Sales leads

We’re going to start this section with an important public service announcement and an appeal.

For all the joy the Internet has brought us – high school friends we wouldn’t otherwise talk to, the end of trivia contests as we know them, Chocolate Rain – our inboxes have become a battlefield between Nigerian kids in Internet cafés and your friendly neighborhood IT administrator.  Unsolicited e-mail, faxes, text messages or calls to a cell phone will often enough be met with unbridled rage and a sharp “no.”

If you start down this path, legitimate businesses will stop talking to you. Spam will be your business.

DON’T SPAM. PLEASE.

Thank you.

The ubiquity of spam underlines the difficulty of finding good sales leads. There’s a reason why good sales people drive fancy cars.  Here are a few tips.

• Among the most common sources of leads is the good old-fashioned phone book.

• Word of mouth is also a valuable way to generate sales leads.

• Don't underestimate the value of networking at your local Chamber of Commerce.

• You can often find all sorts of leads by visiting the online membership lists of various professional organizations.

• Buying a bank of leads is another way to secure plenty of contacts with very little effort.

• Never use an existing client's name without permission.