Hey Kelly - The Magic Leads Episode

A while back, I asked you to help me out with sharing some of your biggest sales and marketing challenges. I was overwhelmed with responses, and so for that, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to all you readers and contributors out there.

So thanks.

Until I come up with the internet of things’ coolest new delivery method for my wicked awesome answers to your questions, you will have to just settle for this little blog, FOR NOW.

And so I am selecting just one of you for my first response.

Here it goes: This weeks’ HEY KELLY is...

"I just don't have enough sales prospects coming to us; I always have to go out and find them. Would be nice if some came to us."

I know, right? Wouldn’t it be amazing if there was a magic machine that sent qualified leads your way, like you were in the movie Glengarry Glen Ross and you were just itching to get your hands on the new leads? Me too.

But we can all agree that that magic machine does not exist.

Or DOES it?

Here are just a few different ways to look at lead generation. This may just require you to look at something that already exists in a different way, or it may actually require you to change something that you are already doing.

1. Organizations that you belong to. The Chamber of Commerce, the Marketing Association, the neighborhood group, or the place that you volunteer. These should all be places that you are constantly cultivating for better, more valuable relationships. Attend those luncheons. Go to those galas. And print those programs and signage—for free if you have to. But make sure everyone knows that YOU ARE A PRINTER, dammit.

2. Your customer service and estimating departments. Phones slow? Print up a list of customers that haven’t ordered from you in 18 months and have someone call to reestablish contact and try to regain them as a customer. Lost a whole bunch of bids? Have someone track them all down and ask why you did not get the work. And then figure out how you can win the bid next time.

3. Do you have salespeople? How many new prospects do you require them to add to the pipeline every week? What’s that? You don’t ask them to do that? Well, there you go. If you have salespeople, you damn well better be expecting them to be prospecting. If they are not good at it and you can’t help them, get them some help (AHEM).

4. PARTICIPATE—If you blog, or comment on blogs, or participate in social media, your name will get out there more, and more people will contact you. And the more you interact with and update your own Webpage, the better your SEO will be (So I’m told—I am NO expert on SEO) but I do know that being viewed as a thought leader, or at least a contributor, will go a long way to upping your street cred.

I am sorry to have to be the one to say that there is no magic bottle of leads out there for you, but you CAN get more leads if you put yourself and your whole organization in the mindset of cultivating them.

Now go plant that garden of money!