Sales Leads Made Easy |

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

How does one get started developing business-to-business (B2B) leads? Unfortunately, there is no one magic solution, but below you will find some recommended steps to take when trying to stimulate B2B lead generation.

These are some of the best ways to use b2b lead generation to locate and connect with future business customers:

Networking – Go to functions and trade shows where your clients are likely to go. Make your company known with a booth, or sponsor a guest panel. One fantastic way for a company to generate business is to offer a free demo at a convention or trade show. Be sure that you have ample information about your company and products on hand to distribute at the event.

Getting to Know Your Area Representatives – With many larger companies, the area representative can have considerable power in terms of deciding which companies to do business with, and which ones not to. Their level in the industry may at first seem on the lower end, but because they have their ear to the ground, many higher ups will often times take their advice about a client. They are influential in decisions, and having a good personal rapport with them can get your name on the table.

Cold Calling – I admit that it’s probably the most unpleasant way of dealing with other companies, but there is a reason it works. A company that’s never heard of you is never going to hear about you until you make the first move. Yes, it is difficult, but with persistence and manners it does pay off in the long run. Of course, be courteous and respectful. Introduce yourself and your offerings, and take it from there.

Lunch and Learns – These relate to convention marketing, but instead of going to an event, you invite the clients to your facility to showcase your products or services. The showcase is free and a great way for managers and sales people to get to know your clients. Plus it helps to put a face to a name. One example would be ETI Indianapolis, which has made itself known as a business skills training center throughout Indianapolis, Indiana by routinely offering Lunch and Learn seminars for existing and potential clients. It’s also a great opportunity to meet people from the immediate region who are interested in your offerings.

Service Clubs – While taking place too early for some, many service clubs attract small business owners and leaders of the community. They are a great way to get you know your future clients and competition, and participation in service club fundraisers and events can generate a positive image for your company.

Admittedly, not all of these steps may work in your individual case. However, these B2B lead generation ideas can be effective. Maybe your facility should schedule tours to demonstrate your quality service levels; perhaps there’s a gift service of product offering to attract your audience. Maybe mass mailings are best for you. Regardless of your preferred method, the most important thing is to establish contact and assist with planning your clients’ futures.

Mac H McIntosh
http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-articles/some-important-tips-for-b2b-marketing-728530.html

You must be wondering what b2b means? It is an abbreviation for Business to Business. Now, let’s understand what is b2b portal and how do they work?

What is a B2B portal?

A b2b portal is a compilation of web pages where both big scale suppliers and buyers can list themselves to initiate business activities. It acts like a support where sellers can show their product features, cost and the minimum order accepted to attract large scale wholesalers or traders globally.

At the same time, it also acts as a one stop solution for all the purchasers, dealers and wholesalers to source goods of their choice without going through any hassles. All that is needed is to register to a b2b portal and most of your business needs will be sorted. In today’s time, a b2b portal has nearly become a necessity for any range of business as it help outs in dropping costs and mounting revenues.

What are B2B Manufacturers, Suppliers and Exporters?

Manufacturers and suppliers of any kind of product or merchandise who register themselves on a b2b portal to give access to a wider consumer base are known as b2b manufacturers or suppliers. It does not necessarily mean that these providers commence selling only through such portal websites. These are producers and suppliers with already operating business units. By registering at a business to business portal however they obtain an access to international base of clients and have a chance to improve their business performance to a much larger extent.

Similarly, b2b exporters are the suppliers or producers that engage in global supply of their products by getting leads through such a portal. For example, a supplier of plastic accessories could register and exhibit his products on a b2b portal and acquire overseas orders. He becomes a b2b exporter by delivering goods worldwide. You can find a listing of all the b2b exporters or suppliers in any of the online B2B Directory  You just need to hunt for the product that you are looking for. These directories are normally designed alphabetically and are very easy to operate.

Now a days more and more business owners are doing business through such B2B Portal as it not only gives a better consumer base but also boosts efficiency and revenues in short span of time. Companies also get a one up by registering with a b2b portal before their opponents do so as they would be more widely known than others in the international market. A b2b portal has therefore become vital device for the growth of every kind of business.

