Start a Consulting Business by Properly Managing Leads
When you start a consulting business that focuses on small business technology, you need to get the word out any way you can.
You’ll send out a note to all of your current contacts. You may send some marketing materials, and start attending networking events.
Commend yourself if you’ve done all that already. That’s half the battle.
The other half is managing the leads that come in from all of your work.
Leads aren’t worth anything if they’re sitting in a pile somewhere. You need to create a follow-up system to manage every lead that comes in:
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For every contact you receive, immediately record the date, place, a few notes on what you talked about, and any follow-up requests. Do this wherever you are—it must be done right away.
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That night, enter the contact and related information into your database. Find a way to calendar out follow-up and response times, and set reminders for you to review.
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Respond to any follow-up requests—no later than the next day or two.
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For all others, send a personal note (“nice to meet you,” etc.) and include a brochure with your business info or a link to your benefits. Calendar a 60-90 day follow-up.
Start a consulting business with a tracking system like this in place to funnel all potential leads into your marketing sales cycle.
Force yourself to stick to the deadlines. You absolutely can’t afford to squander follow-up requests. And don’t wait until they can’t quite remember where or how they met you. You’ll soon forget what you talked about, or anything unique about the encounter, and then all the benefits of the personal contact are lost. Maximize all of your hard work in getting leads by following up properly.
For someone looking to start a consulting business, what’s the most important aspect of managing leads? What’s been most productive and effective for you? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
To follow-through on the tips introduced in this short post, be sure to download your free copy of the special report on How to Start a Computer Consulting Business: 6 Proven Ways to Build Your Initial Client Base.
Creative Commons Image Source: flickr petter palander