Some Fundamental Rules to Improve Your Sales Lead Generation By Mac McIntosh Even if you're not sure which came first, the chicken or the egg, you should still be able to answer the question, 'Which came first, the sale or the lead?' There are no sales without leads, and without sales there is no business. It's difficult to overstate just how important sales lead generation is to success in business. The most important aspect of building business is beginning with qualified leads; leads are generated by a functioning sales lead generation plan. If sales lead generation is flat at your business, there are five important rules to keep in mind which can help you make necessary improvements: 1. Know what you're looking for. An untargeted approach brings in too many leads which are unqualified. This can equate to a waste of time. 2. Once you know what you're seeking, where can you find it? Find out where qualified leads are to uncover your target market. For example, if your target market is women over forty, you may do better to avoid marketing to sports fans. 3. Know what you must know about your leads. You can qualify your leads and aid the sales process by asking the right questions. You will need to gain the usual info such as name, address, phone, and email. Next you can take it a step further by asking qualifier questions about gender, favorite movies, hobbies, age, or anything else that can help you understand who your customers are and how your offerings can be a good fit for them. 4. Offer something of value to your prospects in exchange for their personal info and time. Offerings can include a free white paper or eBook, but you can get creative here. The free bonus that you offer can be designed to further advertising that will lead your prospects back to you, as well as encourage them to supply info about them. This helps build relationships with your prospects, making them more likely to pay attention to your message down the road. 5. Continually analyze your results, and make adjustments accordingly. Try again. Repeat. No matter how good your efforts are, there's always room for improvement. Usually, when you think you understand all there is to know, it's a good time to start again at the beginning and learn it all over again. By following these fundamental rules, you can improve sales lead generation at your business. This will put you on the path to increasing sales and generating profits in the coming year and into the future.