Feb 16, 2022 | Communications, Networking, Sales

Small Business Lead Generation: How to Ask for Referrals Without Making it Weird

Laura DeVries

Laura DeVries

What is lead generation? 

Lead generation is the process of identifying potential customers.

When you have a business or offer a service, getting good leads helps you to guide these potential customers you’ve identified into your sales pipeline.

Your goal is to get them pre-qualified so that you can close deals swiftly. 

Are you wondering how to generate leads for small business? Things change rapidly in the business world and so should your lead generation strategies.

If asking for referrals is out of our comfort zone, keep reading to learn how to ask your network for referrals for lead generation without making it feel weird. 

Word of Mouth Marketing

A Nielsen study shows that 92% of consumers trust suggestions from family and friends more than any other advertising. Word-of-mouth referrals are very powerful.

When people get recommendations from people they know, they are more likely to purchase your products or services. Leverage this to your advantage by asking for positive reviews, encouraging user-generated content, creating sharing triggers, or starting a referral program. 

SEO

When potential customers search for your product or service, you want your website to show up on the first page of search engine results. In order to do this, you need to improve search engine optimization (SEO)

This will increase your inbound sales leads because SEO drives natural, organic traffic to your website.  

Live Chat

Did you know that on average, only 2% of visitors to a website become leads? The best way to increase that number is to have a live chat option on your site. 

When you engage potential customers in a conversation with a real person, you close more sales.

Networking Events

Attend in-person and online networking events to help find sales leads. It’s a great way to meet new people and build relationships with people that you see at multiple events. 

Approach these potential leads to learn more about their business and offer ideas of how you can help them be successful.

Current Customers

Don’t let your current customers get away. Reach out to them after a sale to offer support and customer service and use that opportunity to thank them for supporting your business. 

Follow up with a quick conversation to make sure they understand how much you appreciate their business. Ask if they can provide you with the names and contact information of other business contacts that might need your product or service. 

Ask them to give your company a positive review and recommend you to their contacts. Be sure to thank them for any referrals with a personal gift.  

Small Business Lead Generation 

Now that you have some new small business lead generation ideas, it’s time to put them into practice. Use the methods that are successful and use your success stories to help you gain trust and confidence. When potential customers see how many people trust you, it has a snowball effect. 

Do you need a marketing service that will help you establish a marketing plan that will get results? Contact us at CommCore Marketing. Your success is our success!

 

Laura DeVries

Laura DeVries

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