There’s been a lot of noise in the marketing and product sales community about the “modern” fundamentals of lead generation. While it cannot be denied that enterprise technology, 24-7 access and social media buzz are part of the product mix, there’s a lot of insight from old fashioned lead generation techniques that still holds true.
Sales veterans who have been in the business and seen it change across generations will surely nod acknowledgement to these principles, as they stand the test of time. For those entering the sales profession and are blinded by the glitter of tech oriented sales and an obsession with analytics, these lessons offer the fundamentals they need.
Show numbers to get numbers
Since time immemorial, discounts and add-ons have been a perpetual mainstay in sales strategy. People across ages and demographics love to save money and get more for less; it is the entire basis of the entire capitalistic system. This doesn’t mean you need to burn your sales budget on discounts every week; even a 5-10% discount, a flash sale, or regular clearance sales, marketed well are effective in building hype among prospective consumers.
Ensure that you are able to get access to their contact details (phone numbers, email ID, Facebook/Google login), or get them to sign up on a platform (which can include an app, an emailer, etc.) so that they become leads you can persistently attempt to pitch and sell to.
Keep anew
There are two reasons you need to constantly refresh your entire way of sales thinking:
- Consumers are constantly looking for something new and different to want to enter your store, visit your website or download your app.
- Imitation, especially in a niche where there is little competition, is very common.
A sales/lead generation is ineffective if it is not complemented with constant change and improvement on the product-side of things.
Sales doesn’t end after you’ve sold the product
The sales experience needs to be understood not only in the basis of getting the consumer to spend, but how he ‘feels’ – you need to understand – is he fundamentally attracted to your product, is he delighted by the showroom or the website? User experience may seem irrelevant to lead generation, but a consumer’s perceptions of your brand define how invested he is – with his attention and his money.
When considering a Web design company, Sydney brand managers have begun noticing the great work that their competitors have done with http://www.thinkbigonline.com/web-design/ to appeal to their customers.
Know when to stand your ground
Consider this a corollary to the first point ‘Show numbers to get numbers’ – there is only so much glitter (in the form of attractive sales, discounts, offers) that you can pitch before your customers, current and prospective, become nothing but “fair-weather friends” instead of loyalists.
Despite a pricing technique that many call ruthless, tech giant Apple has earned a fan following that has lead to it rank as the most powerful brand in the world. If a potential lead only bides his time, waiting for the quick short term discount to even consider entering your shop or visiting your ecommerce website, you’ve damaged your reputation – you need to be known for quality first, not discounts. For agencies like Think Big Online, a line-up of sales professionals who have worked in direct and online sales profoundly influences the way they consider business lead generation.