Social networking platforms and computers in general have made it easier to connect with others than ever before. No longer is a savvy business person confined to the customers or clients in his immediate geographical area. Now he can take his business global at minimal cost.
Looking at my own social networking platforms, I count 908 friends on Facebook and around 2,400 followers on Twitter. For some, those are low numbers, while for others, they’re high. But as a writer and lead management professional, those are 3,300+ potential leads that I can turn in to revenue. And when you think about how each of those leads can influence others to try the business, the growth potential is enormous. Unfortunately, I can’t afford to rest on my laurels, satisfied in the fact that 3,300 people, who didn’t know me before, know me now. Because they don’t know me. Their social networks are likely expanding each day, and with each new contact they make, anything I have to say is likely to get lost in the noise.
Lead management, as a result, is not just a business I’m in. It’s a practice I have to undertake in order to survive. Software can help, but that will do little good if I don’t attempt to build and nurture these relationships into something meaningful. How to do that? Is there any lead management product out there that can put it all on cruise control? Unfortunately, such a product does not exist. Oh sure, there are many great organizational tools, and by all means you should be using them, but if you’re not prepared to be your natural, sincere self, you could have 1 million contacts, and the revenue you get from them (if any) will never be significant.
So when you’re online, trying to find a way to cut through the clutter and become someone that your online contacts remember, it’s important to be bold. Take a stand on an issue. Offer some free advice that goes beyond the vanilla nuts-and-bolts stuff. If you don’t have the answers, then find someone, who does, and share their insight (properly attributed to them, of course), while weighing in with some commentary of your own.
Keep sales talk to a minimum because, in this age, your leads are inundated with spam, and they have a natural tendency to ignore anything that comes across sales-heavy. In short, treat your contacts as you would your closest friends and lead them into a conversation. They’ll be more likely to remember that you hate the new health care law, for example, than if you simply beg them to tell their friends about your lead management business.
Of course, the downside is that strong opinions and stances can alienate you from some. But in the end, it’s far better to be remembered than forgotten, and as you show more of your genuine self, you’ll start to build real relationships with people, who can help evangelize your business and take it to the next level.
And getting to that stage is vital to the success of your lead management efforts because then, you have less clutter to keep up with, and more meaningful, effective long term relationships that can help you target a wider audience more likely to be interested in what you can do for them.