“How do they find new customers?”
The general answer is “The leads come to us over email” or “We get referrals in the industry” or “from our last exhibition/tradeshow”. I did the same when I was starting out. As I got more experience, I realized making new contacts and getting leads is crucial to my success. In this post. I’ll talk about
- My step-by-step lead generation process
- Online tools I use to generate new leads
Very few companies have a strong Lead generation system. With more and more competition, it is essential for b2b business owners and sales teams to have a strong lead generation system. Here is my lead generation process and some tools I use to help me generate quality leads.
Step 1: Identify Your Target Audience(TA)
Before you start generating leads, you need to know who you’re targeting. This means understanding the types of businesses that are most likely to benefit from your product or service.
1️⃣ Outline
the characteristics of your best customers. This includes industry, company size, location, and specific roles within the company. For example, if you sell marketing automation software, your TA might be mid-sized tech companies with marketing managers as key decision-makers.
2️⃣ Create a buyer persona
A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data. It helps you understand the needs, behaviors, and pain points of your target audience. Here I rely on online research, discussion with customers and internal stakeholders to come up with the right target audience
Step 2: Generate Leads
Once you’ve identified your target audience, it’s time to start generating leads. Here are some effective B2B lead generation strategies and tools to generate leads.
🛠️LinkedIn.
Over the years, Linkedin has become the top go-to platform for finding companies and people. I regularly use Linkedin Sales Navigator and its advanced functions to find customers and key people in the organizations to connect. It has great filters for industry, company size, people, departments, etc that can help you target the right audience. Once, you find the relevant contact, you can send them a connect request or in-mail request to connect. You do not, however, get any phone numbers or emails.
🛠️ Lusha
This is an amazing tool with an easy to use interface. You can use all Linkedin features but you can additionally find email addresses and contact numbers. You can also create email marketing campaigns and warm up your leads. In Lusha, you can capture the leads in one place, create a list and make calls or start an email marketing campaign. This can be automated, so just set it up and let it generate prospects for you. It can look like there’s a lot going on initially, but its easy to use once you get a hang of it. Will talk more about this in later posts
🛠️ AnyLeads
Another interesting tool I’ve used in Anyleads. It is similar to Lusha. But I found it less user friendly and cumbersome to navigate. But its cheaper and if you are just starting out, it is a good place to begin. You can find contacts numbers, emails and other information by adding the chrome extension. It also generate emails from Company names to send bulk emails( I do not like doing this). You can create a sequence email marketing campaign too. It’s a great value for price tool.
I will be using and reviewing more tools in lead generation in future. For now, as far as usability is concerned, Lusha is the best. However, if you are looking for a cost effective tool, try Anyleads first.
Step 3: Capture Leads
The next step is to capture these leads in one place. You can create Landing pages, use forms or put it all in a sheet in one place. Lusha and Anyleads have an inbuilt mechanism to put all these in once place for you. You can even mark them as warm or cold. It also marks actions already taken on a particular lead so you remember the next time you contact this lead.
Step 4: Nurture Leads
Once you’ve captured leads, it’s crucial to nurture them until they’re ready to make a purchase. Here’s how to do it:
1️⃣ Email Nurturing Campaigns
Send personalized, relevant content to your leads based on their interests and behaviors. Send them your product and company introductions, what value you are selling and how to reach you. Sales tools like Lusha and AnyLeads can help you create a string of emails that get sent after certain intervals to funnel your leads into showing interest in your business.
2️⃣Lead Scoring
Implement lead scoring to prioritize leads based on their engagement and fit with your ICP. For example, leads that engage with your emails and visit your pricing page frequently might be ready for a sales call. Again this can be automated with tools that help you save time.
3️⃣ Provide Value
Consistently provide value to your leads through educational content, free trials, demos, and personalized consultations. Show them how your product or service can solve their problems and meet their needs.
Step 5: Qualify Leads
Not all leads are created equal. Qualify your leads to determine which ones are worth pursuing further.
1️⃣ BANT Framework
Use the BANT framework (Budget, Authority, Need, Timing) to assess lead quality. For example, does the lead have the budget to purchase your product? Are they the decision-maker? Do they have an immediate need for your solution? Qualifying your leads is really important step to help you focus on generating new business and sales.
2️⃣ Sales Calls
Schedule discovery calls to gather more information about your leads. Ask questions to understand their needs, challenges, and decision-making process. This helps you determine if they’re a good fit for your product or service.
Step 6: Handoff to Sales
Once you’ve qualified your leads, it’s time to hand them off to your sales team for further engagement and closing. You may not have a separate Lead gen team, so sales itself may handle this process
1️⃣Lead Handoff Process
Establish a clear process for handing off leads to sales. Ensure your sales team has all the necessary information about the lead, including their interactions, needs, and pain points. This will help your sales team have a great conversations and close better deals. It also keeps your potential customer engaged.
2️⃣ Collaboration
Encourage collaboration between your marketing and sales teams. Regular meetings and shared goals help ensure a smooth transition and alignment between both teams to help streamline this process
Conclusion
Generating new leads and customers has been a major part of my job. And I tell you it is not easy. Having certain tools in place can help you so some heavy lifting and save time. Mastering the lead generation process in B2B sales is key to building a robust sales pipeline. By identifying your target audience, generating and capturing leads, nurturing and qualifying them, and effectively handing them off to your sales team, you can turn prospects into loyal customers. Remember, lead generation is an ongoing process that requires constant refinement and adaptation.
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