Finding new leads is one of the most challenging and rewarding aspects of sales engineering. You need to identify potential customers who have a problem that your solution can solve, and who are willing and able to buy from you. But how do you find these leads in a competitive and dynamic market? Here are some tips to help you generate more leads in sales engineering.
The first step to finding new leads is to understand your industry and domain. You need to know the trends, challenges, opportunities, and pain points that your target customers face. You also need to know the key players, competitors, influencers, and decision-makers in your niche. This will help you tailor your value proposition, messaging, and outreach to each lead. You can use sources like industry reports, blogs, podcasts, webinars, events, and social media to research your industry and domain.
Have your own webpage. Then your clients post reviews this will build credibility. Ask for referrals. Be that out of box player.
One thing I've found helpful is to organize and to arrange your potential lead sources into classes like: 1. Company Size (large-small) 2. Probability Type (from highest to lowest likelihood:: existing-inbound-outbound) 3. User Type (research and define your targeted nearest types of the prospects)
The second step to finding new leads is to leverage your existing network. You can ask for referrals, introductions, testimonials, and recommendations from your current and past customers, partners, colleagues, and friends. You can also join and participate in online and offline communities, groups, forums, and associations related to your industry and domain. You can share your expertise, insights, and content, and engage with potential leads who show interest or need in your solution. You can also use tools like LinkedIn, Twitter, and email to reach out to your network and build relationships.
I agree on all accounts plus branding your name out there. My is “Shop with the Diamond” Leave them something to remember like Mc Donald’s Golden arches.
Using your existing network is not just about find totally new "logos"/customers but Often times in enterprise sales, there are multiple buyers within an organization. Different regions might have their own budgets or you might have solutions that target different use cases within an organization led by different leadership chains. If you already sell to one team, ask them to help get you connected to the other teams. If you have a great relationship with the existing customer its okay to ask them about the other departments or regions.
Based on my experience, I would prioritize the leads network based on the value they could bring to you: 1. Existing clients (leveraging testimonials) 2. Competitors' network (identifying weaknesses) 3. Inbound leads (Search for ways they can demonstrate to new beginners how to easily begin with your services/products.)
The third step to finding new leads is to use inbound and outbound marketing. Inbound marketing is the process of attracting leads to your website, landing page, or content through SEO, social media, blogs, ebooks, white papers, case studies, webinars, and other forms of educational and valuable content. Outbound marketing is the process of reaching out to leads through cold calls, emails, ads, direct mail, and other forms of targeted and personalized communication. You can use both inbound and outbound marketing to generate awareness, interest, and action from your leads.
I've noticed more times that when a manager sees a successful sales engineer, he'd also think it means they'll also create lots of new leads. This in my opinion is wrong managing and that part should be covered with marketing resources.
The fourth step to finding new leads is to qualify your leads. You need to filter out the leads who are not a good fit for your solution, and focus on the ones who are. You can use criteria like budget, authority, need, and timeline (BANT) to assess the readiness and suitability of your leads. You can also use tools like CRM, lead scoring, lead nurturing, and analytics to track and manage your leads. You need to qualify your leads before you move them to the next stage of the sales cycle.
The fifth step to finding new leads is to demonstrate your value. You need to show your leads how your solution can solve their problem, meet their needs, and deliver their desired outcomes. You can do this by conducting discovery calls, presentations, demos, trials, and proposals. You need to use your technical and business skills, as well as your industry and domain knowledge, to communicate your value proposition, address objections, and overcome challenges. You need to demonstrate your value to convince your leads to buy from you.
This step helps you to stand out from only being a salesperson to a resource person. Showcasing your domain knowledge, technical understanding and business skills can help your customers develop confidence in you.
The sixth and final step to finding new leads is to ask for the sale. You need to close the deal and convert your leads into customers. You can do this by creating a sense of urgency, offering incentives, providing guarantees, and handling negotiations. You need to use your sales and communication skills, as well as your rapport and trust, to persuade your leads to sign the contract, make the payment, and start using your solution. You need to ask for the sale to achieve your sales goals.