Fundamental truths

1. Sales volume is dependent on sales leads.
When leads are low, growth slows & sales fall.
And when leads are plentiful, sales follow.

2. The flow of leads needs to be consistent.
You cannot make up periods of leads and
sales shortage with periods of later surplus.
Lost sales are lost forever.

3. The cost and effort which goes into different
lead generating activities produce different
quality of leads and conversion rates.
Ratio and cost analysis and lead management
needs to be a daily and weekly event. If leads
fall, further activity must be committed to make
good the shortfall.

4. Ensure that efforts and activities are sufficient
to achieve critical mass. Any lead generating
activity requires a minimum level of cost,
exposure and effort to achieve its effect.
Inputs below these levels are unproductive
and often completely wasted.

5. A mix of lead generating activities creates
a more stable and robust sales engine than
one which relies on just one or two methods.
Integrating the different activities so they
combine and support each other generates
a far greater number of leads than if used
singly or in an uncoordinated fashion.

6. Conversion rates of leads to sales vary with location, market and company size. For example in
retail, small companies tend to convert around half of their leads, whereas large proactive companies
convert between one in three and one in six. Work out your company's conversion rate and work to
generate the right number of leads to produce a dependable level of sales.

7. Training is vital to ensure consistency in selling. It produces higher conversion rates, better prices
and happier customers with higher levels of recommendations and referrals. Poorly trained sales
reps are always under price pressure.

www.getonline.com

A major source of lead generation is still being overlooked by many in the industry -
the internet. In 2007, 61% of UK households had internet access. Most businesses
are online and increasingly use the internet as a source of information to research
competitors and customers. But some companies still have no website at all!

Investing in a good website allows you to present your company professionally and
gives the right first impression - it is a showroom in the sky. It's not just open 9 to 5,
Monday to Friday. Customers and prospects can - and do - visit any time.
The greatest activity is often out of hours. People can browse the internet and
window shop without pressure.

A single website can cover the globe, so small companies have the same reach
in the global marketplace as larger competitors that have invested millions in building
an international presence. Websites that work give visitors a reason to visit, and
reasons to keep coming back. Your site needs to be attractive, understandable,
interactive and up to date.

Don't stop - be proactive In hard times, the lead generation budget is often the first to be squeezed as companies tighten their belts. But if you stop generating leads you stop selling! Do it professionally, and keep doing it, and for every pound you spend you will get plenty more back.
Many window companies have got used to buoyant markets and a flow of enquiries without doing much to generate them. But when demand drops, passive recommendations dry up. Your market and your sales are in your own hands. Use them, to grow your business. To read the latest Commercial Column or to submit a topic, visit: www.spectus.co.uk