The sales prospect in 2021 is very different than it was just 10 years ago. The Internet has created a whole new world of leads that never existed before, and marketers need to take the time to learn how to find those leads. This article will detail some lead generation strategies and conversion tactics that you can use in your day to day life.
Sales prospecting is basically finding people who might be interested in what your company has to offer and making sure your offerings are promoted to them. While it used to be a very tedious affair, now people can find you from anywhere and anytime. There are far more opportunities to find new sales prospects than ever before with leads coming from organic search rankings, social media interactions, customer referrals, and even your competitors’ marketing materials.
While this is a benefit to your business, your competitors also enjoy the same benefits. You’ll need to up your sales prospecting game if you want to stand out from the competition, and to do so, you’ll need to adopt strategies that bring in leads efficiently. Here are some that will suit B2B and B2C businesses very well.
Become an industry influencer
One of the best and most efficient ways to find sales prospects is to become an industry influencer. This will involve creating content that can be used as a reference in your niche, generating original ideas or using existing ideas for inspiration, and linking this information to where you want people to interact with you: your website.
This is one of the best sales prospecting strategies in the social media age. When you are known in your little corner of the Internet, it will be much easier to attract not only people who are interested in your offer, but also companies who are willing to work with you.
Increase your presence on social networks
The 21st century is undoubtedly the age of social media. People practically communicate and share their thoughts on social networks, and elements of social networks are practically all over the Internet.
The thing is, this doesn’t really work to your advantage if you don’t have a social media presence. If you’re not on any social media platforms or only update them sporadically, chances are that most people will never hear about your offer and therefore won’t be able to buy it. You need to keep up with everyone else and strive to raise your social media presence a notch or two above your competitors.
Ask for references
With the way social media has made us more connected than ever, 2021 is definitely not the year to be shy about asking for referrals. One common way companies do this is through referral campaigns that entice their potential customers to refer people they know in exchange for rewards. This tactic works best when dealing with B2C customers.
You can choose to be simpler in your approach, for example. If you have a B2B business, you can simply talk to one of your business customers or business owners who have worked with you in the past and ask them to refer you to other entrepreneurs who may be interested in working with you.
Host a webinar
Hosting a webinar can be a lot of work, especially if it’s your first time doing it, but what it does is it allows you to pretty much kill two birds with one stone. On the one hand, when done well, you stake yourself out as an authority and thought leader; you will practically be giving advice to other entrepreneurs. Second, webinars open up many opportunities to make sales and build partnerships.
As mentioned above, however, this takes a lot of work, especially since you’ll be marketing the webinar, which you’ll in turn be using to market your business. The whole process is then another opportunity to build a relationship with your list, and this is a good opportunity to gradually convert your subscribers into paying customers.
Build a presence in Q&A forums
The beauty of Q&A sites is that they give you the opportunity to showcase your knowledge and expertise. If someone has been struggling with the same problem for days, chances are they will readily accept advice from any expert who offers it.
You need to make sure you have an answer ready when one or more people ask, but that’s a given if you’re answering questions relevant to your niche. Also, if people are wondering where to find a certain product or service that can help them, you can use this as an opportunity to direct them to your business.
In 2022, the authority attracts profits
One of the key takeaways here is that you need to proactively take a leadership role in your niche if you want to find more opportunities to make sales. Offering advice and building an online following is the way to go in 2021 and beyond.