Mark dave
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-opportunities-articles/why-b2b-portals-are-so-important-for-business-growth-705205.html

The most successful home based internet marketing business is begun with great home based business idea. As highly successful business entrepreneurs said that you should build your home based internet marketing business in your imagine or blueprint before you build it in a reality, I highly encourage you to start creating your business ideas before making it happened.

READ THIS: If you are truly serious about how to become your own boss and create your own home based internet marketing business online. You’ll discover easy tips for getting started with your business ideas.

If you want to look at creating home based online business ideas, first take a look at what is out there. Within this article today on creating home based online business ideas, we will help you figure out if your home based business idea can work and how you can come up with other ways to make huge money online from home.

If you are having trouble creating home based online business ideas on the Internet that will work, do not despair. That is what this article will be looking at today. When you think of creating home based online business ideas, these normally can fall under a few broad categories. You can sell through online auctions such as eBay, you can sell tangible goods on the Internet, or you may sell a service to customers. You could also serve as a business to business product or service provider, otherwise known as B2B, and this might be another route you would like to take.

If you are trying to look for what you would like to do on the internet, I highly recommend you to follow your passionate. Doing whatever you want to do is a great way to start your own home based internet marketing business online. You might start with your hobby, your expertise or your interests. Those stuffs will help you figure out what your real passionate is.

If you are having trouble thinking about what you would like to do and make money on the Internet, take a look at a couple of these different websites to help you decide what might work for you. The first website that we would like to direct you to visit would be www.clickbank.com. This website has million different products that you can buy or choose to promote on a website. When you are thinking about the different ideas that you would like to promote, you should take a look at this website. You can see what the hot products are currently and it may give you some ideas as to where you could improve on a product potentially. One internet marketing expert has said that if you can take an existing product and put a twist on it, this can allow you to be very successful. If you find that a product is very good, you are able to promote that product as an affiliate marketing entrepreneur. You will have to worry about driving traffic to your website and sending leads to your particular affiliate web page and everything else related to the sale of the product is handled by the creator of the product. If you decide to put up a website, this can be crucial because you do not have to worry about developing a product but just developing a market for the product. If doing this, think of a way to trump current marketing out there for the product and the twist on the current product could potentially come back into play. If you offered the affiliate product with a service, this gives you a couple of ways to hook your customers.

The next website that we would like you to visit in this article on creating online business ideas is http://www.homebiz-direct.com/businessOpportunities.html. This website can prove to be very helpful to you because it lists different home based business opportunities available to those of you who may not have an idea what you want out of the Internet. If you are new to Internet marketing, this might be a good area for you to visit.

Additionally, the last websites you should visit for your make money business opportunities on the internet are: http://www.zMakeMoney.com/blog and http://www.zMillionDollars.com/blog. You will discover wealthy of informative website about how to earn big money online from home with your home based internet marketing business and affiliate marketing business. Those places are ultimately sites on the internet you should visit if you are looking for an alternative to make big money online at home.

I am sure that this article on creating online business ideas has given you some food for thought. Remember that your business idea doesn’t necessarily have to be revolutionary. You can either improve on an existing idea or if you can figure out how to market an existing product better, this may allow you to share profits with the creator of the product. Remember that you do not necessarily create the product but if you can create a market, you will have the opportunity to make a great deal of money.

My bottom line is to follow your passionate and do whatever you really want to do. You’ll surprise that the passionate or your heart will lead you to your success in the future. Also, I highly recommend you to take the action now. You won’t make any money without taking any action. Let’s start building your most successful home based business now!

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*Reprint Policy: Reprint in full with writer’s name, contact information, active links and brief bio.

zmilliondollars
http://www.articlesbase.com/online-business-articles/discover-how-to-create-your-own-home-based-business-ideas-opportunities-to-make-huge-money-online-at-home-128316.html

Entrepreneurs have seen bank credit and bank loans dry up. Without these traditional tools for starting a business available most entrepreneurs think that they can not start a business but the truth is that you do not need a banks credit or loan if you understand what you can do to kick start your business.

The most important part of doing this is understanding what you are going to need in order to launch your business. You will need customers and sales. If you had 10,000 people visit your business and only 10 percent bought from your site you would be able to create a profit margin for your business and begin your entrepreneurial journey.

