Sales Leads Made Easy |

With the introduction of globalization and increase in Trade relations between nations, there has been an increase in import and export of goods between countries. This serves as a great way to expand businesses and open new markets for companies with an eye for opportunities. Globalization allows them to acquire market share in the global economy. It also serves as a catalyst for faster growth and brand building.

In this competitive world, advertising is critical. With globalization in place, you need to be more aggressive in your advertising as you are not only competing with local businesses but businesses across the world. This is nature of the import and export business. Those who are able to build a good global brand name will eventually become the market leader.

When discussing about import and export, let?s understand what it actually means. An import is any good or service brought into a country from another country in a fair and acceptable fashion, typically for use in trade. Imported goods or services introduce domestic consumers to newer things by foreign producers. In general, there are two basic types of imports: Industrial goods and consumer goods.

Companies usually import goods and services to supply to the domestic market at a cheaper price and provide goods that are superior compared to goods manufactured in the domestic market. But in total, there are 3 types of importers. First, there are those who import and sell products to the rest of the world. Second, there are those who import from foreign sources at low prices, and they sell to the domestic market only. And then there are those who import and sell products both to the foreign and domestic market.

An export is any specialized product, commodity or technology, shipped from one country to another country, typically for use in its domestic market. For example, India exports Darjeeling Tea to many other nations. Export of commercial goods normally requires trade agreements between two nations.

All businesses require B2B websites in order to advertise their products to the global market. These websites are used by businesses for capturing and following up on buy sell requests from companies in foreign countries. There are various kinds of leads portals where a company requiring some goods or services can post its requirements. Usually, posting an advertisement on a B2B website only requires a small posting fee.

Companies operating in different nations can choose to join B2B web directories. Such activities automatically generate import and export business for all members of the directories. International buyers and sellers can post their contact information to facilitate buying and selling. As the B2B directories continue to grow, companies find that they can import and export a wide range of products and services. Product categories include for Automobiles, Garments, Furniture, and Electronics etc. Services may include Education, Healthcare, Architecture, BPO etc.

Of course, the primary goal of the company is to attain the best possible Return on Investment (ROI). This can be achieved by taking advantage of online tools such as B2B portals that will allow them to conduct International trade with ease.

Gen Wright
http://www.articlesbase.com/ask-an-expert-articles/a-quick-introduction-to-the-import-and-export-business-634737.html

I’m putting an information product together and wanted to know what the most effective way to generate business-to-business leads on Linkedin.com is? Please give specific examples on how you or someone you’ve worked with has done it successfully. I’m willing to give full credit and a byline to good answers. Thanks.

Make contacts and more contacts… Attend chamber events in your areas as well…

I am a new life agent and I am trying to get started in the insurance industry. I am looking for more sources of leads other than my family, friends or the local chamber I’ve joined. Does anyone have any ideas??

Try this site: http://www.lifeleadsdirect.com/

You can browse their database and "cherrypick" leads that meet your critiera. When you register, you can receive emails about potential clients as they become available in your area. You can review the potential lead–M/F, age, height, weight, how much insurance they have, how much they want, what type–and decide whether or not to buy it.

If you have more budget, go to: http://www.ileads.com/

For a little more money, they will provide you with real-time leads collected from their network of websites, "scrubbed" for accuracy, and forwarded straight to you. You can also establish your parameters with them. If you have a "bad" lead–one that you are unable to contact for some reason–they will replace it.

Good luck!

Tradenote.net has partnered with Grupo Greco Gres to offer Costa Rican businesses access to one of the world’s largest sources of international trade leads. www.tradenote.net will offer Costa Rican importers and exporters the ability to reach over 40,000 new business prospects from all over the world. Members post their offers to buy and sell their products and services on-line and can receive selected offers via email.

Grupo Greco Gres Internacional is a Costa Rican company founded in 1965 as a Manufacturers’ Representative & Commission Agents’ firm and that has been successfully representing principals from North America, Europe & Asia for over 30 years. At present, it handles the business of more than 15 companies in the Central American region and has served over 150 customers.

