Tuesday, May 11, 2010

All About Getting Sales Leads

As salespeople we all need to have a constant source of quality sales leads and most of us are always on the look out for sources to get new leads. Here is neat list of ideas and places to go to get new fresh sales leads that are both on line and off line. You'll also discover some tips about lead list management, how to generate your own business sales leads, and some how-tos such as attending business networking events and where to find networking groups to attend -- even while you stay at home!

Plan Ahead of How You Will Mangage Your Leads List
Often the success or failure of a salesperson is in the way that they manage their lead list. Think ahead on how you will manage your list of leads and choose one that you can grow into down the way. Here you will find some ideas, tips and tools on how to go about managing a business sales lead list.

Consider Lead Management Basics Before You Start Building a Business Lead List
Before you start to build a business lead list there are a few basics to consider that will make your leads management, and also your customer follow up, so much easier for the future. Before you start to gather your sales leads, first take the time to find out who buys your product or service so that you know exactly what type of information to gather. This information should include at least all or some of the following and it will be up to you how many more pieces of information that you'll want to include.
Company Name
Name of Contact
Alternate Contact Person

Address
Providence or City
State
Zip
Phone Number
Fax Number
Cell Phone
Email Address
Website Address
Product of Interest
Other Competitors Engaged
Email Address

Ideas for Tools to Build a Sales Lead List Without a Computer

Index Cards
- 3x5, 4X6 or 5X8 Size Cards - With index cards you can keep your basic contact information and a few notes for follow up purposes. The larger the card, the more information you can record. Always use the front of the card for the contact information, and the back for other details such as notes from phone conversations or a face to face contact. Keep your index cards organized alphabetically or even numerically if it suits your needs. Use an index card file box to store them in which is available at any office supply store.

Rolodex Card System - This is a step up from the index card system in that you can manipulate a greater number of cards with greater ease with the use of a Rolodex card holder. These card holders come in either a flat or box style (with or without a lid) -- or in a circular or wheel-like spinning flip style. These are also available at any office supply store and in many different sizes.

Loose Leaf Notebook, 8 1/2 X 11 Size - Choosing to use a loose leaf notebook will allow you to keep a greater number of notes on each of your lead prospects because instead of a card, you can use a full size sheet of paper. Choose a heavy weight paper so that the pages will hold up to long term usage. This is a very inexpensive way to manage your leads and as your business lead list grows, you can always add on another notebook. Loose leaf notebooks or binders are readily available at either office supply stores or wherever school supplies are sold.

Business Card Organizer - This is one of the least efficient ways of managing your business leads but many salespeople still do it. This is recommended only if you have a very small list of business sales leads to manage --- say one hundred or less. Keep in mind that you will have a very small amount of space to keep any notes on, even if you write them on the back of the card. The most common types of business card organizers you can select from are either notebook style or Rolodex style. These can be found at any office supply store.

Lead list management without the use of a computer will not be as streamline, however, many sales people who do not work at a desk or who are not comfortable working on a computer still prefer to manage their sales leads on paper. This is strictly up to you but it is not as easy to manage larger lists of sales leads without a computer, although it can and still is done.

The other more popular way of managing a sales lead list is to use a computer. Any type of computer will do. I personally find it easier to use either a laptop or desktop computer, but the hand held computers have become very convenient and popular, especially if you are in outside sales. Whatever type of computer you use, you will also need to have some type of software to help you to organize and manage your leads list. Of course, you can always use spread sheet software such as MS Excel, or address book type software such as MS Outlook. But, a very excellent type of software to use that will not only assist you in managing your sales leads, but it will also support all your customer follow up and tracking needs is known as Sales System

Low Cost Sales Lead Sources
It is true that good quality business sales leads are difficult to find. But here are several good sources and ideas to go about getting low cost sales leads -- and sometimes even free leads!

