Lead Generation Techniques To Fill Your Pipeline & Increase Your Sales

In today’s technological driven market, increasing sales is not dependent on increasing the size of your marketing budget.  The power of the internet has made it easier than ever to find new prospects, making it possible for everyone to now compete with the big boys. Coupled with a powerful networking strategy, independent sales representatives, entrepreneurs and small business owners can now pave their own way to success with minimal financial expenses. 

Following is a list of 20 free or low cost lead generation strategies to help grow your business. Keep in mind that every industry is different so these suggestions may or may not be practical for your specific sales situation. They should however get you off on the right track, have you thinking creatively, and most importantly, remove the biggest block of how to get started (listed in no particular order).   

1. Gain WOM (Word of Mouth)/ Referral Marketing by always providing the Wow! experience on your sales calls.     

2. Telemarketing – begin every morning should with a set amount of time for calling prospects to set appointments.
3. Family and friends – always be marketing your business through your personal network, it’s your business, do everything you can to grow it. Utilize your personal social networking account to promote the product you represent to your family, friends, friends of friends.
4. Flyers – leave flyers under business doors, on cars at events such as home shows, business trade shows, community flea markets, concerts
5. Place your brochures at targeted locations.
6. Sales letters to decision makers – put in Fedex envelope and leave at business (everyone opens Fedex envelopes).
7. Create a referral network and cross promote with your current client base. By promoting your clients businesses and services amongst each other in your local community you’ll gain not only their appreciation but also referrals.
8. Business Card Rule – make it a daily goal to give out at least 20 business cards a day. Put 20 cards in your pocket every morning and the day is not over until they are all given out.
9. Join your local Chamber of Commerce, BNI, Toastmasters group, etc. be active and network with the other members.
10. Attend seminars that small business owners would attend. Meeting potential clients at neutral events enables you to network and get to know them without them feeling pressured.
11. Offer a free consultation and utilize whatever promotions you have going on. For instance, EPS has a Price Match Guarantee where we beat (or at least meet) ANY current rates or give FREE processing for a full year (prospect has nothing to lose and everything to gain).
12. Gather and use testimonials from your current client base. Give endorsements to your clients with whom you’ve used their service or purchased their products. They will appreciate and most likely reciprocate.
13. Send articles to clients / potential clients that would be interested in and are relative to their specific business/industry. This will keep you top of their mind and shows that you genuinely care about their businesses success and not just making a sale.
14. Offer a referral fee ($25 - $100 for referrals who become clients); depending on what your pay will be but as with everything, the higher the amount, the more referrals you’ll receive.
15. Put magnetic signs on your car, this is extremely cheap advertising that gets around town. (Note: please make sure your signs are on straight, nothing looks sloppier and shows lack of attention to detail than sideways car magnets).
16. Send Thank You cards, Christmas cards, Birthday cards – always remember clients and those who you’ve pitched in the past to gain new business & referrals.
17. Send monthly or quarterly e-newsletters to your current client base, prospects, friends, family, network group members, basically everyone you can. It should be used as an informative relationship builder rather than just a promotion (90% information and 10% promotion).
18. Online forums – select a couple online forums and be active in them. The more consistently active, the more credibility you build and the more clients you will gain.
19. Neighbor rule – every appointment you go on should be immediately followed with stopping into their 3-5 neighbors on the left, right and across to briefly introduce yourself and set an appointment. You’ve just gained a bit of instant credibility by doing business with someone they know, (stop in, briefly introduce yourself by name dropping that you just helped John Doe increase their sales by 30% so wanted to stop in as a courtesy to help them as well and set appointment; if not interested offer the free statement analysis – no obligation, no cost, they have nothing to lose).
20. Ebay, Craigslist, Merchants Circle, etc. add your business info or short bio anywhere you can, as long as it is local and relevant to your target area. (Note: Be sure you are representing yourself as an Independent Agent of EPS and not as EPS Corporate).

Many sales professionals and small business owners get stuck in a rut in their sales strategy, using only the same 2-3 lead generation methods they’ve always used and have become used to.  If the goal is to always only sell the same amount, then fine.  But if you’re like most people whose living is directly related to the amount of sales made, your goal is to move beyond the status quo and always strive to increase your sales. The way to do that is to utilize a variety of lead generation methods rather than depending on only a couple.  Try them all, monitor and measure the results, then tweak until you find the perfect mix of 7+ methods that work best for you.  Once you find that perfect mix, incorporate it you’re your daily schedule. And don’t stop there, continually try other methods as you come across them since you never know when you’ll find one that out performs the others.

Please comment and let me know which of the lead generation strategies above have been successful for you or tell me some of yours that are not listed.