by Len Foley
"The Top 5 'Lies' of Lead-Generation and Retention"
Lie #1: Anyone who rejects my initial offer is a "bad" lead.
Fact: Anyone who rejects your initial offer is a NORMAL lead. Most people
want solutions to their problems, not blatant salės pitches. Flip through your
favorite magazine. How many advertisements do you remember? One, maybe
two? How many articles do you remember? Most people remember every
article they read and forget every advertisement they see.
The lesson: Nėvėr sell to your list, educate them... teach them
something
they don't know. Compel them with interesting copy about topics relevant to
their lives. If you make yourself interesting to them, they will inevitably become
responsive to you.
Lie #2: All I need is a good list of people who want my product or
service.
Fact: You need to spend less time looking for the right people...and more
time looking for the right PROBLEMS people want to have solved. When you
know exactly the kind of problem your product or service solves, you will have
no problem finding the right people in need of your solution.
Lie #3: I need a better salės pitch for my product (or service).
Fact: Please... tape this someplace where you will see it every day:
NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE! People have problems they
need to have solved, and your job is to offer exceptional solutions-not better
salės pitches.
Lie #4: If my list is unresponsive, I should contact them more.
Fact: If you want a massive response from your list, then you need to find
the MASSIVE problems your product or service specifically SOLVES. If your business doesn't
solve a problem for your list, then you don't have anything
to say to your list. And if you don't have anything to say to your list, then you
shouldn't be contacting them in the first place!
Lie #5: A good lead will buy whatever I'm selling.
Fact: Seller Beware! Good leads are market-savvy consumers who have seen
and heard it all. They can spot a meddling peddler a mile away. Try strong-
arming a good lead with a hackneyed pitch and you might just get a one-two
jab in the nose.
A good lead has no time for amateurs. They know what they want and will
not settle for second-rate hacks. A good lead, however, will be EXTREMELY responsive to
fresh, intelligent, ideas. They will perk up when you present
them with something useful, amazing, productive, revolutionary, or helpful. A
good lead will pay you a lot of monėy if you solve their problems in an inspiring,
funny, or remarkable way. Good leads, if treated well, are gold.
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For more information on how to generate MASSIVE awareness on a shoestring budget, chėck
out Len Foley's article archives at: http://www.bangingdownyourdoor.com