I’m of two minds when it comes to referrals as a lead source. On one hand, I’m jaded by the people who claim their number one source of clients is “word of mouth and referrals,” when they really mean, “I have no idea and no plan.” On the other hand, I know people and businesses that have absolutely mastered the art of referrals, driving all their growth through this one channel.
Is there any way to do outbound lead generation without giving up the expert high ground, or does any solicitation taint you with the stench of a needy, powerless vendor?
David disagrees with Blair’s model for growing existing accounts in the post-AOR era and then offers his list of 6 ideas on the topic.
When I think of the firms that drive numerous inbound leads they all have one very clear thing they do. Their lead generation efforts are as focused as their positioning. They’ve resisted diluting their efforts across numerous channels, avoiding Warren Buffet’s admonishment that “Diversification is for people who don’t know what they are doing.”
It takes a lot of work in fact to generate a steady stream of good referrals and it’s no surprise that very few firms ever get to this place where the business is sustained and growing entirely by doing great work for good clients and systematically asking for and following up on referrals. It is however the highest form of “marketing” that we should all aspire to.
There’s a word you need to hear that I’ve been struggling to say to you. I’ve been keeping it from you because I have incontrovertible proof that you don’t like this word. Now, you, the individual, might be an exception but you and your peers as a group don’t like it. I know because every
The Rule is simple: Publish or Perish. If you don’t regularly come up with original thinking, and write it down, and make it interesting to read, and give it away for free, you can’t stay in our cult. That’s crazy, but that’s the Rule.
Last year I upped my writing and online publishing commitment significantly as a year-long experiment. In this post I want to share what I did, what I learned and what you might take away and use yourself. Falling Into and Out of the Writing Rhythm I built the consulting practice that was Win Without Pitching
Agency business development is a cocktail of sales, marketing and public relations activities. To be successful, your firm has to possess assets in each area.
If you need leads now, nothing beats picking up the phone or sending an email. Yes, response rates are abysmally low today but with selectivity and proper technique, you’re far more likely to deliver results sooner through outbound than inbound.
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