How to Attract New Customers

Generally, when a company is trying to generate sales leads, using only one tactic is not going to work. You need to mix it up – use traditional techniques like direct mailers along with electronic tactics like sending out e-newsletters.

Here are a few tips to get those sales leads you need:

1. Buy competent leads. This is the easiest tactic – rent a reliable prospect list. You can get a mailing list from a variety of sources, including professional organizations, trade groups, and list brokers or alumni associations. These lists give you highly qualified leads (you get to pick most of the qualifications) that you can either mail or email your marketing materials to.

2. Become an expert. Join online forums to answer questions or give your expert advice to people in your industry. You can join Web sites that review products or that is just for opinions to up your expert credibility. You can also write articles free for industry Web sites and include a link to your Web site in your byline to drive traffic to your online store. Try to contribute to organizations, Web sites and industry journals so that you can point back to those when customers ask why they should buy from you.

3. Partner up. By collaborating with a complementary business, you can share contacts and also share resources. This can lower your marketing costs, such as for color printing for brochures, which gives you even more flexibility to reach a bigger target market.

4. Advertise in e-newsletters. Using electronic media is a great way to generate leads if you have a Web site. It is easy for people to read your ad, and then click on your link to check out your Web site.

5. Read the local newspaper. By keeping up with the news, you can pinpoint businesses or individuals who might need your services. For instance, if you read a story about one of your competitors closing its doors, you know this is a great time to send out direct mail pieces on how you will fill the gap left by your competitor.

6. Attend a trade show. Try to find a local trade show and pay to set up a booth. Trade shows are a great way to generate leads and to talk with complementary businesses about partnering, which can also increase your leads. Consumers who attend trade shows are there to find information, and you are just the person to give it to them!

7. Sign up for a networking organization. These groups work, plain and simple. What they do is share leads with member businesses that are not your direct competitors. You will have to pay for this information – annual dues are generally hundreds of dollars, but you can generally recoup that cost by contacting the leads you never would have gotten otherwise.