Lead Generation to Grow Your Pipeline

1. What is the lead generation process?

Simply put, the lead generation process is a marketing process whereby a company or entity arouses interest in their offering (product or service) in potential buyers or prospects. Lead generation is the first leg of a company’s sales pipeline and involves capturing data from the interested prospects, as well as qualifying them, so that they can be moved further down the sales pipeline to the eventual sale. Some companies choose to utilize their in-house sales staff for their lead generation efforts, but many opt to outsource lead generation to a lead generation firm. Lead generation companies specializing in lead generation services can be more cost-effective than the payroll expense of an in-house sales staff dedicated to lead generation.

2. How do you generate new leads?

There is no cookie cutter solution to answer the question of how to generate new leads. That being said, there are a few standard lead generation methods that every business must use nowadays to remain relevant and get results, whether they choose to outsource lead generation, do it all themselves, or a combination of both.

First and foremost, every company needs a website. More specifically, every company needs a website that is sophisticated, modern, and optimized to capture leads with CTAs, landing pages, copywriting that converts, and relevant offerings in exchange for prospect data.

Second, every company needs a social media presence, but not all social media options fit every organization. Figure out where your prospects spend their time and make sure you engage with them there.

Third, every company needs human contact. At some point, especially in high-end purchases, the prospect will want to speak with someone from your organization. Forward-thinking companies utilize the power of human-to-human contact early on in the lead generation process with sophisticated cold calling strategies, or warm calling as it is sometimes termed nowadays. Lead generation companies offer businesses the opportunity to integrate this solution into their other lead generation efforts to maximize their results. Others bundle their lead generation services and take on all aspects of lead generation.

Fourth, every company needs relevant content. Content comes in many forms – blogs, articles, videos, webinars, templates, infographics, white papers, etc. It is well-known that just about every potential customer will first research the products and services they buy. A business must produce relevant content to help these prospects make their decision, otherwise they risk losing the prospect to another company with more relevant content.

Finally, every business needs email marketing to generate new leads. This often goes hand in hand with cold calling efforts because the two most common types of information captured from your prospects are their email and their phone number. A lead generation company can also help with this final aspect of lead generation. Typically, a lead generation firm will offer both cold-calling and email marketing lead generation services.

3. What is a lead generation company?

A lead generation company or firm is an organization that specializes in generating leads for businesses. The types of lead generation services offered by a lead generation firm vary from company to company. Some specialize in one or two aspects of lead generation, while others bundle a large variety of lead generation services together to serve their client’s needs. Lead generation companies are sometimes also appointment setting companies – they literally set up appointments for your sales team with qualified leads.

Which one you choose largely depends on your needs and the types of products and services you sell. The more complex the offering, the greater the need for expertise and specialization in a particular lead generation service. For relatively simple offerings, on the other hand, it might be better to pick a lead generation company that offers a number of lead generation services.

Some questions to ask when choosing a lead generation company are:

• Do they have experience in your industry?
• How do they get leads and how do they qualify them?
• What kind of technology do they use to optimize their services?
• What kind of data do they use to report on the performance of their lead generation campaigns?
• What is their reputation?

Lead generation is the lifeblood of any business. Every company needs a constant flow of qualified leads. If you decide to outsource lead generation to a lead generation company, research your options and choose wisely.

4. What is the first step in lead generation?

The first step in lead generation is to determine your target audience. This is the most important step in the lead generation process. If you get this wrong, everything else will be wrong too. It is vital to take the time to properly research who your target audience is BEFORE you engage in any lead generation efforts.

As a lead generation firm, we have seen firsthand what can happen when a company skips this crucial step. We counsel our clients to research their own customer base and/or the customer base of competitors to more fully understand their target audience – not just who they are, but also their needs / challenges and how your product/service will help them.

Once you know your target audience, you can begin to build your list. This initial list is a broad one, consisting of anyone in your target market who might be interested in your offering. From there, you will need to begin the process of qualifying your leads and moving them through the sales funnel. This is often when businesses turn to lead generation companies for assistance.

When researching your target audience, it is important to also learn how they digest information and conduct their own research. Understanding their needs / challenges will help you craft your message; understanding where they go for information and what type(s) of content they prefer will help you determine where to deliver that message, as well as how to deliver it.

The more you reach out to your list, the more it will dwindle down into a smaller but smarter list. At the same time, your knowledge of your target audience will become more sophisticated and your messaging will become more precise. This will help you continue to gather more qualified leads.