Through the years I have seen, taught and heard of dozens upon dozens of different prospecting and business marketing methods to generate qualified prospects.

Which one of these is best for you?

I really couldn’t say without first examining your business a bit more closely I hope that doesn’t sound like an excuse because it is not, it’s the truth.

Here’s a Real Life Story

Last month I had the opportunity to substitute for a marketing professor who had fallen ill. . The majority of my students were business owners and one student in particular wanted me to tell him on the spot where he should spend his marketing money to get the greatest return. (If you haven’t read my thoughts on “spending” marketing money yet go to the section of our site labeled “How Much To Invest in Marketing”)

Of course the guy had no marketing processes, no data and therefore no clue as to what had worked in the past and what had not!

I explained that without measurement I could only give him an educated guess but that no matter what he chose to do it absolutely had to follow the marketing equation   or he was simply throwing his money away. 

I got the impression that he didn’t really want an honest answer from me , and would have been happier if I had told him “Run 6 newspaper ads, enlarge the size of your yellow-book ad, and consider buying some radio time on the local station .”

What’s that old saying “A fool and his money will soon be separated” or something like that…

Enough Story Telling,Back to Filling the Funnel

We utilize many different ways to fill sales pipelines depending upon the industry , the personality of our client, who they are trying to start conversations with and the magnitude of their budget. This can range from developing telephone scripts, to press releases, to direct mail pieces .

For many local contracting businesses such as plumbers, remodelers, HVAC companies and painters one of the most efficient uses of marketing dollars is what we refer to as the Lead Generation Marketing process.

This process involves 3 critical functions:

1. Dominating Page 1 Search Engine Results for buying keyword phrases

2. Designing websites that “sell” using industry best practices

3. Building automatic prospect conversation mechanisms.

When these three functions are incorporated into a Lead Generation Marketing process it is possible to generate a positive return on investment in any industry where the average customer transaction is $1,000 or more.

About the Author:

Scott Metcalfe is the founder of Marketing Profits 4.0 a Business Marketing Evolution  firm that specializes in developing highly evolved and productive marketing programs for businesses and private practices. Their unique business marketing processes gather qualified leads, begin relationships and provide nurturing conversations through automated systems. . Curious? Get the 23 page research paper and over 1 hour of video training here St. Charles, IL Business Marketing  without spending 1 thin dime!