Situation: A CEO wants to increase the company’s customer base. What have others done to generate leads in order to expand their customer base. What techniques have worked best? How do you create an effective lead generation campaign?

Advice from the CEOs:

• One CEO who targets large customers used outside telesales at first but found them to be ineffective. They have since gone to an inside team. There is a learning phase, but with experience this can be an effective solution.
• Another company uses an inside telesales team. This started with one individual and has become a team. Because this provides more control, one can hire for quality. This is often older callers who sound very professional on the telephone. It also provides the opportunity to tweak the telephone script for special promotions or circumstances.
  • For this company the number of calls per lead and closed account are high – up to 5% for leads and 1% for closed accounts. With a disciplined team and proper incentives, this is very doable.
• Investigate the availability of local business lists such as Craig’s List or Rich’s Business Lists These lists are searchable by industry and business parameters.
• Consider small professional conferences that attract target personnel of your key potential prospects. These are great networking and lead generation opportunities.
• Make sure that there is a good link between the telemarketing and sales teams. This includes tracking, credit and rewards for landing accounts, and similar incentives.

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