6 point 'start-up checklist' before you launch into Lead Generation Programs

     A lot of my customers ask me, “What would you need from our side before you launch a lead generation program for us”. I thought this info would be useful to a larger audience, so decided to post it as a blog. Well here it is :

1) Company Brand and Messaging

  a) Be clear about what the ‘high level messaging’ of the company is going to be. Have   your boiler plates/company overview slides ready in word/powerpoint

  b) Be ready with ‘elevator pitches’ and customize them, based on the audience that you are trying to reach

  c) Have ‘calling scripts’ done and rehearsed. If you are engaging in telemarketing, you are going to get no longer than 10 secs to make a first impression. As you progress, you may or may not refer to these, but it is useful to internalize them amongst your teams.

2) Company Offerings in terms of products/services offered

   a) Have offering documents ready for what you offer in terms of products/services. These could be in the form of PDF brochures/Powerpoint presentations

   b) Make sure to incorporate “How do you do it” sections, which will give confidence to your prospective customers that you are all ready to work for their requirement.

   c) Be ready with your ‘engagement models’ and ‘commercial models’. You may not  expose them during the first interactions, but will need them pretty soon. If you do not have them ready, this will waste precious time of a warm prospect.

3) Set achievable targets from the program

   a) So that you can measure progress, analyse results.

   b) Monitor initial results and initial discussions to validate your hypothesis about the target market.

4) Have a clear plan for lead nurturing

   a) A lot of leads will move into lead nurturing programs that you will need to run for extended periods of time. Have a plan ready to continuously engage with these potential prospects that are not yet ready to do business with you.

5) Create a target prospect list and engage in primary/secondary research

   a) Cold ‘Cold calling’ will hardly achieve any results. You need to be relevant for the person/company that you are calling. Find out ‘why’ and’ how’ your products / services can be relevant for them

   b) Focus on business value to the prospective customer, not just on parameters like cost & quality.

6) Have patience – loads of it

   a) Remember that consistency pays, not individual brilliance

All the very best for your programs

Any more thoughts – feedback welcome

Regards
Atul 

http://www.xenia-consulting.com/

Linked IN – http://www.linkedin.com/companies/1015090
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=129562663721686
Twitter - https://twitter.com/xeniaconsulting

Some secrets to marketing success that no one will teach you

  Several people ask me, " What are the secrets to marketing success" that we are missing out on. I pondered over this question a bit and it took me some time to pin-point specific areas for success, as every business has different requirements. The answer varied from business to business. 


Interestingly there was one point which came out very strong and i felt that it was worth mentioning. You can devise some great marketing strategies and may have some great ideas to engage with your existing and potential customers, but what is critical to success is the execution of the plans and that too with unerring consistency. Marketing operations are never managed overnight. There are initiatives and activities that you take up CONSISTENTLY  on a regular basis. 


Think about branding, lead generation, public relations, advertising, campaigns, key account management and you will realize that in all of them, consistency is more important than individual flashes of brilliance. 


Let me know your thoughts !

Atul
http://www.xenia-consulting.com/

Linked IN – http://www.linkedin.com/companies/1015090
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=129562663721686
Twitter - https://twitter.com/xeniaconsulting