If you have crappy leads, you might as well pick up the nearest phone book and start dialing randomly. The chances that any of these unqualified or poorly qualified leads will convert are LOW, which [...]]]>

The one time you should trust a salesman is…

Salesmen will tell you, “Its all about the leads,” and they’re right.

If you have crappy leads, you might as well pick up the nearest phone book and start dialing randomly. The chances that any of these unqualified or poorly qualified leads will convert are LOW, which is why those in business know its vital to get the freshest leads possible.

However, with the immediate want-it-now nature of the internet, you now have a new strategy for lead generation which is EXTREMELY cost effective.

Once you have your site up and running, the NEXT logical step is to generate some traffic. The difference between marketing online and marketing in person is this: in the online world, people come to you.

Where do I get more qualified prospects?

Ideally, new people will be coming to your site through search engines, back links, or any of a number of methods. All you need to do is convert them into sales.

So the question remains: If customers come to you instead of vice versa, why do you need a system to generate leads?

The answer is simple. Once you have a basic list of qualified prospects, you can market to THAT LIST of people as often as you like.

Instead of pushing a hard sell every time a visitor comes to your site, you can take a softer approach. Offer them a free education in exchange for their email address.

Thank you, come again

If they agree, they are in effect “PURCHASING” your product using their email address as currency.

Using this strategy enables you to reach out to qualified prospects as often as you like. This comes in handy should you choose to promote the launch of a new product, do some affiliate marketing for a JV partner, or gauge interest on a potential new venture.

Generating qualified leads is at the heart of an expanding business or corporation. By growing your list, you are growing your LONG TERM potential for expansion into your market of choice.

To Get Hot Internet Leads, Trust A Salesman originally appeared on VIP Internet Marketing on November 5, 2009.

What’s that? You managed to launch a profitable business WITHOUT a web presence? What are you selling, buggy whips?

Regardless of your business’s standing in a given industry, you can still benefit from an increased presence on the net. Even if your business HAS a heavily promoted website, there are other ways for [...]]]>

What’s that? You managed to launch a profitable business WITHOUT a web presence? What are you selling, buggy whips?

Regardless of your business’s standing in a given industry, you can still benefit from an increased presence on the net. Even if your business HAS a heavily promoted website, there are other ways for you to design a specialized corporate internet marketing strategy to drive sales even higher.

Here are some ideas to consider:

• Create an ebook (informational product) with basic information about your industry. LOAD the ebook with links to your more information (your website and sales pages!) establish an “affiliate” program for potential salesmen on a performance-basis. you only pay if they sell your product!

• Start a blog, giving out the latest news and updates from your company or industry.  Create interest in aspects of your company OTHER than the product itself. If you have a great blog or ebook that satisfies a potential customer’s desire for education, where do you think he’s going to look for more when he’s done? That’s right, YOUR SITE. Once he does, see if you can slip in some sales copy about your product or service.

• Create a YouTube channel for your company. Add videos relevant to your company’s field or industry. Update viewers about new products, services or any ground-breaking research your company might be doing.

While every business is different, the rules remain the same for each: expand, make more than you spend, and you stay in the game. For an organization with a corporate structure, often times these decisions are not carried out by those on lower levels.

Mid to large size companies have the potential to systematically dominate their industry-specific keywords, and oftentimes they do. While this will get them quite a bit of traffic from Google, it does relatively nothing to encourage users to arrive to the site from other means.

For example, take the soft drink giant Pepsi. Because they are so large, they can afford to buy Super Bowl commercials, sponsor major sporting events, and hire high profile celebrities to promote their product.

More money doesn’t always equal better marketing

Probably not, and I’ll tell you why. To those who Pepsi is marketing TO (us), it offers nothing of value other than a 30 second distraction from our otherwise bland lives. The advertisement is forgotten as soon as the commercial ends.

What if, however, Pepsi were to run a YouTube contest where people compete to make the best 30 second Pepsi commercial?

It would generate a HUGE amount of buzz across all forms of media and be virtually free to promote (nothing more than a well placed press release). This flexibility in the creative process is the major advantage small business owners have over their corporate competitors.

How Your Corporation Can Dominate Your Industry Via Online Marketing originally appeared on VIP Internet Marketing on November 5, 2009.