3 Powerful Lead Generation Tools for Sales Professionals

Like fire, businesses need fuel. Those that don't find new customers and talent simply don't thrive. Finding this constant infusion of new life can be a struggle, especially for small businesses and start-ups with limited marketing budgets. Here are three powerful lead generation tools to add fuel to your fire, two of which don't cost a thing.

Marketing Automation

Despite the name, marketing automation software won't generate leads on autopilot all by itself. It is, however, a powerful tool for gathering and collating data about sales and recruitment leads, allowing you to easily monitor things like how often a mass email was opened rather than deleted or which links your website visitors are clicking most. This information will help you determine which lead generation strategies are working well and which ones need a tweak. Marketing automation software also uses collected data to rank leads and identify the most promising.

Social Media

Funny cat pictures aside, social media is a valuable lead generation tool. Social media allows both recruiters and sales staff to create a large pool of people who are already interested in your company and its products. It takes time to build a social media following, but once you do, you can easily and quickly share job openings and other company news with these leads. As an added bonus, social media groups manage themselves. People can choose to stop following you whenever they like, eliminating the risk of accidentally contacting someone who no longer wishes to hear from you.

People You Know

When selling and recruiting, remember the leads you already have. Talk to your friends and business associates about job opportunities and services that might interest them or someone they know. While you clearly shouldn't turn every birthday party or backyard barbecue into a recruitment meeting, don't overlook the people you know or the people they know. Consider offering a finder's fee to those who give you a lead that results in a sale or new hire. Recruiters and sales people perform similar tasks, with one selling a product or service while the other sells a job. No matter which you sell, you need to find someone to sell it to. Lead generation is a crucial activity for recruiters and sales staff, and both will benefit from these effective lead generation tools. Photo by Harry Chapman/CC BY