Using Search and Google Alerts to Find Sales Leads
When we think of online lead generation or Internet leads our thoughts drift to Google AdWords, landing pages, and Web forms.
But, is there an easier way? Maybe customers that are already at our finger tips, ready to be found.
This is the big opportunity in social media.
It's like a huge database being constantly filled with customer needs, wants, pain, and preferences.
They tell you how to contact them and exactly what they are passionate about--a sales person's dream.
Don't be distracted by all the marketing nonsense surrounding social media, focus on the data in the channel.
Learn to search for sales leads that are already there, not trying to generate ones out of thin air.
Searching Social Media Content Finding sales opportunities in the sea of disconnected social media tools and networks used to be complex.
Not so anymore.
A little time spent practicing with Google Advanced Search can bring you all the sales leads you can possibly work.
However, you do need to practice and refine your social media search techniques.
Start by thinking like a customer, not a sales person.
Stop using your language and use theirs to develop your searches.
Think through the characteristics of your ideal sales lead.
Here are some ideas to fuel your quest for opportunity, search for:
Turning Money Making Searches into Alerts Searches are nice and I promise you are going to immediately find more prospects than you know what to do with, but it's not something you have time to do every day.
In order to turn social media into a sustainable channel of sales leads you need a system.
As chance would have it, Google provides this sales tool too--Google Alerts.
By simply taking those money making searches and copy and pasting them into Google Alerts you have created an automated lead generation system.
Now your sales opportunities will flow effortlessly into your email or RSS reader, based on your preference.
No more scouring the Internet looking for news or trigger events on your sales target accounts.
Spend a few minutes a month setting up your target accounts or sales themes and you will have a stuffed sales pipeline.
But, is there an easier way? Maybe customers that are already at our finger tips, ready to be found.
This is the big opportunity in social media.
It's like a huge database being constantly filled with customer needs, wants, pain, and preferences.
They tell you how to contact them and exactly what they are passionate about--a sales person's dream.
Don't be distracted by all the marketing nonsense surrounding social media, focus on the data in the channel.
Learn to search for sales leads that are already there, not trying to generate ones out of thin air.
Searching Social Media Content Finding sales opportunities in the sea of disconnected social media tools and networks used to be complex.
Not so anymore.
A little time spent practicing with Google Advanced Search can bring you all the sales leads you can possibly work.
However, you do need to practice and refine your social media search techniques.
Start by thinking like a customer, not a sales person.
Stop using your language and use theirs to develop your searches.
Think through the characteristics of your ideal sales lead.
Here are some ideas to fuel your quest for opportunity, search for:
- Competitor's names, products, and sales people
- Common problems your product solves
- Frequently asked questions you get on sales calls
- The names of influencers in your industry or market
Turning Money Making Searches into Alerts Searches are nice and I promise you are going to immediately find more prospects than you know what to do with, but it's not something you have time to do every day.
In order to turn social media into a sustainable channel of sales leads you need a system.
As chance would have it, Google provides this sales tool too--Google Alerts.
By simply taking those money making searches and copy and pasting them into Google Alerts you have created an automated lead generation system.
Now your sales opportunities will flow effortlessly into your email or RSS reader, based on your preference.
No more scouring the Internet looking for news or trigger events on your sales target accounts.
Spend a few minutes a month setting up your target accounts or sales themes and you will have a stuffed sales pipeline.
