Simply going through the motions with lead generation and optimising your customer acquisition strategies are two very different things.
To reach new prospects and make adequate contact, you need to focus on high-efficiency and high-quality prospecting methods.
Here are four tips for optimising lead generation strategies to land new customers.
Have Your Product Ready and Be Prepared
Before you go out knocking on doors, you need to know what you have to sell.
Too often, customer acquisition fails because your product or solution isn’t ready or you aren’t sure which customer types it appeals to.
This is particularly the case with technology solutions, where servers and support teams are needed to provide the vlaue promised to the new client.
Test your solutions on a small scale first. Otherwise, early negative feedback can deter strong growth.
Prepare your contact approach by developing your ideal customer profile and thinking about the right marketing and sales methods to get your message across.
Successful customer acquisition only results when you have the right solution presented to the right buyers in the right way.
Develop Communication Collaboration
Efficient customer acquisition usually results from active collaboration between your marketing and sales systems.
Marketers often bear responsibility for creating awareness and offering initial information to target prospects.
Blogs, white papers, case studies, social media and content syndication are all common strategies to present information, educational content and powerful messages during lead generation.
After forming initial interest and attraction, salespeople jump in at the right time to engage the prospect on a more personal level.
The greater your acquired knowledge about prospects, the easier it is for salespeople to ask the right questions, identify broad pain points and sell the best solution to resolve the buyer’s primary problem.
Engage on the Buyer’s Turf
To generate new customers, you often have to source new paths. In the digital age, many companies find their clients searching online and sharing on social media.
Establishing an efficient communication path through content marketing allows you to connect with B2B buyers who typically start with their investigations.
Being on social media is important, but you need to go where prospects are who match your main buyer personas.
According to KissMetrics, for instance, 13 percent of people 18-29 are very interactive on Tumblr. Thus, a Tumblr blog makes a lot of sense as an engagement tool.
If your prospects are more in the 30 to 49 age range, and mid-to-high level decision makers, LinkedIn is a high-potential engagement medium.
Don’t use every social medium available; use the tools that connect you effectively with the buyers you target.
Rely on Experts
The team of people you assemble to execute marketing and sales plans are vital to customer acquisition.
A plan of attack without strong people to implement it is of little value.
In some cases, it makes sense to outsource facets of your lead generation, such as appointment setting, data acquisition or inside sales, to free up your internal teams for particular work.
Conclusion
A well-developed solution and a plan of attack are key starting points for optimising customer acquisition.
Beyond that, you need collaborative marketing and sales message strategies and an engaging approach that meets buyers on their level.
Assemble a talented team to attract and retain the customers you want
