Generating your own leads is a good idea if you have a larger budget and the time needed to be able to test different approaches, or if you are a control freak like me and want total control over the entire lead generation process.
Self-Generated Leads Means Knowing Your Target
First, you have to know your target audience. To avoid spinning your wheels on prospects that are not interested in your product or service, work out exactly who you want to approach. For example, if you need window replacement leads, you would want to know:
– Age of Home
– Number of Windows to Be Replaced
– Their Location
– Contact Info
– If you can try to determine budget, that would be good too, but might be pushing it.
You can use the power of the Internet to find leads yourself. Through opt-in email marketing you can place a form on your site for people to sign up to your list. These people can then be considered leads or prospects for you or your sales team to follow-up with.
Tip: When requesting information on contact forms (lead generation forms) remember the golden rule “less is more”. In other words, ask only for the least amount of information you need to have a passing understanding of what they want and the necessary contact information to follow-up. You don’t want your contact form to be a sales tool, that’s what you are for. As a rule, I recommend asking for the following information on contact forms:
Name
Email
Phone
Address
Problem/Question
Any more than this and your opt-in rates drop by 10% for each additional question. Remember, your contact form is not a sales tool, it’s a way for someone to reach out to you who doesn’t want to pick up the phone just yet, but still let you know they are interested in what you have, so be gentle. Coming off too strong at this stage will probably scare them off, never to be seen again!