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Advertising/PR   URGENT - Need Help Fast!  
 
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Lead Generation Help
Posted By: tweaked4life on 11/13/2006 9:15 AM (CST) 250 Points
I work for a company that does Hurricane Protection for your windows, Exterior Paint and Sideing for your home. i have been in sales my whole life but suddenly I have been trust into finding new ways to generate Qualified Leads from different avenues and no matter how prepared I thought I was, I find myself constantly stumped.

Right now the company uses these forms of Lead Generation:
- Small But effective Outbound Cold Calling
- Home Show Booths
- Inbound Internet refferals from Trade Web Sites
- Web Site
- Verry Small amount of Print Adv.

I am tring to come up with some "Out-Of-The-Box" thinking on this, along with some tried and true methods that I am overlooking. Any help is GREATLY appreciated, and accepted. I have some things ready to put into action but i feel like I'm missing something.
Signed -
A.S.

Posted by: adammjw Accepted Answer
11/13/2006 9:36 AM (CST)
Al,

What are the lead generation targets set by the company? Do you know how much sales come from leads now and consequently which forms are most and least efficient?How many leads you need to generate one sale per each lead source?What does the company call a Qualified Lead? Are sales people happy with the leads and find them to be too few or they complain about their quality as per lead source?
Do you have any idea about the way your competition generates leads,advertise and promote their offering?

Regards

Adam
 
Posted by: tweaked4life Author Response
11/13/2006 11:24 AM (CST)
Chrissie - thank you for your response and I will check out your web site later today when things slow down.

Adam - this company will never be satisfied which makes my job challenging to say the least. Our Qualified leads require this;
- Home Owner
- Product need
- Financial ability
- Present at the home for presentation
Our Sales people are happy with the quality that is produced, especially from Home Shows as the customer comes to us. the quality of Cold Calls that actually make it into the field for an appointment are as good as we can make them being the process that they go through between the original call, confirmation call, ect. Our sit to Sale (Pitch to Sale) ratio runs at a low of 40% to a high of 50% (Numbers are averages) Cold Calling generates about a 30% sit ratio, Home Shows Leads are close to 90% (off hand).
Our competition mainly utilises the age old Cold Calling with much larger telemarketing rooms, and home shows. This is where we will always get the largest amount of leads. I am looking for new ways to generate leads of quality, and not so much concerned with quantity (to a point).

Hope that helps, and thanks for your quick response
AL
 
Posted by: adammjw Member Response
11/13/2006 11:46 AM (CST)
Al,

With such high closing rates, I'm not suprised they are pressed for new leads.
I would try to use and check anything starting from classified ads in local newspapers, yellow pages,radio stations , bulletin boards to permission-based e-mail marketing, provided you can measure the response rate and see what works best for you.
Unfortunately it's not enough to do it once or twice you got to be consistent and patient and test all the time.

Regards

Adam
 
Posted by: tweaked4life Author Response
11/13/2006 12:13 PM (CST)
Our closeing rates are high, but we need to find a source for more leads and the number of qualified leads being generated right now has dropped dramatically. Yellow Pages and specific newspapers are being utillised as part of our campain, radio just doesn't seem to pay off for this product, but I am still looking into talk radio. Permission based email marketing is something i have yet to explore but seems to come highly recommended from people via the internet (go figure).
AL
 
Posted by: ceitliong Accepted Answer
11/13/2006 6:16 PM (CST)
Hello tweaked4life,

Well, your dilemma lies in your market and not in your methods. If you don't mind my asking...."where is this product being sold at?"

The reason I ask this question is because although you may have a good product and good marketing strategy, the geographic region may be the problem. If your product is not really generating sales in your current area then perhaps you may need to expand your market.

However, here are some out of the box suggestions for you:

1. Are there home decorators/building supply business that can sell your product? A sign next to a window in Home depot saying "protect your investment today - purchase Hurricane shatter glass - call 619-xxx-xxxx for details..." is more effective than a radio ad.

2. Have you informed realtors of your product? Let them carry your card/have a flyer or have a sign inside houses they are trying to sell so when buyers loose a window they can contact your company.
3. Can homeowners insurance benefit from your product? Will insurance go down if people install your product? If so why not work with insurance companies by putting flyers with their renewal bills, etc.
4. What about construction companies? Have you taked to construction business owners to possible install your product into the new houses they build?
5. What about Architects? Again, contact them and have them suggest to their clients.....
6. What about financial institutions? Has your company worked with any of them in offering first time home buyers a discount?

Hope these ideas help. If not, well my next suggestion is to try to market the product in a hurricane zone like kansas.....

Good luck
 
Posted by: mdzugan Accepted Answer
11/13/2006 6:36 PM (CST)
Al,

You mentioned your website. Does your company have good position in search engine results for important keywords? Many services that have traditionally done well in yellow pages are finding that yellow pages are falling in value and search engines are gaining in importance for lead generation.

We do search engine marketing and pay per click advertising to generate leads for both consumer and commercial services. Our consumer services report that they are generating as many leads from search engines as they get from yellow pages and with a fraction of the cost.

You can learn about Rapport Online at [URL deleted by staff].
 
Posted by: mop Accepted Answer
11/13/2006 10:13 PM (CST)
Al-
One of the best ways to increase your lead generation is by joining a word-of-mouth business referral group. This is a powerful marketing tool because most people prefer to do business with someone they know or someone recommended by someone they know. One such organization is a client of mine... LeTip International.

