Generating Sales Leads In A New World

by Steve Fodor

I’ve been in business-to-business sales for about 20 years. Recently, I’ve heard and read a lot of information about cold calling as an ineffective lead generation technique.

Given that I started my sales career before voice mail, the Internet, e-mail and social media, I’ve felt that anyone saying “cold calling does not work” was just lazy. It’s hard to pick up the phone and make a 30-second pitch to someone that doesn’t know you.

Lately, though, I’ve become a convert. But let me be clear. Picking up the phone still has its place. There are just so many NEW ways to generate leads.

Even if you live in the world of industrial products and business-to-business selling, here are a few thoughts on lead generation for today’s selling environment.

1. Don’t leave voice mail if you’ve not had a prior conversation – voice mail is mostly a screening tool today. If you can’t reach that person, send them a handwritten note saying you would like to get in touch. Put your Web site on the note. Then call. Now you have something specific to call about. And, a handwritten note gets noticed in today’s e-mail world.

2. Put your sales people on YouTube – If you have a national sales force, think about the presence you could make for your brand if you had all of them on YouTube with well-produced, two-minute videos of why they enjoy selling your product and working with customers. Google and other search engines are the way people find information today. And a strong YouTube presence with the right keywords will increase your brand’s search rate. And don’t forget LinkedIn, Facebook and other popular social media venues.

3. White papers instead of collateral – Sales used to be “here’s my brochure” or “I’ll drop a brochure off.” The world continues to evolve and industrial buyers and decision makers cite that white papers and case histories are far more valuable in making decisions than the good old brochure. Think about creating white papers for your products and services. Put them on your Web site. Announce their presence with push e-mails and search engine optimization strategies. Have your sales people use white papers as “send me something” pieces instead of brochures.

4. Blogging – Again, the Internet continues to replace the phone as a sales tool. Your sales force is an incredibly valuable information asset. Counsel them on how to use blogging as a marketing and sales tool. Set them up with individual blog destinations. Not only will this aid in prospects finding you through online searches, but your sales people will be seen as valued information providers rather than commodity product purveyors.

Yes, sales and sales lead generation techniques have evolved and continue to do so. Hey, I’m an old-school person, too. But there sure are a lot more new and effective ways for generating sales leads today…in addition to good old-fashioned cold-calling.

Flickr Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/markhillary/