Do you need more customers? If that’s a “Yes”, then you need to learn how to get more sales leads. Here is a quick checklist:
STRATEGY
* Begin by working on your marketing plan (if you fail to plan, you plan to fail).
* Add value to your products / services. Keep adding value.
* Set sales targets and figure out your conversion rate (i.e. “We close 1 sale for each 4 enquiries). This will give you a good idea of the number of sales leads you need.
* Increase your promotional mix i.e. the different ways in which you ‘get the word out’ about your enterprise.
* Spend more time on marketing (including working on your marketing plan, website etc).
* Add contacts to your CRM (Customer Relationship Management system), every day.
POSITIONING
* Don’t just talk about being helpful. Be helpful. Don’t just tell us how great you are – demonstrate it by sharing your knowledge in helpful and useful ways, i.e. via the internet and at events.
* Stop pushing so hard. Whatever you push against in life, pushes back against you.
BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
* You will win more business from people with whom you have a prior business relationship. Whether they are existing customers, networking contacts or newsletter subscribers – relationships count.
WEBSITE
* Have a professional website, based on a Google friendly CMS (Content Management System) such as WordPress. Make it easy for visitors to engage with you, via your site.
SOCIAL MEDIA
* Login to your favourite social media platforms every day. Don’t just be a ‘broadcaster’ – be a conversationalist.
REFERRALS
* Always ask for referrals. I know that this can be hard, due to fear of rejection – however – you must do this.
* If you want more referrals, give more referrals. (By the way – this works for anything. If you want more love – give more love).
RESPONSIVENESS
* Always respond quickly to sales leads in a friendly, professional manner. This is a message, in its own right. Even if they don’t buy from you this time, they’ll remember you.
FEEDBACK
* Have someone to report to, with regards to sales leads / sales. Talk everything through with them once a week. This actually works.
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Nigel Temple is a marketing consultant, author, speaker and trainer. He shows independent professionals, business owners and marketing professionals how to get better results from 21st century marketing – including online brand awareness, improved search engine rankings, social media effectiveness, Mailchimp, website traffic and sales enquiries.
Nigel has taught digital marketing since 2000. He served as a Faculty Member and Course Director at CIM (the Chartered Institute of Marketing) for 12 years. He led over 500 Business Link workshops, focusing on website effectiveness, SEO and social media.
To find out more about Nigel’s services email nigel@nigeltemple.com