The question is where do you find these new customers without spending money on marketing, advertising, lists or leads? What would you be willing to do to get your competitors customer list? What if your competitor gave you his list with his blessing to use it? You are saying, “That’s great, but what competitor would do that?” When you learn that competition marketing is out and cooperative marketing strategies are in, you will learn the power of joint ventures.

Joint ventures are moving the global business marketing strategies away from the competition marketing strategy. Today companies are working together to create global business goodwill and abundance. The question is where do you find these connections, because with cooperative marketing connections matter. Connections are key and are imperative to have if you are growing your business without credit or a bank loan.

This is where joint venture clubs come in. These clubs have been designed to show case your product and your company by using B2B matching business technology that allows perfectly matched joint ventures to be placed in your email box so that you can go into the club and privately contact the company you have been matched with.

In joint venture clubs you have the ability to participate in boardroom discussions; mastermind and hot seat calls that can help you build your brand or improve your image. This also allows other companies to learn about you and present a joint venture possibility to you.

Don’t let the lack of money or ideas poison your entrepreneurial dreams. You can move your company forward, start from scratch or simply grow your market when you belong to a private joint venture club. Imagine owning a debt free company the first year you are open because you used another possibility other than the bank. Allow your bank to become obsolete in your business aspirations.

Vickie Jimenez
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/how-to-start-a-new-business-without-a-bank-loan-or-credit-756868.html

B2B in China business has evolved so much as to help users to consider import/export as a career opportunity. Business to business is actively supported by government with individual departments eyeing for some chunk of import/export revenue to boast off. It pays to evaluate some statistics that help us understand the current trends of B2B import/export in China and global sourcing demands.

-Status of Business to Business or B2b

B2B in China prevails at a stage where innovative applications become the need of the day; 2 of which are

1. Integrated B2B platforms

2. Vertical B2B platforms

Unifying B2B with mainstream, in China business, brought B2B trading to identify with China business and import and export. Look at how China business organizations like B2B International are helping business-to-business through research and market analysis. B2B International provides information based on sound foundation of market research particularly in business-to-business and import and export areas. Nevertheless, China business needs to accept the reality that B2B or business to business has arrived and is the commonly accepted method in import/export and global sourcing industry. Applied to import & export, B2B is a wonderful platform particularly when e-commerce is used to execute business to business transaction in both global sourcing as well as import/export.

-Global Sourcing Via E-Commerce for B2B in China Business

Global sourcing couldn’t have expected a bigger boost than the mature e-commerce, through wide spread business to business e-marketplaces in China business which eventually complements the B2B operators as it does to import and export by helping to generate business leads and product information in global sourcing. Although this was in practice for years, even without any government encouragement and protection, import & export companies, have now matured to have an established business paradigm to interact/transact with global sourcing buyers till shipping the goods.

Global sourcing has come of age for China business. Contribution to Chinese economy from global sourcing explosion and the subsequent boost import/export got is now an integral part of B2b scenario. Thanks to e-commerce, global sourcing and import and export are gradually occupying the center stage in China business increasingly by the day. The reason for e- platform to become a hit, in China business, with global sourcing and import/export entities is its ability in facilitating an in-depth analysis of originating company’s strengths and weaknesses.

E-commerce is welcome in China business as long as bottlenecks and roadblocks are being removed for import & export and global sourcing.

Dylan Sun
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/business-to-business-and-importexport-from-china-business-223522.html

Cold calling. Most people hate to do it and there is a cottage
industry of people making a profit by selling ideas on how to
generate business without cold calling. They’re making money
because they are using a basic marketing tactic that most of us
have forgotten how to use – give your customer what they want!
Tell a salesperson that they can get appointments without making
cold calls, tell them to buy your book, and you’ll make money
hand over fist. Why? Because it’s a solution that fits what that
market wants.

The fact of the matter is that there are many things you can,
and should, use to help generate leads. However,
business-to-business cold calling will always be an effective
basic tactic that will help you get an appointment with your
prospect.