How To Get Free Sales Leads from Chambers of Commerce
Getting new sales leads through Chambers of Commerce is easy and usually it's free. It's not always necessary to join a Chamber of Commerce in order to have access to these leads although there may be advantages for you to do so. As a Chamber member, there are clubs and committees to join and certainly many community events. Participating in these activities allows you to increase your exposure within the community and there is a great opportunity for networking.
Many Chambers of Commerce websites list their members online. Follow this simple five step "how to" and learn how you can find these leads for free.

Here's How:
1.Use your favorite search engine (Google, Yahoo, MSN, Scroogle, etc.) and type in this search term into the search box -- "chamber of commerce" -- without the quotes. This will generate hundreds if not thousands of website listings for Chambers of Commerce for various cities. If you are looking for a specific city then include the name of the city and state in your search. As an example, type in: "chamber of commerce cocoa beach florida" (again, without the quotes).

2.Look through the page links to find one that says something similar to the following:
Members
Member Directory
Business Listing
Business Directory
Often you will find that this link is not listed up front and center. You may have to search around the site for a bit. Some, not many, do not list it at all. Once you find the link, click on it. This will open up to a listing of the Chamber Members. If you are searching your own local Chamber's site and the directory is not found online, try stopping by in person. Most Chambers of Commerce have a printed directory available which you can obtain -- usually for free.

3.Once you have found the directory you will find the members listed in various ways depending on the site. Each is a little different. Some are sorted by the type of business, some are in alphabetical order and some even have a search box for you to search for a specific business

4.The business listing itself (which you will be using for your lead) will have all the pertinent information that you need to contact that lead including company name, address and phone. Some will also list other information such as the contact name and their title, fax number, email address, website address and more. Decide how much of this information that you want to include in your database of leads.

5.Once you have zeroed in on the leads you want, and what information that you want to include in your database of leads then copy the information to whatever type of system you are using to organize your leads. There are many good database systems available to do this with or you can also store them on hard copy sources such as a card system.

Getting new sales leads through Chambers of Commerce is easy and usually it's free. It's not always necessary to join a Chamber of Commerce in order to have access to these leads although there may be advantages for you to do so. As a Chamber member, there are clubs and committees to join and certainly many community events. Participating in these activities allows you to increase your exposure within the community and there is a great opportunity for networking.
Many Chambers of Commerce websites list their members online. Follow this simple five step "how to" and learn how you can find these leads for free.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 1-3 Hours or Ongoing

Here's How:
Use your favorite search engine (Google, Yahoo, MSN, Scroogle, etc.) and type in this search term into the search box -- "chamber of commerce" -- without the quotes. This will generate hundreds if not thousands of website listings for Chambers of Commerce for various cities. If you are looking for a specific city then include the name of the city and state in your search. As an example, type in: "chamber of commerce cocoa beach florida" (again, without the quotes).
Look through the page links to find one that says something similar to the following:
Members
Member Directory
Business Listing
Business Directory

Often you will find that this link is not listed up front and center. You may have to search around the site for a bit. Some, not many, do not list it at all. Once you find the link, click on it. This will open up to a listing of the Chamber Members. If you are searching your own local Chamber's site and the directory is not found online, try stopping by in person. Most Chambers of Commerce have a printed directory available which you can obtain -- usually for free.

Once you have found the directory you will find the members listed in various ways depending on the site. Each is a little different. Some are sorted by the type of business, some are in alphabetical order and some even have a search box for you to search for a specific business.
The business listing itself (which you will be using for your lead) will have all the pertinent information that you need to contact that lead including company name, address and phone. Some will also list other information such as the contact name and their title, fax number, email address, website address and more. Decide how much of this information that you want to include in your database of leads.

Once you have zeroed in on the leads you want, and what information that you want to include in your database of leads then copy the information to whatever type of system you are using to organize your leads. There are many good database systems available to do this with or you can also store them on hard copy sources such as a card system.

Tips:
Also try these sites to find listings of Chambers of Commerce:
www.uschamber.com
www.2chambers.com
www.chamberofcommerce.com

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