Wednesday, May 26, 2010

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How to generate sales leads

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When Kathy Hokunson began her career in sales, 16 years ago, she was knocking on the doors of every company in town, hoping to get a lead. She carried a box of index cards with the name of every business and noted on the cards the results of each visit. Since then, her approach has drastically changed.

As the regional sales manager for Site-Seeker Inc. in Bloomfield, Conn., Hokunson focuses on helping manufacturers generate  sales through Internet marketing. She generates leads by establishing her credibility in the industry and developing relationships with the businesses she’s targeting.

On her company’s website, she and her coworkers produce informational content relevant to the industry’s interests. She said she’s become a thought leader who businesses seek out for help. For a business looking to do the same, she advises writing educational articles in the range of 250 to 300 words that use a comfortable, conversational tone. Tagging posts appropriately for search engines is also important.

There are two essentials to maintaining a successful blog, according to Diane Vautier, marketing director at Nashua, N.H.-based ActiveEdge: consistency in content and in frequency. Businesses using blogs to generate leads need to understand that blogs take time and effort to be leveraged effectively, she said.

Vautier recommends that companies assemble a team to oversee blog content creation so no single person becomes overwhelmed with the task.

Another way companies can develop leads is through LinkedIn.com. Sales people need to get engaged in LinkedIn discussions relative to their industry, and leverage shared connections. “You can’t just build your LinkedIn profile and walk away from it,” Hokunson said.

The most common mistakes Hokunson sees businesses making are approaching social media incorrectly and clinging to traditional sales methods. Often, she said, companies jump into social media without understanding how it works. Consequently, they blast out self-promotional content. “Social media is like going to a cocktail party,” Hokunson said. “You have to remember your social engagement rules.”

The other mistake companies make is refusing to let go of old methods that no longer work or refusing to change how those methods are used.

The mistakes that Vautier has seen include approaching social media without a plan and focusing too much on the medium and not the message. Don’t assume to know what an audience wants, she said. Unlike in the past, though, she added, they can now simply ask them.
 

Expert Tips:

•  Establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry by writing short articles.
•  Build a good understanding of what works in social media and approach it as a team effort.
•  In blogging, consistency in content and frequency is important.
•  Get engaged in LinkedIn discussion groups relative to your industry.
•  Re-examine which old methods don’t work any more.