Get Back to Basics

Here are 4½ steps that are so easy and basic that we have a
tendency to be suspicious of them. But if you just follow along
the steps, you’ll be on your way to doubling your sales
appointments in record time.

½ Step) Put yourself in the place of your prospect. Think about
what it will be like to get a call from you. You know your
product/service inside and out and are hopefully excited about
and believe in it. Your prospect isn’t excited about your
product/service and doesn’t believe in it yet! Also, you have
set aside time in your day to make calls, but your prospect
hasn’t set time aside to take your call. That’s why it is very
important to make the call all about them. Give them what they
want out of a cold call – hint: the solution to what they worry
about at work.

Step 1) Identify your ideal customer and their critical wants
and needs. At the very least you should have some generic
information about the markets that you serve and the obstacles
that they face from industry magazines, trade associations, or
industry analysts to help you target your cold call message.
This is just the starting point, but a great way to determine
how to give them what they want.

Step 2) Ask the “cold sweat” question. “What is it that wakes
your prospects up at 3AM in a cold sweat and in such a troubled
state that they would give anything to solve that problem?” If
you answer this question within the first 7 seconds of your
call, you will be more likely to gain the attention of your
prospect and be that much closer to gaining an appointment with
them.

Step 3) Once you have figured out what wakes your prospects up
at night, create multiple positioning statements that focus on
solving your prospect’s most difficult problem or achieving
their most important goal.

Step 4) Test those positioning statements and determine which
one results in better dialogue with your prospect and gets you
the appointment.

Here’s a very successful sample cold call script that I’m using
for my own business based on the 4½ steps:

Good morning Mr/Ms. VP of Sales, this is David from EMDCO.com
here in Chicago. We are the major B2B lead generation firm in
the area. Because of our expertise in your industry, we’re able
to solve the problems of the call reluctant/time constricted
sales force by delivering quick, reliable, and affordable lead
generation services. The reason I’m calling you today
specifically is to set up an appointment so I can tell you the
way in which we’ve been successful with (name client(s) that
prospect would recognize) companies. How’s (day) at (time)?
That’s it! I mention that I can solve what most owners,
presidents and sales directors worry about. They are always
thinking about the revenue numbers they have to hit, they know
they have sales people that don’t make sales calls for various
reasons and they know they want a reliable source of leads. I
know I’m not wasting my prospects time with a telephone
introduction like that.

By using this simple 4½ step process, it will help you formulate
your own quick introduction, allow you to quickly answer any
questions they have about you or your product/service, and
redirect the call back toward getting the appointment.

David Wells
http://www.articlesbase.com/sales-articles/4-12-steps-for-doubling-your-b2b-appointments-2279.html

For the past few years, you’ve heard so much about blogging that you’re reluctantly concluding that now might be the time to join the parade. Yes, blogs do have a place in the IT marketers’ arsenal, but only under the right circumstances.

Blog Basics

A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world. Your blog is whatever you want it to be. There are millions of them, in all shapes and sizes, and there are no real rules.

In simple terms, a blog is a web page made up of short, frequently updated articles, or “posts,” arranged chronologically like a journal. New stuff shows up at the top, so your visitors can read what’s new. Then they comment on it or link to it or email you. Or not.

Since blogs were launched, almost five years ago, they reshaped the web, impacted politics, shook up journalism, and enabled millions of people to connect with others and have a voice on the Web.

Should You Blog or Shouldn’t You

The reason you probably know the definition of “blog” is that blog readership is high among IT professionals like you. In August 2006, IT information-search company KnowledgeStorm surveyed 4,500 of its registered users, who are typically IT professionals. Of those surveyed, 80 percent said they read blogs, including 18 percent who read them daily and 33 percent who read them weekly. Keep in mind the percent of IT professionals that read blogs is dramatically higher the overall percentage.

While there are millions of blogs online, including my own B2B Marketing Blog, consider that Pew Internet & American Life Project reports that only 39 percent of Internet users read them. Before you decide to enhance your brand image and awareness with a blog, make sure your target audience is among the 39 percent of Internet users who read them.

I recommend considering blogging if and only if your audience is reading them and if you need a venue to demonstrate your expertise (branding) or are looking for additional ways to move up in the SERPs (awareness).

