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This newsletter has one, simple goal...to help make new business just a little bit easier. So, let's get to it. |
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Lead generations's silent killer
Putting together a lead generation plan – aligned to your target audience, skills and capacity – is pretty straightforward.
The bit that comes after, not so.
Yes, you need to be consistent.
But if you're not getting the results you expected, perhaps a lack of consistency isn’t your only problem.
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Insightful stuff from others |
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The only three ways to grow (Alex M H Smith) 'Growth is obviously an ambition and a vague and intimidating one at that. But it can actually be broken down into three possible acts, each of which are much more approachable. It doesn’t exactly render the task “easy”, but it certainly makes it more straightforward.'
The Relentless Pursuit of “Full Service” Will Drain Your Life of Meaning (Tim Williams) 'As they grow, agencies also have the perpetual tendency to add more services, becoming more “generalized” and less specialized. When agencies reach this point of over-diversification, they run head-on into “diseconomies” of scale. This is especially true if you are a “full service” firm, because it always costs more to serve the needs of a broad client base than it does a focused market.'
Four Ways to Commodify Your Offering (Blair Enns)
'When sales are sluggish you push harder.
And then things happen.
Some of these things are the desirable outcomes you seek, like new leads and closed deals. And some are the unintended consequences you didn’t foresee...'
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When you get on the phone with a new inbound lead, what are your first questions?
Of course, you’ll likely have many, some appropriate for this first conversation, others perhaps not.
But there are three lines of questioning you should absolutely ensure you cover during the opening exchanges:
👉🏻 How the prospect FOUND you.
👉🏻 Why they have contacted YOUR agency specifically (and how many others they have reached out to).
👉🏻 And why they have decided to get in touch NOW.
The responses will enable you to establish if you have any kind of advantage, especially if it’s a competitive situation.
Furthermore, it will help you understand if the prospect is ready to do something new or different. In other words, to change. Because, ultimately, if they're not in a position to change, they're not ready to buy.
A real-life example…
One of my clients received an out-of-the-blue approach recently.
She quickly uncovered that the prospect had found her agency on Google.
When asked what had encouraged him to get in touch, the response didn’t fill her with confidence (‘you build websites, right?’).
She also discovered her agency was one of 10 that had been contacted (yes, 10), suggesting the prospect hadn’t shortlisted agencies based on relevant expertise or experience.
And finally, she also learned that the brief was non-existent, suggesting the prospect didn’t really know what he needed.
She asked the right questions and she asked them early.
She decided she had no advantage.
She also concluded the prospect wasn't ready to change.
And she said ‘no’.
This takes bravery.
But it’s far better for you to say ‘no’ early than hear the prospect say ‘no’ later.
Need help to up your sales game? Maybe I can help with that. |
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Until next time...
P.S. If this doesn't rock your boat, please hit the unsubscribe link below. I won't be offended. Well...maybe a tiny bit. |
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I'm a business development adviser, helping independent agencies nail their positioning, build their pipeline and lead the sales process.
Connect with me on LinkedIn or take a look at my website for details on my background, approach and programs. |
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Ben Potter New Business, Leicestershire, UK. |
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