Lead generation, when done in the traditional way, can be a painstaking and slow process. Cold leads are hardly leads at all. Cold calling is frustrating and often unfruitful. What percent of people even go through their spam inbox? All this to say, ex nihilo lead finding is HARD. However, fortunatly for salespeople everywhere, it is not the only way of doing things. If there is one thing that LinkedIn has taught us, it’s that the business world is one big netword. A web woven of salespeople, IT consultants, analyists, HR managers, and project engineers– and everything in between! You might be thinking, “so what? How is some seven-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon garbage going to help me sell things?” Valid. The key is effectively tapping into this network and making it work for you, not just exist around you.
My father has been selling telecom services all my life. When he started, almost all of his leads were attained the old-fashioned way– hard-fought victories in the cold-calling trenches. Now? He hardly cold calls at all. Have his numbers dropped? Not at all! This year, they’re at the highest they have ever been. How? Networking partners. My father gets lunch almost every day of the week with other business people. These are not sales meetings. In fact, most of the companies these business people work for are not and will never be in the market for the telecommunication services my father sells. These meetings are to refer leads. My dad meets with an insurance agent specializing in liability for larger companies handling manufacturing. These same companies the insurance agent deals with often need some kind of telecommunication services too, and vice versa. The meet and discuss the businesses they each have in their funnel, and essentially trade leads, referring eachother in. Utilizing the foot one of them has in the door, the other gets in too. This, when used at the scaled my father uses it, can be incredibly lucrative, and save immense amounts of time that would have otherwise been burnt listening to a dial tone.
BoweryJE22
Great post! It’s true, traditional lead generation can be tough and time-consuming. Cold calling and spam emails hardly yield results. But LinkedIn has shown us the power of networking. Your dad’s success story is proof that tapping into a network of professionals can boost sales. By building relationships and exchanging leads with other businesses, he’s thriving without relying on cold calls. It’s a lucrative strategy that saves time. Thanks for sharing this valuable insight!
This highlights the power of networking and utilizing existing relationships to generate leads and close deals. The traditional methods of cold calling and cold leads are often frustrating and time-consuming. However, by tapping into the vast network of business professionals on platforms like LinkedIn, salespeople can connect with potential clients and leverage existing relationships to generate leads. The author provides a personal anecdote of how his father was able to grow his telecom business by networking with professionals in other industries who could refer potential clients. This approach not only saves time but can also be highly effective in generating quality leads. Overall, the article emphasizes the importance of building relationships and utilizing networks to succeed in sales.
Great article summary. The author raises a great point about the power of networking in lead generation. The traditional methods of cold calling and sending unsolicited emails can be time-consuming and often unfruitful. However, by tapping into the vast network of professionals on platforms such as LinkedIn, salespeople can find warm leads that are more likely to convert into actual sales. The example of the author’s father, who meets regularly with other businesspeople to refer leads, highlights the power of these connections in generating business. Salespeople who take the time to build relationships and network can save time and effort while also increasing their chances of success.