Why lead generation is hopeless, but good business is not.
October 26, 2015
When I explain to business people that I build marketing databases, they usually respond by asking, "Can you give my any tips for generating leads?" Actually, I have quit framing my work that way, but I still encounter so many people asking "can you help me find new customers?" I have started to reply that, "I can help you value the customers and contacts you already have."
Nick Bird said it more elegantly than I can (emphasis added):
Traditional businesses ask - "How can we define the group of prospects who are most likely to want product X?" From this flows others such as "How can we increase the leads for X?"
The CRM business asks a different type of question. "Given our skills and resources, who can we build the most profitable long term relationships with?"
Nick's comment was made inside the LinkedIn Group for CRM Experts, which you could join... https://www.linkedin.com/groups/43621/43621-6059678651115462659, or you could find more excellent advice by visiting his profile: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/nickbirdcrmadvocate.