The average cost of generating a lead is $20 to $30.
After the work involved in researching, targeting, and reaching out to prospects, this figure can really shock you says Vic Di Crisco. It’s not just your profit that gets impacted by this expense either. Small businesses should be investing time into other areas, like growing their client base or building better products/services for existing clients to retain them longer or cater to more customers respectively.
The 7 surefire steps below are simple enough for anyone with adequate computer skills to put them into action immediately without additional manpower or facilities coming upfront.
Step1: Use free email marketing services
Free email marketing services are available everywhere on the internet today. Many are tailored specifically towards companies forwardly in the B2B game. You can search for them via keyword or by visiting specific sites that aggregate all the best ones, like this one. These services also include compilations of the best free CRM applications out there, which are great because you don’t have to pay a dime for them.
Step2: Use free CRMs
Creating leads is only half the job. Keeping track of each lead’s progress requires better software than Microsoft Outlook. However, these apps are often way overpriced and could leave you broke if your company generates leads on a regular basis or has a large client base to manage already.
So instead use Google Apps (formerly known as Google Docs) to create contacts lists and other files needed to manage your leads. And to track their progress, create individual files for each lead and write down all the information you need to know (for example name, company name, product/service of interest, etc.)
Step3: Use free collaboration tools
Whether your employees work in-house or remotely, there’s a good chance they need to collaborate with other people on team projects online. There are many solutions available today but one of the most popular is Google Drive explains Vic Di Criscio. Not only does it allow multiple users to edit documents simultaneously over the internet without getting into any formatting problems, but it also comes with Google Docs which complements Step 2 quite nicely.
Using this software means no more attachments flying around inside email chains that get deleted because they’re too big. Just share a link! What’s more, you can also use Google Docs to create documents collaboratively which means less communication overhead and faster progress on projects as a result.
Step4: Use free social media tools
Social media is another important part of the lead generation process. That requires some time and energy from employees who may already be stretched for both. In addition to using Twitter as an outreach tool as discussed in this post. Make sure your employees use Hootsuite or Buffer to schedule posts in advance. Rather than mindlessly tweeting about the newest infographic they came across. Being able to build up a library of quality content over time. Will ensure your company’s page stays active when no one is around to tweet for it.
Step5: Use free CRM software to manage leads
While you’re busy taking care of Steps 3 and 4, your leads will be growing by the minute. Make sure you have a system in place that can harness this momentum. And convert these leads into sales opportunities without requiring too much time and energy from employees either.
Free apps like Pipeline Deals or Insightly might do the trick for most companies. But if yours needs something more customized. Check out deal management software applications on Capterra which catalogs all sorts of tools available in the market today. This way, no one will ever miss an opportunity to close a sale (or at least, mislabel an email as spam).
Step6: Use social media to nurture leads
Social media is an important part of the B2B sales process. But most people don’t realize it can be used for lead nurturing as well. For example, if a user shares content about your company’s product on Twitter. But does not follow you back, send them messages that are friendly yet persistent. In order to get their attention until they eventually do says Vic Di Criscio.
Step7: Review social media lists when managing leads
After you’ve implemented Step 6, every tweet from your new Twitter friend will show up in your list of followers/contacts. This means you won’t have to manually check each person’s profile for updates. However, this also means you’ll have to rely more on software than ever before. Because there are so many profiles out there nowadays.
To help with this process, check out apps like Social Oomph and Tweepi. Which give you the ability to bulk follow people based on their interests, location, etc.
Conclusion:
Vic Di Criscio says no matter what type of business you’re in. It’s important to save some time and effort for activities that will help you expand your market reach. This is where lead generation tools come into play. A few minutes saved can be enough to double or even triple your sales so don’t hesitate to try them out today!