Grupo Greco will offer Costa Rican businesses the ability to reach new international business associates at over 90% less cost than traditional methods. While Costa Rican businesses expand their horizons, current Tradenote.net members will have access to Costa Rica’s growing market.

About Tradenote.net

Tradenote.net is a global, multi-industry network of more than 60 regional and vertical B2B global trade marketplaces focused on providing international exposure and new trade opportunities to small and medium sized businesses involved in the import and export fields.

Tradenote.net ‘s network of trade sites currently provide access to over $1 m dollars in trade leads across 1,200 sub-categories, grouped by industry. An additional 1,000 new leads are added each day.

Launched in early 2001, Tradenote.net has risen to become one of the premiere resources for global trade lead information and B2B trade services. To date, more than 70,000 companies have registered worldwide, with registrations continuing to grow at a rate of 90 per day.

A consistent innovator in the field, Tradenote.net was amongst the first marketplaces to place a high emphasis on delivering qualified trade lead information directly to the end user via email. Additional services include lead posting [RFQ/RFP] with document storage, company showrooms, an international business directory, web-based email and an extensive b2b resource area with links to additional information and service providers.

brown
http://www.articlesbase.com/online-business-articles/tradenotenet-offers-costa-rican-businesses-the-world-115811.html

I have a small insurance business in the St. Louis metro area, and I have the BEST success working with the St Louis Business Journal to find my leads weekly in their publication, along with their annual Book Of List, and I also get local business information to stay competitive. Are there any other great ideas out there to get the same results? I pay 68.95 a year for all of this. I would like to stay within that SAME budget. If anyone else is interested in this Sales Tool Package, I have a way to give you the link. Thanks for the suggestions!

Copy Cat, explore the same with another Business Journal to get another set of Readers. Usually, with each Business Journal you will get different set of Readers.

Good Luck !!

Ask a business owner what he or she is doing about the economic crisis and they will tell you they are busy making big changes…reducing waste, re-engineering processes, revamping their sales efforts, cutting expenses, selling off inventories and the list goes on and on. Whenever a business is in the midst of making big moves and changes this is high season for sales lead generators. Whether you are selling in an up or down market, sales leads are always created as a result of some sort of cause and effect relationship that is based on a problem, challenge or pain. Change is a lead generator’s “best friend” because pain creates new sales “openings” that were not previously available.

Here are 5 examples of how to leverage slow times for new business development:

1. Realign Your Sales Message: The bottom line for most decision makers is that they still have lofty goals to reach despite having lost many key people. Their internal systems and processes are thus in a state of turmoil.  In this context you need to reassess your lead generation pitch or messaging. If it costs a company $5,000 to make a widget they have to find a way to now make that widget for $4,000. You should be re-engineering your message so that your solution can help your prospect achieve this via saving money or dramatic process improvements. Often these selling points are sitting in the middle or back end of your sales pitch and moving these key selling points to your opening will provide key “showcasing”.    

2. Look For Obvious Moves & Changes: Recently we developed a sales lead at a company that most sales people would elect to initially stay away from. The company was breathing its last breath but suddenly was acquired by a larger regional firm because of failing operations due to the soft construction and housing market. The news of this deal was all over the media so it wasn’t hard to find. Once the deal was inked the company had a new name and thus this “change” created a sales lead. The opportunity was comprised of: 200 sets of business cards, Letterhead, Envelopes, Mailing Labels, 5,000 each of 36 Different Color Sell Sheets, 20,000 presentation folders, 20,000 Direct Mailers and the list goes on and on. The total value of this sales lead totaled $59,000.

