3 Ways to Bring in More Leads in 2021
How many leads has your company brought in so far this year? To put it differently, if your business were a person, how many first dates would it have gone on? How about second dates? Business owners obsess over these kinds of questions. Lead generation is the key to growth, but all too often, I see entrepreneurs trying to drum up leads the wrong way.
All Dressed Up With Nowhere to Go
Imagine that you want to start dating. You need to make a great impression, so you get eight hours of beauty sleep, dress in your best outfit, and head to the salon to update your hairdo. Then, you sit on your couch …and stay there all night, waiting for the dates to come to you.
That doesn’t sound like a smart strategy, does it? Everyone knows that you have to put yourself out there to get a date — and the same is true in business. But I’ve met dozens of entrepreneurs who don’t put that lesson into practice. They think a beautiful website and some new business cards (a branding refresh that’s the equivalent of a nice outfit) will be enough to pull in leads. But the fact is that if you never point traffic in your direction, it doesn’t matter how great your branding looks. No one is going to find you.
So, if your business is terrible at “dating,” what can you do about it?
3 Ways to Put Your Company Out There
If you want to bring in leads, you need to make directing traffic a priority. I’ve found three foolproof ways to do this over the years.
1. Plan a live event. Live events are exciting, and they give people a reason to meet with you. You can hold your event online or in person. To generate leads, collect contact information from your attendees. I like to host dinner events and give people the option of signing up for a giveaway or follow-up information as they leave. This turns every new face into a potential lead.
2. Invest in direct mail. Postcards, letters, and newsletters are great for meeting people where they are. When I hold a dinner event, for example, I send out a letter beforehand to let my clients know it’s coming. I always see a spike in traffic to my website when I do that!
3. Offer a complimentary service. Offering a high-value, expert service at no cost to the client is a great way to bring in leads. Sklar Technology Partners, for example, provides complimentary security assessments to reveal hidden risks to our prospects. These assessments cost our company a lot of money, but they have a big payoff. People appreciate the education and
they’re more likely to pick our company as a partner. You can use this method too. If you run a lawn company, offer to test your potential clients’ soil. Just make sure that the offer is valuable and pitched to the person who will make the final decision about using your service.
When In Doubt, Think Like a Potential Date
When you’re planning ways to put your company out there, ask yourself, “What would a prospect want?” One of the biggest mistakes business owners make is holding events or offering promotions that are more about them than their customers. This is like going on a first date and talking about yourself the whole time. To generate leads, you need to stop thinking like a business owner and put yourself in your lead’s shoes.
Don’t Forget the Finishing Touches
I poked a bit of fun at it earlier, but rebranding with a fresh website definitely has its place in lead generation. While it may not be the best way to grab a prospect’s interest, it IS one of the the best ways to turn them into a client. What’s the point of leaving the house if you don’t look great doing it? If you’re ready to add that finishing touch with an awesome new website, call my team at 804-730-2628 or visit SklarTechnology.com to set up a consultation. We’ll build you a site that’s secure, easy to navigate, and fit for 2021.
-Randy Sklar