If you’re more concerned with driving leads and sales, pass on blogging for now. There are plenty of marketing tactics that will have a more direct impact on your bottom line.

If you decide you need to establish your expertise by blogging and sharing what you know about subjects related to your products and services, then keep these six blogging tips in mind:

• Often, techies write blogs for technical decision makers. However, some of the most effective business blogs are written by management personnel for business decision makers.

• Regardless of your editorial focus, the best-read blogs avoid hype and self-congratulatory content. Instead, they focus on content useful to their intended readers.

• To create awareness about your company, products and services, keep in mind that blogs tend to be favored in the Web’s Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), especially if it’s optimized to your industry’s keywords. Optimizing your blog can go a long way toward helping your company be found by prospects actively searching for what you sell.

• To gain and maintain readers, you need to keep your blog fresh. You’ll need someone who has the expertise, writing skills and time to frequently post new blog content. How frequently? According to a research study by public relations firm Porter Novelli and market analytics company Cymfony Inc., only 24 percent of bloggers post once a week or less (I belong to this camp). Some 39 percent of bloggers post several times a week and 37 percent post daily or multiple times a day. I recommend that you plan to post new content to your blog weekly to start. You can always turn up the frequency later, once you’re sure you have the ability to keep up the pace.

• If you’re looking for links from the blog to your Web site to boost your Web site’s search engine results, host it on a different server than where your Web site is hosted. Search using a phrase like “blog hosting” on Google or your favorite search engine to find a number of inexpensive blog hosting options.

• To move potential customers through the awareness, inquiry, consideration, and purchasing cycle using your blog you must relate all of your blog topics back to your services or products, to articles within your site, and other sales lead generation tools.

Mac Mcintosh
http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-articles/it-marketing-should-blogging-be-on-your-b2b-marketing-todo-list-109380.html

Business-to-business lead generation is one of the few times in
life when you should start at the end and work backwards.

Before you write a single line of copy or design a single
element of your direct mail package, sit down with the sales
people who close the sales. Find out when and how they get
prospects to sign on the line that is dotted, and work backwards
from there to discover what you need to do to capture the
attention of these prospects in the first place and get them
into your sales funnel.

Here are some questions to ask the sales team:

1. What makes a prospect buy? (Is it price? terms? guarantee?
after-sales service? quality?)

2. What customer objections will endanger a sale? How do
salespeople overcome these objections?

3. Do prospects need a lot of information before making a
decision?

I am assuming that your clients’ B2B buying process (and your
sales process) consists of more than a few steps. Usually, it
looks something like this:

* Identify need

* Gather information on solutions

* Establish specifications

* Request proposals or quotations

* Interview top suppliers

* Make short list of suppliers

* Check references

* Test sample or demo product

* Select supplier

* Negotiate terms and price

* Sign contract

* Make first purchase

* Evaluate performance

* Make repeat purchases

* Remain loyal to valued, long-term supplier

* Drop supplier and start over again

Your goal with every direct mail lead generation mailing is to
figure out where prospects are in their buying cycle and to
target them there. The thing to remember in all of this is that
your goal in a multi-step, complex buying process is not to
close the sale but to move the prospect to the next stage. Here
are some ideas:

If prospects are at the needs-identification stage, offer them a
white paper or similar document that describes the customer
problem that your product or service solves.

If prospects are gathering information on solutions, offer them
a series of case studies or success stories that demonstrate why
your solution is superior.

If your sale involves many stakeholders, consider mailing a
different direct mail package to each person who influences the
buying decision. In complex high-tech sales, for example, you
can target the CIO (offer ROI benefits), the CFO (offer
cost-cutting benefits) and the IT manager (offer scalability and
ease of integration benefits).

In many B2B lead generation efforts, you will need to mail or
contact leads more than once before you generate a response and
have a chance to qualify them. That’s why starting at the end
makes such good sense. You’ll know how many steps you need to
take to reach the sale, and how many times you need to mail each
prospect (and what to mail) to turn them into a customer.

Alan Sharpe
http://www.articlesbase.com/direct-mail-articles/in-b2b-direct-mail-lead-generation-work-backwards-3147.html