Lead Generation - Does it Need to Cost an Arm and a Leg?

By Miguel Pancardo


In order for your business to thrive you need a fresh supply of leads on a regular basis. The problem is that obtaining these leads can be expensive so it is a challenging task when you are first starting out and don't have much in your budget to spare. Here are some things to consider that might lower the cost of getting business leads.

Many sites use a simple sales letter type page that has one objective - to sell an item. While this may have some success, it generally does nothing for you in terms of future sales contacts. Sure, you have the person's name and all, but once they have bought that item, there is no follow up to it.

This type of sales process is singular and contains you to a single sale to a single customer. What you want to do is design it so you have a way of selling other items you have for sale to that same customer. Now, sales letter type pages require an effective text that drives the customer to hit the "Buy" button at the end. Sales copy is a skill that not all people have, so having it written for you is the answer.

However, copywriters that are good at what they do are not cheap to hire. The expense should pay for itself over time however. No matter what type of business you go into, there is an initial outlay or overheard where you have to put money into the business upfront and wait a while for sales to turn into actual profit.

The site itself has to be designed so that anyone can navigate through it. I have seen a lot of expensive, flashy sites that basically generate no income for the owner other than the sales that come from it. Add in the costs of hosting, domain registration and upkeep and you may never recover the entire cost of the business as it will always be creeping up and biting you on the butt!

When it comes to sites set up for lead generation though, these will pay for themselves over and over. First of all, they do not require lengthy sales copy or fancy websites. All you really have to do is create a simple webpage with a form that offers a free report in exchange for an email address. Once the person is on your list, you can market to him repeatedly which increases the chance of the first sale and multiple sales there after.

Since the people agree to receive email from you when they request your free report, there is no risk of spamming, especially if you use double opt-in. This means that when someone enters their email address for the report, they must first click on a link and confirm their email before the report is sent. This prevents people from entering false email addresses or addresses that belong to someone else. Double opt-in confirms that your prospect is aware of what you are offering and has willingly asked to receive it.

Your lead generation website will collect new prospects for you day after day. Treat these subscribers well and they will remain on your list for years giving you an every growing base of people to market to. You receive all these great benefits at far less cost and effort than setting up a single sales website, plus you will see more profits too.




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