that is FREE is not only clever but is
essential. This applies pretty much to ANY KIND OF SERVICE
BUSINESS. The title and content of the report, however, must
whet the prospect’s appetite. It must have sex appeal – arouse
their curiosity and stimulate interest – and entice them to
want more.
Of course, the report must be a good fit. It
has to appeal to your specific target audience.
Here are a few enticing free reports I’ve come
across in the marketplace:
- “How to Safely Invest
in Tomorrow’s Best Companies … No Matter What Happens
in the Stock Market: You Can Double
Your Wealth Each and Every Year for the Next Ten Years”
– offered by an investment expert
- “How You Can Attract
New Patients For Little Or Nothing” – offered by a dentist
- “Winning The Game of
Credit” – offered by a credit improvement expert
- “6 Mistakes to Avoid
When Moving To A Large Home” – offered by a real estate
agent
- “How To Write A Book
On Anything in 14 Days or Less – A Guide For Professional
Speakers” – offered by a writing expert
- “The 7 Biggest Marketing
Mistakes Your Design Firm Can Make And How You Can Avoid
Them” – offered by a design professional
- “The Little Known Secrets
Of How To Get The Highest Price When You Sell Your Home”
– offered by a real estate broker
Suffice it to say, the possibilities are endless.
Going back to my example with the consultant,
your free report could be entitled, “25 Secrets Every Metal
Manufacturing President Must Know Today To Achieve Greater
Profit and Operational Control.” The report itself could
showcase specific ways to increase productivity 50%-100%;
provide specific studies, analyses, etc. that would be of
interest to the reader; details of the most common, costly
oversights found in metal manufacturing companies; and proven
methods for greater operational control.
Naturally, presidents who respond by ordering
the report are identifying themselves as interested prospects.
They are in the market for a solution. Best of all, it gives
you instant credibility, positions you as a master - an expert
and an authority – and instills in your prospects a greater
level of confidence in your skills.
Last but not least, you’ll also be glad to know
that this strategy will save you a lot of time, money, and
aggravation (the cost-per-lead of offering a freebie is far
less than other forms of mass marketing). As if this weren’t
enough, not only will your prospects be pre-qualified and
pre-sold on you, they are much more likely to hire you.
And that, my friend, is what it takes to truly
succeed today when marketing services. Look for ways to give,
not take … strive to make a difference, not just make a sale.
Please contact me directly by phone at 949.499.1174
or by email at gerry@masterymarketing.com
if you would like to discuss developing a direct response
marketing program for your organization so you can have a
steady flow of quality sales leads and a better prospect-to-client
conversion rate.
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