3 Best Ways to Unearth Leads You Never Even Knew Existed

Business leads are kind of like specks of dust – they’re everywhere, but they aren’t always visible unless they collect in large clusters. Of course, leads are far more significant than dust, which is why you need to go the extra mile to generate them. Many of today’s inbound marketing strategies are designed to generate leads and convert customers. Every comment, click and download is a signal that the person might be interested in buying from you.  But what about potential customers whose interest isn’t so obvious? How do you find people who aren’t aware they need your product or service? Here are three great ways to do it. Everyday Life The best sales reps have learned to listen for any opportunity to make a sale, so even when they seem relaxed and off the clock, they’re always looking. You should do the same. A hot lead can appear anywhere, anytime: during a night out with friends, at the supermarket, in line at the bank.  If you sell outdoor decorations like feather flags, you may be reaching out to new businesses and trade events, but you might be missing sales if you don’t listen to the woman in line talking about a new restaurant opening two towns away. Keep your ear to the ground and sales leads will seem to come from out of nowhere. The News In Working Girl, Tess McGill reads the newspaper and comes up with an idea for an acquisition at her company.  Take a tip from her and start reading the news to find new opportunities for your own business. You might start in the sections that directly affect your business and read articles about people, trends, companies, and anything else that might present a lead-generating opportunity. But ideas can come from any news story, as long as you’ve trained yourself to identify potential connections between the news you’re reading and the business you’re running. Online Chatter Even if you’re already using discussion boards and social media to generate leads, your personal connections could be just as effective if you give them the same attention you do your marketing efforts. You might be talking casually with a faraway friend about work when someone else chimes in to ask for more information about your business, either on behalf of themselves or a friend or colleague. Or maybe someone you chatted with a few months ago is reconnecting with a sales inquiry. People often say business is about who you know, and your personal social networks can provide a prime example if you’re leveraging them. Start Digging Up New Leads Today! Your lead-generation strategy might be working, but you can still supplement them with other techniques. Pay more attention to the non-marketing world around you and it will present a host of new leads.