Nov 26 2011

Lead Generation – Does it Need to Cost an Arm and a Leg?

Posted in seo marketing

Every business needs a steady supply of fresh leads. This needs to happen on a daily basis and has to be kept track of. The conundrum many of us find at the beginning is cost. It looks expensive and, in truth, it CAN be expensive, but thee are some things to take into consideration that will lower that cost.

A lot of websites are set up just to sell a product. While this can be a lucrative approach, it does little to help you gain future prospects. Although a name and email is usually collected with each sale, there is no further contact or follow up with the customer.

This type of business model allows you to sell a single item one time to a single customer. A better model is to have a way to sell multiple items to that same customer over time through following up. Of course, getting the person to buy multiple times or even the first time requires skillfully written sales page or follow up emails. Most people do not have the skill necessary, so to get the best results, consider having someone else write your copy for you.

Copywriters do not come cheap, especially if they are good and have a proven track record. That is the major cost of sales letter pages. In essence, you are relying on a set number of sales to offset that cost and lead into profit. This is known as overhead or initial outlay and we all have been there at one time or another.

Besides the sales copy, you also need a website that is designed to sell, a domain name, and hosting. These costs mount up quickly and if you rely on single sales to pay the bills, you may not see the profits you want as quickly as you want.

When it comes to sites set up for lead generation though, these will pay for themselves over and over. First of all, they do not require lengthy sales copy or fancy websites. All you really have to do is create a simple webpage with a form that offers a free report in exchange for an email address. Once the person is on your list, you can market to him repeatedly which increases the chance of the first sale and multiple sales there after.

Since that person has agreed to receive your email(s), there is no danger of a SPAM report from them. Once they have accepted your initial offer and given you their information, they are asked to confirm that they want to register on your list. This is called double opt-in and it works like a charm. Not only do you now have a prospect, you have a prospect that knows what you offer and wants to receive it willingly.

This is why lead generation is so important. You add new people to your list every day and have an ever growing list of people to market to. It only takes a few minutes to implement and compared to hiring someone to craft a sales page and design a fancy website, the cost is minimal. Treat the people on your list well in order to build trust and you will have customers for life.

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