If you want to build and grow your business, you need to know how to find the right leads. What is a lead, you ask. A lead is anyone interested in your products or services. Now, we know people out there need your products or services. So, how do you find and target these leads and turn them into clients?
With 61% of marketers ranking lead generation as their number one challenge, how does one find the right leads? To begin with, you can’t just start reaching out to anyone and everyone in hopes of getting people interested in your products or services. Doing this will only waste time, money, and effort. You need to identify and target good leads. To do this, you must first understand your current client base.
Identifying Your Ideal Client
It’s time to start working smarter, not harder. By answering the following five questions, you will begin to understand who your ideal client is and the leads you will need to target to grow your business.
1. Who Are Your Current Clients?
Who are your favorite customers? What do they have in common? Take some time to dive in and find out who they are. Look at their age, gender, job titles, industry, location, income level, company size, etc. Ask them why they decided to work with or buy from you. This information will give you a quick idea of who you should be looking to target.
2. What Are Their Interests?
It’s time to find out what makes them tick. What are your favorite clients like to do? A quick LinkedIn search will reveal groups they are associated with, what content they are posting and liking, and give you insight into their connections. These connections could become new leads for you. Use Google and other social channels to dig even deeper. Knowing this information allows you to see what these people have in common.
3. What Are Their Goals?
What do your current clients hope to achieve with your products or services? If you know this, you can use this information to create marketing content to attract new leads. Don’t be afraid to ask them. They will happily provide you with this information, and you will learn more about their needs.
4. What Are Their Pain Points?
People buy for two reasons. One, they need to fulfill a desire or urger, or they have a problem they need to fix. Ask your clients what challenges your products or services helped them overcome. If you can identify a lead’s pain points, you can make a connection with them and hopefully get the opportunity to offer them a solution.
5. What Are Their Purchasing Habits?
People make purchases in different ways. Some people are impulsive buyers, some like to engage in detailed research, some base their decisions on reviews, and others want to shop and compare. If you know your clients’ purchasing habits, you can use this information to provide new leads with the resources they need to make a purchase.
The Buyer’s Journey
Now that you have the answers to your questions, you have a foundation for your ideal customer profile. With this information, you can target leads that need your products or services and lead them down the buyer’s journey with marketing materials and resources that fill your sales funnel and shorten the sales cycle. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, it makes your job easier and saves time, money, and effort.
by Lonnie Horsey