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It’s Only Common Sense: Modern Ways to Generate Leads

No matter what salespeople—especially old, or rather well-experienced salespeople—say about these times and all the newfangled software, CRM, and social media programs, the fact is, these are the best times to generate leads. There have never been so many great ways to generate new leads within minutes from the comfort of your laptop—be it in your office, a hotel room, a restaurant, or a coffee shop. No longer do we need those unwieldy directories with their SIC codes. Remember those beasts? Nor do we need those overpriced, outdated as soon as they were published, regional customer lists. Now we can just sit at our laptops anywhere and find potential new customers.

To make my point, here is a list of modern tools you can use to get out there and not only find companies, but approach them, get in front of them, and tell them your story. Done correctly, you will convert those companies into customers.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator: A powerful tool to find and connect with potential leads in your industry. Use advanced search filters to target the right prospects. It has never been faster or easier.

HubSpot: I consider this one of the best all-in-one CRM programs available today. It helps you manage and nurture leads and includes lead capture forms, email marketing, and analytics. HubSpot is one of the best ways to get customers to not only know about your company and what you do but to follow you as well.

Salesforce: A comprehensive CRM system that offers lead management, marketing automation, and sales forecasting. It integrates with several other tools for enhanced lead generation.

Pipedrive: Also a sales CRM and pipeline management tool that helps track leads through the sales funnel. Pipedrive offers automation and integration with other marketing tools.

Mailchimp: This is a very good email marketing platform that helps design, send, and track email campaigns. It is extremely useful for nurturing leads and maintaining engagement.

Google Ads: A platform for running pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaigns. Target specific keywords to attract potential leads by searching for related products or services. This one can be expensive, but when done correctly, the more you spend the better the results.

Facebook Ads: You can create targeted ad campaigns to reach potential customers based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. One of the best things about Facebook Ads is the ability to retarget to re-engage visitors who have previously interacted with your site.

LeadPages: This is a great tool for creating landing pages, lead capture forms, and specific targeted sales. You can quickly create specific landing pages to sell specific products and services. LeadPages is great for optimizing conversations and testing different page designs, then quickly evaluating them to see if they are working effectively.

Hootsuite: This is a social media management platform to schedule and manage posts across multiple social networks. It allows you to engage with potential leads and monitor social media conversations.

SEMrush: This is an SEO (search engine optimization) and online visibility management tool. It helps identify and target keywords that potential leads are searching for. We all need to get much better at learning and using SEO. I consider it the most powerful of all the lead-generating tools.

ZoomInfo: This is a great software tool that provides access to an extensive database of business contacts and company information. It is very useful for B2B lead generation and market research. However, it is extremely expensive—about $25K a year but I know some salespeople who have chipped in and shared ZoomInfo, which is not a bad idea.

Clearbit: Clearbit enriches your lead data with additional information, such as company details, job titles, and social profiles. The best thing about Clearbit is that it integrates with CRM systems for better lead segmentation.

OptinMonster: This lead generation software can create opt-in forms and pop-ups, which is great for targeting and segmenting visitors based on their behavior, to increase conversions.

Quora: Quora allows you to take part in discussions related to your industry and answer questions to establish authority. Quora is a great and easy way to drive traffic to your website by providing valuable insights.

Drift: This is a conversational marketing platform that uses chatbots and live chat to engage with website visitors in real time. You can qualify leads and direct them to the appropriate sales representatives.

As I said earlier, there has never been a better time for generating new leads for your company. By leveraging these tools and adhering to best practices, you can effectively generate and nurture leads and ultimately find your next customer. And that, frankly, is fantastic.

It’s only common sense.

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group.