Using Lead Generation Companies

Don’t ask a hairdresser if you need a haircut, as the saying goes.

Using a lead generation services is not far off, although everyone still does it. There is no point asking a lead generation service how good their leads are because it’s in their interest to say how impressive they are – nobody is going to say just how tenuous many of them are.

The trick to using a lead generation service is to know that everyone else is doing it and not to rely on them as your only source of leads.

Lead generation companies will always tell you that their leads are great – qualified, professional and highly sought after. The fact is, maybe a maximum of ten per cent of their leads are good and the rest are fillers that have a small element of truth in them, but it means that you will continue to pay your subscription.

One of the Lucky Ones?

However, some contracts are won through following up leads from lead generation services and some excellent networking opportunities have been discovered. You may be one of the lucky ones that find a terrific sales contract through calling a lead on a lead generation subscription service. But you may also be one of the less lucky and far more likely ones that spends ages following up leads from lead generation services that someone else has got to before you or barely existed in the first place.

So, you can see where this is leading. There is no point getting all excited about a lead from a lead generation service – heaps of competitors will have got it at the same time as you and plenty of people in the know will have had it far earlier than that.

So why bother? Well, the fact is, you may be the person they are looking for. The people who called before may not be offering the right thing, or may not have connected with the client. Maybe the client was on holiday and you happen to get through just as they return, all relaxed and keen to talk.

Worth a Shot

Sales are full of ‘what ifs’. You can’t legislate for a lot of the contracts that are won – it’s not always the best man that wins. Sometimes, a certain person just gets on better with the client, or has the same name as their daughter, or supports the same football team. You’ve got to be in it to win it, as they say.

Using a lead generation service is a good idea. Just see it for what it is and don’t spend all your time following up leads that may not have any chance of ever turning into anything remotely profitable. Allow yourself half an hour each week when the leads come through to read them and make any calls – be quick. Don’t spend your whole week working on them – root around, call your contacts, use your network to find other leads, too.

Don’t rely on lead generation services but don’t ignore them either – you may be just what the client is looking for.