LEAD GENERATION DECODED: Target the right customers using this model

Whether you are an employee in the sales department of a company or an entrepreneur, the key to your success is maximizing your sales. It is the only thing that will bring the much-needed vitamin M into your business.   

In the current scenario a lot of sales professionals have been complaining about the market being saturated or customers not having the capacity to spend money. While that may be true to an extent, a lot of times I have seen sales professionals lose out on the deal simply because they are not able to identify the right markets to sell in and the right customers to sell to. This wastes a lot of time and effort and causes a great deal of frustration to them. 

If you are facing the same challenges, you need to revisit your lead generation strategy.

Here is a simple model you can use to ramp up your leads and make sure you are targeting the right customers.

It’s called the CHARM model: 

C - Customer Persona

A customer persona is a detailed description of someone fictional who represents your target audience. 

Identify different personas that will buy your product. Make a note of all the possible goals, interests, challenges, typical behavior and buying patterns of each persona. This will help you customize your pitch according to your target audience. 

H - High potential leads first

Many salespeople have a database in hand and start cold calling customers directly. Identify and rate clients based on their buying patterns and capacity. Most databases usually have a way of segregating leads based on position, industry, demographics etc. 

A - Analyze and identify the decision maker

Its very important that you identify your main stakeholder, that is, the decision maker.

Else you might spend a lot of time and effort pitching to someone who does not have the authority to buy, no matter how much he likes your product/service. Also remember,

the strategy for the gatekeeper and the decision maker needs to be completely different. 

R - Research the background of the prospective lead

Most people think sales starts with opening. However, it is very challenging to open a conversation effectively without knowing anything about the prospect.

1. Go through your prospects public profiles.
2. Get insights on the prospects industry, position, experience, likes and interests. 
3. Use the information to your advantage while making small talk.

I have seen a lot of customers appreciate the fact that the salesperson has done his/her homework. It also projects sincerity. However, you need to be smart about what points from your research you choose to bring up during a conversation. You get too personal; you might come off as creepy. 

M - Mode of communication to connect

I usually say this in all my sales workshops. 

Use the phone call only to break the ice and get a meeting with the prospect.

In the current scenario where meetings are virtual, find out what platform your client is most comfortable with and schedule a meeting on that platform. Its completely ok if the client’s video is off.

However, your video needs to be on, and you need to be able to add in some visual elements such as charts, graphs, images etc. It’s much easier to trust a person you can see as compared to someone you can only hear. 

Hope this model helps you in your lead generation. For any more guidance or help in increasing your sales, you can reach out to us at www.search4excellence.com