SALES LEADS : GENERALIZATION AND CLASSIFICATION (ON THE BASIS OF THEIR GENERATION)

In "Corporate Capital Equipment Selling" we will discuss "Sales Leads and their generation" in detail since "sales-leads" are the first obstacle which confronts the beginner.

There are no dearth of books on "sales leads" but Indian Management Gurus are sadly silent on this subject. Therefore, as the beginner consumes book after book in search of that elusive magic potion called "success", the young debutante falters as she (Instead of "he" , this chapter is being written with “she” to avoid charges of gender bias)follows method after method, but nothing succeeds so the debutante finds herself denouncing self-help sales books, getting frustrated , being suspicious and ultimately even quitting sales altogether. This is a pity as there are few professions which offer the challenge, dynamism and creativity as Sales.

"Sales-Lead" generation my friends, is the easiest part of the sales process"-and that is a fact which I hope to be able to make you see for yourselves through this blog. The first law of "sales of capital equipment" is that the ease of sales-leads generation is directly proportional to the sales value. It becomes all the more interesting when the values are moderate or high.

Again, if the debutante salesperson is subjected to pressure from all sides, one fine day, the salesperson will lose interest in his job which is a lose-lose situation. This is something all bosses should try to avoid. Treat your subordinates like your less experienced equals, (which they are) indulge in pep talks every now and then and lead from the front. Most importantly, brief your assistant as to the purpose of his work. (There is nothing more demeaning then asking your  junior to do a task and not telling him/her why the work has to be done) If all these are carried out, I can say without doubt that your sales will be spectacular. For this special effort, your rewards (they will start to show after about a year) will be your position with your customers. You will be able to pluck orders from the air and insert it wherever you like.

“Sales leads” to which we return now, can be divided into various types based on different parameters. However for easy comprehension, I feel that the following classification based on source is very helpful.

1.     Leads via the Net:

2.     Leads via Newspapers

3.     Leads via consultants

4.     Leads via references

5.     Leads via Networking (sales leads)

6.     Leads via friends

7.     Leads via marketing ploys or Guerrilla leads

       8.  Leads via seminars, conferences, exhibitions etc..

....to be continued