Some Crazy Shit

Don’t miss any trade shows relevant to your business as they can be a valuable source of new leads.

Be prepared to travel to attend trade shows both in the UK and abroad. Make sure you’re aware of all the trade shows for the coming year and register as soon as possible.

If you’re supplying a product or service you should have a trade stand to promote your business. Book your stand early to get a good location. Sometimes you have to pay more for a good site, but being tucked away in a corner that no one walks past won’t bring you any new leads.

Ensure your stand is attractive and offers something that potential leads will want. Display a large sign saying who you are and use products to show what you do. Make your stand interesting and inviting with demonstrations and free gifts. A trade show is not the place to be boring as there’s too much competition. Have music, lights, singing and dancing – whatever it takes to get potential leads to stop and give you their details.

Staff your stand with knowledgeable and friendly staff. They should be fully briefed on how to approach potential customers and obtain their details. Staff who see trade shows as a day out from the office and just sit on the stand looking bored should stay in the office.

Staff should chat to passers by without pressurising them. They should stand at the front of the stand rather than waiting for leads to approach them. A trick is to look busy but be prepared to stop what you’re doing to chat and involve the lead.

Invite potential customers to sit down and have a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. Free refreshments at trade shows are a welcome source of energy as pacing up and down a large hall can be exhausting. If your business is food orientated give away samples and do demonstrations at frequent intervals. For other types of business free samples are always a winner: sweets, pens, desk toys, hats, key rings and bags – all with your company name on of course.

One crucial factor to remember as you’re meeting and greeting all these potential customers is that YOU NEED THEIR DETAILS. Don’t loose sight of this and make sure you have a form to hand so you can follow up any enquiries. Have a plentiful supply of forms and ensure the completed ones are kept in a safe place for analysis once you return to the office.

When at a trade show take the time to visit other stands and see what the competition is doing. This is also a good time to generate more leads in terms of new customers. Other stands may be potential future customers so network and distribute your business card. If you see businesses that could be potential customers take their promotional material and add them to your list of leads.

Whether you’re a retailer, educational institution, supplier or service provider trade shows relevant to your product area are a valuable source of lead generation.

Lead generation relies heavily on PR. Potential leads need to be promoted to and informed of how your business can benefit them. Depending on your type of business there are some events not to be missed as they’ll be full of potential leads.

Business Networking Meetings

Most large towns will have a business networking group. To find yours look in the local press, on local websites or contact the nearest Business Link office. Some groups require you to be invited as a guest before you can become a member – find out who’s in the group and contact the chairman.

When you attend a business network group meeting use the opportunity to promote your business to obtain leads. Collect as well as give out business cards. These groups exist for businesses to help each other. They usually don’t have competitors in the group, which the chairman will advise you on.

If there isn’t a group in your area why not organise your own? This is an ideal opportunity to generate new leads as you will be in control and can invite potential leads that will hopefully help grow your business. You could set up a breakfast meeting or dinner once a month in a local hotel. The room will need to be hired and if you wish to supply food you will need to consider costs. You could sell tickets, seek a sponsor or use the funds from group membership.

This type of lead generation takes time, so don’t expect an instant list of contacts. However, over time, as people get to know you leads and business should grow.

For the ladies amongst you a good idea is a ‘women in business’ group. This gives the group a unique slant and many leads can be generated through women’s contacts such as schools, parents and friends.

Open Days

Does your business lend itself to holding an open day? If you’re an educational institution trying to attract more students or a hotel or conference centre wanting to attract potential customers this is the type of event for you. Show off your premises and tell people what you can do for them. Advertise in the local press and with posters to promote the event.

Make sure you register every visitor, either before the event if you sell admission tickets or on entry on the day – then you automatically have your list of potential leads.

Trade Shows

An ideal way to promote potential customer interest and obtain a list of contacts to target. For more details on trade show lead generation see our web page www.

Launch Parties

If you’ve got a new business or product to promote a launch party is the ideal way to generate leads. An evening launch held at your premises or in a hotel, with demonstrations of the product or what your business does will reap rewards in terms of lead generation. Serve drinks and canapés and allow guests to mingle and network. As people enter ask them to drop their business card into a box to wine a bottle of champagne in a prize draw at the end of the evening – there you have your list of leads!

The main benefit of networking to generate sales and new customer leads is that it’s free. Word of mouth is one of the strongest forms of marketing. Do a good job and people will recommend you, avoiding the need for expensive advertising.

Self Promotion

Don’t be shy; be proud of what you do. Whether you work as a salesperson for a large company or are a small independent business lead generation will help grow your sales and profits. Tell everyone about your business and always have a supply of business cards to hand. Talking about what you do will get people thinking and if they’re not a potential customer they might know someone who is.

Don’t wait for a potential lead to ask for your business card – give it to them. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression so be polite, not pushy. If you have a website make sure its address is printed clearly on your business card so people can find out more about you.

Where to Network

Networking starts the minute you leave the house and meet people, from the postman to school teachers to the guy you sit next to on the train. Don’t assume someone won’t be interested in what you’re offering – turn things around and see every encounter as a potential lead.

Social networking is fun as well as work orientated. Join sports clubs where you think potential leads will go (golf/tennis/rugby/swimming), it’s during the social time after a game that the networking starts.

You could also join any other type of club or society that your target market may frequent, such as writers’ clubs, gardening clubs, art classes or cookery clubs. Consider where potential customers will be and be there too! If you don’t want to join the club as a paid-up member you could ask to give a talk on your business; a great way to generate new leads.

Network with friends and family and make use of any contacts they have. Think about what your friends do and the number of people they come in contact with each day. Ask them to give out one of your business cards when appropriate and your network of potential leads will soon start to grow.

Network at work by ensuring your current customers know about everything you do. If you offer a wide range of services a customer is likely to use you rather than a new supplier if they’re happy with you.

Follow Up

Once you’ve made a potential contact don’t loose them. If someone has given you their business card and expressed an interest in what you do follow up the lead with a polite email the next day. This ensures they don’t forget you. Don’t wait for people to contact you if you’ve got their contact details.

If you’ve made a large number of potential leads keep them securely on a database and note when you contacted each. Put in place a plan to make contact on a regular basis (without inundating them), and plan to build business.