3. Look For Companies Who Are Downsizing: Staff reductions may mean a greater reliance on outsourcing services. Typically companies try to spread their workload across their remaining staff and often this just doesn’t work. Serve up your services as a solution to getting the work done on a project basis. Sell strong on the benefits of outsourcing. You have a way for your potential clients to get basic workload done for much less than hiring a full time employee. You can also relieve the pressure on their small and over worked existing team. 

4. Grow Revenues Via Cross Sell & Upsell: Pitching cost reduction is only half the story in a down market. It’s easy to forget that prospects of B2B companies are also struggling to increase revenues. Re-engineer your messaging to determine how your prospects can sell more of their products and services. For example, if you are a website designer this may be a good time to team up with a search engine optimization company and serve up this new service to all of your existing clients. More hits to a website means more sales leads. Look at logical cross sell and up sell opportunities that require little or no investment on your part. This fresh pitch gets you in front of your new and existing clients and that means you are building new pipeline and creating sales opportunities. 

5. Adjust Your Target Market: Not all markets are sensitive to the economy in the same way. The housing market, for example, experiences the economic cycle sooner than other markets (and the raw materials that make houses experience the economic cycle even sooner than that!). Economists call these “leading indicators” because they are an economic cycle ahead of the average. There are lagging industries as well. The point is, not everyone is experiencing the same economy you are. Determine who is doing well and match your product or service to their needs. The goal is to micro-target vertical markets that are weathering the economic slow down better than others.

 

Over the past 50 years, the average recession has lasted 11 months. This is shorter than most people realize and if you keep this in mind it makes the storm easier to weather. Certainly there are economic realities to face, but smart prospectors will adjust their strategies and keep their sales pipelines healthy.

Al Davidson
http://www.articlesbase.com/sales-articles/generating-sales-leads-in-a-down-market-737225.html

There are plenty of b2b marketing methods to try. How do we know which work well, and which just end up a waste of time? Here are some excellent methods of maximizing the best return on your b2b marketing dollar:

Attend Seminars:

While many argue that seminars are a waste of money, I suspect that these naysayers just haven’t been marketing themselves properly. You don’t go to a seminar or trade show to market yourself to the passers-by there. Instead, you go to connect with the other booth workers who are interested in connecting with you. These people are at the seminar or trade show because they are direct representatives of their companies; use this to your advantage.

Follow-Up:

Too often businesses will lose long time customers just because they don’t bother to stay in contact. Even if you don’t have any direct business with a client, it doesn’t hurt to call every so often to plant the reminder that you’re still around. Also, don’t be afraid to send out a card or letter from time to time. In today’s email based world, receiving a hand written messages often is more than enough to set yourself above the competition. Keep the channels of communication open, and make periodic contact – especially with your best contacts.

Lunch And Learns

Don’t be afraid to offer free lectures which describe your product and skills. This is a great way to directly target companies you want to sell to as well as a great chance to talk to them face to face about your company. In addition, it displays a sense of professionalism when the presenter has the resources to sponsor an event where other companies can benefit at no cost other than time.

Mail Blasting

One of the fastest growing trends in b2b marketing is to hire a third party to do your marketing for you. Companies like ExactTarget of Indianapolis, IN take your business letters and then distribute them to over 2000 leads. Their system then tracks the e-mails sent and reports back statistics on how many read them and who clicked on what links. It’s a fantastic way to directly follow your market. Yes you have to pay for their services, but the resulting business information in terms of who you are reaching and who you are not is amazing.

Speaking at Service Clubs

Although this may not seem like much, offering to speak about your company or services can make you seem more approachable by other businesses. Also, many business owners like to use service clubs to do informal direct marketing. The face to face time with others at these type of networking events can be valuable in building relationships.

Unfortunately, there’s no one formula to use for perfect b2b marketing. Still, use of the above methods will help your company exceed the competition in terms of results.

Mac H McIntosh
http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-articles/better-b2b-marketing-728540.html

I run a marketing company and have no home for non-USA leads that need SEO and SEP services.
Any ideas? Brokers are welcome to respond.

Contact me by email from my profile.