In order to be successful
with either a business or consumer lead generation program, you must:
- Think like your
suspect (a suspect is somebody who, on paper, meets your criteria of
a potential customer).
- Plan your program
with your suspect in mind.
- Organize your lead
generation program with the media tools that are most likely to be effective
with your suspect audience. (i.e., see it like your suspect will see
it!)
Above, I defined a
suspect. Now let's define the rest of the lead generation process.
- The next step on
the ladder is a prospect. A prospect is someone from your suspect audience
who is willing to talk to your sales rep. Prospects raise their hands
and acknowledge they are interested in you, your offer, a demonstration,
the opportunity you present ... something. Consequently they become
prospects.
- After that, you
turn the prospect into a customer. A customer is a prospect who actually
buys something from you. Probably, a small customer, initially a customer
nevertheless.
- Then the customer
becomes a client. A client is your best customer. The old 80/20 rule
—20 percent of your customers give you 80 percent of your business.
- The top rung is
for advocates. Advocates sell for you, but you don't pay them. They
are your best clients. They recommend you and suggest to others that
they buy what you have to sell. They give you leads. They think you're
the finest there is in your field.
We should constantly
try to move suspects to prospects to customers to clients to advocates.
How can we do it?
Here are 10 key points suspects will consider before becoming prospects.
If you also take these into consideration, you’ll be able to convert
suspects to customers to advocates:
1. Does the package
look interesting? Interesting is a subjective term.
2. Does it make
you want to get involved with this organization?
3. Is the offer
a good value? An offer is so important in the success of any direct
response program.
4. How does this
offer compare to others? What is the competition doing? Make sure you
know what is happening in the marketplace.
5. Is it easy to
place an order or easy to get more information? Have you included a
response devise of some kind?
6. Suspects may
be very skeptical. Make sure they are going to be comfortable with what
you offer.
7. If you were the
suspect, would you want to do any business with this company? Is it
the kind of organization you would want to deal with? What is its reputation
in the marketplace? Would you feel comfortable dealing with it?
8. Because you are
not sure how your suspect will be most comfortable doing business with
you, give them options-directly, through a representative, by phone,
by mail.
9. Are you in the
marketplace on a continuing and ongoing basis? Are you visible? Are
you making your suspect audience aware of what you have to offer? Are
you creating a good image? Make sure you can answer all of these questions
positively.
10. Provide suspects
with new ideas, new thoughts, and make them friends.
If you'll become a
suspect for your business and walk yourself through these 10 points, soon
you'll see whether you're doing the best possible job in leading your
suspects to become prospects to turn into customers and clients and then
become advocates.