Increase Sales: Jumpstart Your Lead Generation

By Kendra Lee, President, KLA Group

Are you getting the sales you need? If not, consider diversifying your lead generation techniques. Cold calling and direct mail are common approaches to lead generation however there are many other ways to make your leads flow.

Break down your territory
It's important to break down your sales territory into manageable "chunks" so you can identify your best sales opportunities. By doing so, you can more easily determine who to target and how to best establish and nurture a relationship with those prospects.

Generate leads in existing accounts
It is much easier to find new opportunities with existing customers than it is to find new prospects willing to buy. While not all customers have immediate opportunities, don't neglect your customer-focused lead generation efforts. Although they may not have any needs today, it is highly likely they will buy from you when future opportunities arise if you keep them up to date on your value and expertise.

Identify others who can help you
Enlist lead generation assistance in the form of partners. Partners might include a formal business partner of your company; someone who offers services complementary to your own or with similar business goals; or people within your own organization who interface with customers in different ways, such as customer service reps, technical support, accounting, and product development professionals. Teach them your value proposition, and guide them in how to identify new leads for you.

Use email
Email can be a very effective way to generate leads because it provides a way for prospects to respond easily. Some things to keep in mind when implementing an email campaign include: use a quality database, limit the number of emails you send at one time, create effective subject lines that will get a person's attention, structure your content to avoid spam blocking, use links effectively, and follow up on a timely basis.

Webcasts, conferences and other approaches
Other creative ways to generate leads include hosting different types of events such as webcasts, forums, or sessions at association meetings. Attending and speaking at industry conferences and trade shows can highlight your expertise and generate a host of new leads. Press coverage of your company's products or services is also a great way to draw people's attention.

If you're not getting the sales you need, it's time to implement new techniques that will help you uncover new leads and opportunities. For additional sales and lead generation tools and strategies, attend our Selling Against the Goal class. For additional information on this and other sales classes, call 303-352-6921 or go to www.ccd.edu/performancesolutions/.

Kendra Lee is author of "Selling Against the Goal" and president of KLA Group. Specializing in the IT industry, KLA Group helps companies rapidly penetrate new markets, break into new accounts and shorten time to revenue with new products in the Small & Medium Business (SMB) segment. Ms. Lee is a frequent speaker at national sales meetings and association events. For more information, contact the company at +1 303.741.6636 or info@klagroup.com or visit www.klagroup.com.

KLA publishes an industry-leading online newsletter. To subscribe and get a free Quota Gap Calculator ($18.95 value) visit www.klagroup.com. For information on sales training, call 303-741-6636.