Generating sales is the lifeblood of every business, and the more competition there is in your market, the more important it becomes to be creative about finding leads and converting them into sales. The availability of the Internet across business and home environments means that it is becoming one of the biggest new areas in sales lead generation, and one that businesses must get right if they are to win clients ahead of the competition.
Can traditional sales techniques be transferred to the Internet and if so, do we need to adapt the way we use these techniques to increase sales?
The first rule of sales is the same no matter what your approach: know who your customer is. Without this basic information, you cannot target your sales campaigns properly, resulting in a waste of time and money, with precious few sales to show for your efforts. Being specific about your target audience is crucial when looking at Internet sales, as your market extends across the world and, just as your market is bigger, so your competition increases. Research your ideal customer, so that you know as much about them as possible. This will help you to spend your money most effectively.
Here are some traditional sales lead generation techniques that can be transferred to the Internet, or where the Internet can enhance your campaign:
1. Advertising
Advertising is a highly targeted sales activity - or it should be. Much advertising is hit and miss, and a complete waste of money. It must be measured to justify the expenditure - it requires significant action on the customer's part to be effective. Advertising on the Internet is just the same. It may not be as expensive, but it still needs to be researched and targeted. The benefits of advertising on the Internet are that adverts can be animated, and users can link from the Internet ad to your website or to an email address for immediate query or purchase. You can capture data quickly and, if you are organised well enough to respond to queries rapidly, you can create a great corporate image along with your sale.
2. Referrals
Referrals from existing customers or from partner companies is one of the best sales lead generation methods there is. Your prospect is more secure because you have been recommended by someone they trust, and you are more secure, because you will have set guidelines for your partner about what type of client you want them to refer. You can build similar partnerships online by using links. This is where you establish a relationship with a company that fits with yours, and then build a link from their website to yours and vice-versa. This enables users of each site to travel to the other, encouraging them to choose your product or service.
3. Trade Shows
It has often been said that trade shows are the only place where you can meet thousands of potential customers in two days. Usually run on a business sector basis, trade shows are still one of the most popular ways of generating interest in your business over a short time. Like all sales methods, your presence at a trade show needs to be planned and managed to make sure that the leads you get are from the right type of customer. Shows can be very expensive, and you will need to set key targets to recoup your investment. Recently, online exhibitions have become a popular way to reach huge numbers of potential customers, whilst maintaining your show presence for a lot longer than two days. Once you have rented a stand at an online exhibition, you can provide constant press releases, product information and customer feedback to a global audience. Online exhibitions are often open all year, extending your reach, and delivering quality sales leads to your business.
Read part two for other ways to translate your traditional sales lead generation activities to online sales, or call us now on 01423 529300 to see how we can help you increase your e-business profits.