What are the Best Lead Generation Strategies?

Lead Generation is a key process in a company’s endeavor to grow their business. It is a difficult practice, in fact, 68% of B2B companies struggle with lead generation. Yet, it is a necessary process to find your ideal customers and connect with key decision-makers to gain more business. The big picture of a lead generation strategy is outbound sales marketing, in which a company aims to grow its market and develop its process through a few elements that aid in building a company’s sales pipeline, increasing sales opportunities, and acquiring clients.

What is Lead Generation?

Lead Generation is the process of identifying potential clients for your business or service. Through a Lead Generation Strategy, experts research, connect and convert potential customers into clients. This process requires varied strategies to arrive at one goal: setting pre-qualified meetings with decision-makers. In simple terms, Lead Generation is finding possible clients, attracting them to your business, and selling to them your offer/service.

Lead Generation Strategies

     There are three steps, three actionable elements, that are part of a successful strategy. These strategies all fall under one umbrella: outbound sales marketing. So, what is Outbound Sales Marketing? It is the process where a seller begins engaging with a customer. This starts with cold calling potential clients or leads, to inform them of your service or product, to generate interested, and to set an appointment with a lead. Outbound sales marketing will help you grow your potential clients and develop your lead generation strategy.

The Three Actionable Elements of Lead Generation Strategies:

1. Market Research / Segmentation 

To begin any lead generation process, you must have a flushed-out idea of who your ideal customer is. You must know who they are, what their needs could be, and how to pitch your service or product to them. Without a clear vision of your target market, you won’t be able to qualify your leads. You must have qualifying questions and criteria that separate warm leads from those who do not fit your segmentation. With a clear ideal customer flushed out and a defined checklist of characteristics, you can move on to the next step.

2. Data Acquisition and Enrichment 

Once you have your list of qualifying customer requirements, you must gather data. The second actionable element in your lead generation strategy is to acquire a large data list of emails, phone numbers, and/or LinkedIn profiles to possible clients who fit some criteria, such as location.  This data list will be the leads you will be calling to qualify and set appointments.

3. Outreach

The last step in your outbound sales marketing strategy is to do the actual outreach. You now have your ideal customer profile and a list of possible candidates who fit some of your criteria, it is now time to employ your lead generation skills and identify those on the list as either potential clients or not. This step requires a combination of three tools: Cold-Calling, Email Marketing, and LinkedIn Marketing. These three tools will help you prequalify your list and set appointments.

These Lead Generation Strategies will aid you in setting pre-qualified meetings with decision-makers, to get in front of your ideal customer and sell your service or product. Lead Generation is at the core of a business’s growth and success; therefore, knowing these actionable strategies and employing them correctly will set your business up for success.