We recently received an email from Steve Mills offering a free download of his ebook The 10 Biggest Lead Generation Mistakes (click on the link to get yours for free) and the lovely @shaungisbourne agreed to review it for us, so here’s his review:

In this comprehensive yet far from exhaustive guide, and with some real examples backed up by cold hard numbers, Steve Mills brings into focus core sales and marketing truths, introducing concrete actions for future-proofing your business. Focusing on the measurable and repeatable actions of sales and marketing that any self-respecting organisation can and should put into practice, Mills pulls no punches as he delves into his own mistakes as well as drawing on the experience of others.

Image by TLC Fotografie via Flickr

Lead generation is a strategy that small businesses have to master. In order for a business to stay afloat, interaction with its target market is necessary. With the help of the internet, reaching out to potential customers has become a lot simpler. The most popular lead generation strategies include sending e-mails or making calls. But there are more techniques to consider.

A guest post from Catherine Yaffe of Cat Creative Multimedia

As a business owner it’s imperative to keep feeding your sales pipeline. Whilst no one likes it, cold calling is an essential element. Outsourcing can be costly, but the following basic rules should help you or your staff to get past any nerves and give you the confidence to pick up the phone and start calling.

1. Do your research on the company / individual.
2. Be relaxed and enthusiastic.
3. Tone – the MOST vital characteristic of a telephone conversation, you can say it all with tone.

Picture the scene: You've just had a few succesful days at an expo or a trade show ; Plenty of enquiries, business cards, competition entries and contacts made. You're on a roll and ready to get down to picking up the phone and specifying the next step with your new aquaintances.

As you walk into the office on Monday morning, your enthusiasm for strengthening ties with new contacts begins to evaporate: your email inbox is overflowing, reports sit on your desk to read and it seems everyone wants a piece of you. Here's where you must decide to prioritize or lose the chance to work with some of the new contacts: Lose sales, lose market share, lose money invested in the expo/trade show.

Telemarketing or Telesales: Do you know which one you need?

Let’s face it; most people don’t know the difference between Telemarketing and Telesales.  This suggests that they don’t understand the important distinct values that can be gleaned from each service.  The words ‘Telemarketing’ and ‘Telesales’ are still often used interchangeably and then, they can be used to describe activities that often cross over.  However, if you wish to get the most from your telephone campaign, knowledge of the differences and how they can be best employed to help your business is vital.