Top 5 Lead Generation mistakes

So you have a great product or service to offer, you know it’s fantastic but you aren’t getting the level of sales that you would like. That’s where lead generation comes in, lead generation is all about matching the right people or businesses with your product or service. It’s about finding the ones that need you and are in the market to buy.

Here is our top five list of the ways in which companies get lead generation all wrong:

1. Lack of Research

There is nothing worse than getting a phone call, email of even a letter addressed to you that is completely irrelevant. A lot of companies try and hit the mass market and don’t really think about how to reach the right people. Not only is this an expensive and inefficient way to try and generate leads, but receiving an impersonal call or email may well just annoy someone that could turn into a potential lead for your business. Make sure you research your market first, find out where your potential customers are spending time, what their issues are and then work out how best to reach them.

2. Broadcasting instead of adding value

Telling everyone how fantastic you are all the time adds little or no value to your potential leads. What they are interested in is solving their problem or fulfilling a need/want that they have. By focusing all of your marketing efforts on how great you are, you will just turn people off. No one really cares! Instead, think about the things your potential customers are interested in and make all of your marketing about that. What information would be helpful to them, how can your product or service satisfy their need.

3. Making it difficult

You need to make it as easy as possible for people to contact you. Make sure that your phone number and email address are clearly visible on all of your marketing collateral. If people have to hunt around to find you, the likelihood is that they just won’t bother, or may even find a competitor instead. It’s amazing the number of websites I visit where vital contact information is hidden away, i’ve even had direct mail through the post where they’ve forgotten to add a phone number.

4. Being unavailable

You should have a clear idea of how you want people to get in touch. If you want them to email you, have an auto responder set up so that they know you have received their message. State how long you will take to respond and then make sure you stick with it. If you say 24 hours and it takes longer, what kind of impression is that giving a potential customers? If you want people to contact you by telephone, make sure it is always answered (and preferably by a real person). Ensure the person answering any phone calls is trained in how to deal with any enquiries.

We have had clients in the past that have call tracking and have seen evidence of how companies miss opportunities because they don’t answer their telephones!

5. Trying to sell first listen later

If an enquiry comes through, the worst thing you can do is immediately try the hard sell. How can you possibly know exactly what they need without listening to their situation and understanding how your company can help solve their issue or improve things for them. What if they purchase because they have felt under pressure, then realise later that what they have been sold really wasn’t what they needed or wanted.

Whilst you may get that first sale using this kind of technique, the chances of them coming back to you are slim. Think about the impact this could have on your business if they share their poor experience with others. Reputation and user experience are vital in the success of any business, there are so many ways that people can share poor service with others.

Lead generation can be difficult and companies are at risk of falling into one of these areas, particularly if they are under pressure to generate sales. As long as you focus on your potential customers, their needs and you make sure (as much as possible) that they have a great experience in dealing with your Company, then you can’t do much more than that. Don’t fall into panic mode and scrabble around aimlessly. Having a clear lead generation plan will ensure you keep your reputation and business in tact.

If you found this blog post interesting, you may also be interested in:

Why these 3 methods of lead generation no longer work
Top tips for lead generation in 2015