Generating new leads is important for finding, developing, and keeping customers in your network. But doing it successfully takes a little more planning and coordination than simply jumping in and making contact. Avoid these common mistakes in lead generation that could reverse all the effort you’re putting into your success.
Mistake #1 – Not Being Clear About Your Target Audience
You can’t target everyone. But the more clearly you understand your target audience, the easier it is to find the people you want and bring them the deals they’re seeking. If you can identify the people, areas, and properties you serve best, you’re much more likely to meet people who will benefit from your services.
Once you’ve identified large, inclusive, groups subdivide them into smaller ones to establish and test segment performance or to better pinpoint trends between different groups.
Mistake #2 – Focusing on Quantity Over Quality of Leads
This is really another way to make Mistake #1. Having a huge pile of leads that aren’t in your ballpark only gives you a bigger haystack to find your needle in. Don’t buy huge quantities of cheap leads and hope for the best. Finding quality leads means using lead scoring and other techniques to help pre-qualify those most likely to convert into paying customers. Paying a little more for better leads up front can be worth it in the long run, saving you the time and effort of manually verifying each prospect.
Mistake #3 – Not Nurturing Leads
In order to succeed with leads, treat them as nature does seeds. Nurture and build relationships with each prospect over time. Integrating contact management with email marketing automation allows customer behavior to trigger a custom response from you.
And, it keeps you in touch and top of mind. With it, you can offer your prospects relevant content and messaging at just the right time. This engenders trust, builds loyalty, and increases your conversion rates. Nurtured customers blossom into sales.
Mistake #4 – Not Having Consistent Lead Follow-up
Without consistent follow-up, you’re missing out on valuable opportunities. Following through and following gives leads something to grab onto and keeps them from slipping through the cracks. Have a consistent and timely follow-up process in place for every contact and give every potential customer the attention they need.
Mistake #5 – Not Leveraging Social Media and Online Advertising
Social media and online advertising are essential tools for growth. Without leveraging them, you’re missing out on potential customers and their revenue. At a very minimum, you should keep current Facebook and Instagram pages for your business, filled with relevant content your potential customers can glue their minds to.
Both forums have highly-targetable tools for focusing your messages. Exploring and developing a presence among other, more specialized online communities where you can add value will extend your reach.
Mistake #6—Bonus Error—Having a strategy of “No Strategy”
Not planning ahead to make the most of your leads is not “Zen.” It’s a quagmire of confusion and indecision, leading to rejection. You’ll chase leads nowhere and most of your work will result in nothing. Set some parameters for who your leads will be and how you’re going to meet, develop and nurture them. Taking the time to do so at the start of your journey with them is the only shortcut.
