Getting new customers into your business is vital – it’s your businesses lifeblood! Everyone knows this, but then they struggle to put it into action. Well – you are in luck! Here is my simple 3-step recipe to improve your lead generation activities. Get these steps right – and you will be on your way to more business in no time.
Lead Generation Step 1: Generate More Leads
Customers will want to talk to you if you can solve their problems. Simple. You need to deeply understand the problem that your target client faces. Think about not just what it is but how does it make them feel and what might they have tried before to solve it. Get crunchy and really know the problem.
Know how you solve it.
Build your credibility up front by showing you know how your solution fits to solve their problem. The tighter the fit, the more credible you will sound. Add in what makes you distinctive, by focusing on how you do things and why you have chosen to help people with this.
Practice getting your message out there.
Refine your message (problem and solution) until you feel a real resonance (eg. nodding heads) with your audience.
What’s in it for them?
OK – they are listening! Great job! What are the other benefits that they will get from working with you? Make these as tangible and real to your audience as you can.
Lead Generation Step 2: Qualify Every Lead
There is nothing more demoralising than getting new leads in that go nowhere. Here are the things you have to know about your prospective clients so you can qualify them as real.
Power – Ask them who the decision maker is.
Do they have the power to make the decision that you want them to make? The higher these factors are, the higher the decision will be made in the business; they are:
- Impact on the operations of the business
- Impact on other people in the business
- Investment in money & investment in time
Budget – Ask them if they have a budget in mind.
Money is the most important factor, so it gets mentioned twice. If there isn’t money put aside or the willingness to pay for the solution, then the sale won’t happen.
Timing – Ask them when they are thinking about doing this.
Timing is important because it helps you know how important this is to them and what time and effort they are prepared to put into solving this problem.
Lead Generation Step 3: Convert Your Leads
So far we have established that they are interested in solving their problem, with your solution and they have the power, budget and want it now! Your next step is to make it as easy as possible for them to take the next steps with you and signing up as a client.
Know and show them how the typical client travels through your business. We assume (wrongly) that people know this … they don’t!
Know the common objections.
Part of knowing why and how your clients buy from you is knowing what the common objections are to them moving ahead. Know these intimately, have stories about how you have helped people overcome these same objections. Here’s a great formula for doing just that.
Ask for the business.
So many people forget this vital step. If you don’t ask, then they can’t say yes! Here’s how to make it easy for you.
- Summarise their problem and your solution
- Ask if there is anything stopping them going ahead
- Ask them when they would like to go ahead with the purchase
Great selling is about finding clients who have a problem that they want you to solve, with a solution that they are willing to pay for from you!
To your sales success!