LeTip has chapters throughout the US (some in Florida) and if there isn't a group in your area, contact them (www.letip.com) and find out about starting a chapter yourself. Membership consists mainly of small business owners, and sales execs who meet every week to grow each other’s businesses through the exchange of qualified leads. Watch a LeTip chapter in action and you’ll see twenty, thirty, forty or more people who will, in effect, become a powerful sales force for each other.

Unlike chambers of commerce (which can also be an important part of any marketing plan) and other networking organizations, LeTip really gets results because it is so structured. Members are required to attend meetings and find referrals or they are out. It is a serious committment but members are falling all over each other here in the northeast, trying to get into chapters because it really works.

Membership is restricted to a one person per profession or specialty to avoid competition for the same tips within the group. Every member develops a working knowledge of the services provided by all the other members, which in turn becomes the backbone of the network.

Look into it and good luck!
 
Posted by: Amy Madsen* Accepted Answer
11/13/2006 11:41 PM (CST)
I've got some ideas for you.

My first thought is for you to become friends with some realtors, if not the whole office of a local real estate agency. Agents seem to have a short list of vendors they recommend to fix up a property before sales and/or after purchase.

Another thought is to market to Home Owners Associations of condos and/or condo managers in hurricane territory, which I guess you're in as you offer a hurricane protection for windows. My folks live in a condo in Miami. Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma did a lot of damage to some of the units in that building that did not have proper shutters. Now all units are required to have shutters, and if an owner doesn't install them, the building will do it for you and take out a lien against your property (or something to that effect).

A final thought is to hook up with those extended warranty companies - the services that people buy when they buy a house. I happened to use buy such a service, had a garage break, and has some company come out to repair it. We went along with a recommended upgrade of theirs and wouldn't be opposed to using them again.

Good luck!
 
Posted by: tweaked4life Author Response
11/14/2006 7:35 AM (CST)
Wow, I must say that I am beside myself as I read these responses. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to help.

Ceitliong - You have some great ideas that I will follow up on today. We are a Florida based company that markets directly to Florida Home Owners, though I'm not too sure about Kansas, we deff. have our fair share of Hurricanes. :)

Mop - I will check out LeTip today, this is an interesting concept that i am unfamiliar with and look forward to exploring it.

Amy Madison - never thought of Insur. Comp., as far as HOA's we work diligently at setting up "Coffee Clutches" (Group Sales Pitches) to neighborhoods through HOA's. Though this has proved to be a difficult task it works out well when it happens.

Mdzugen - Yes we already have obtained that service, though I am not sure whom it is through and/or what the results are.
 
Posted by: telemoxie Accepted Answer
11/14/2006 8:33 AM (CST)
You could do a "brown bag lunch" at area corporations on a topic of general interest (e.g. "preparing your home for a hurricane...). If the presentation is well don, relatively short and focused, is presented by a competant speaker (not on commission, if it is NOT perceived as high pressure, and provides lots of helpful info (and handouts), you should be able to get some bookings... and possibly some leads for a "free home inspection" (including taking digital photos, for third party verification of how things looked, "before"?). The bad news is that the close rates will likely be much lower than you are used to... but you may be able to generate some leads and some good will.
 
Posted by: KathySmithFilms* Accepted Answer
11/14/2006 8:50 AM (CST)
Hi tweaked4life,

Out of the Box - Do local late night commercials airing in Florida using talent locally. For this type of product you can do a buy out or hire non union talent to keep your production costs down. Late night costs about $3.00 a second for a 30 second spot. You can but 6 months of time or less and reach a good crowd of late night people. In the ad use the type of public as spokespeople that your largest sales are currently coming from through the conventions.
This puts out a stream where you can flood people in the doors for more closes. Commercials create interest. Your sales team then closes deals.
Kathy
 
Posted by: bigstarnow Accepted Answer
11/15/2006 12:03 PM (CST)
Get your booty down to New Orleans and Mississipi and do some por bono work for an arsenal of PR.

Get that PR to TLC, DIY, Habitat for Humanity, etc. Offer your services to Extreme Home Makeover.

Then capitalize on your PR efforts with a television or print campaign.

You phone should ring after that.

Take a risk!!!!!
 
Posted by: Frank Hurtte Accepted Answer
11/15/2006 12:10 PM (CST)
I suggest doing something in conjunction with Red Cross, or other organizations who work in disaster preparation. A series of demonstrations with referalls coming from these people would help
 
Posted by: KathySmithFilms* Member Response
11/16/2006 3:12 PM (CST)
Great idea on bigstarnow & Frank Hurtle and much needed even in Florida. You could have a tag regardless of the weather we're here to protect you. Bring your dv camera to get footage for future PR.
Wow, that is taking responsibility big time.
Kathy
 
Posted by: Barcelona* Accepted Answer
11/25/2006 5:57 PM (CST)
I've handled several large clients that perform your services const / coating / texcoting / ... I put together a well trained sales force who are professional and extremely knowledgeable about the products and local competition.

Also, we placed radio ads at off-peak hours and then a call center managed the call ins to generate leads for the sales reps.
 
Posted by: stevea Accepted Answer
11/27/2006 11:58 AM (CST)
No one has mentioned personalised direct mail. With a suitable pre-printed reply card, you could invite responses to an appealing letter with illustrations of your more dramatic products in action – pictures of exploding windows versus your windows in a hurricane should sharpen the reader’s attention.

The reply cards could be pre-printed and personalised with the name and address of the recipient. You can buy these Names by Zip Code from most B2C direct marketing agencies and they will further refine the demographic to try to ensure that the recipients are home owners and in or above a particular income bracket.

Leave space on the reply card for them to put in their phone number (even if you already have it) and have some boxes to tick for the product they are expressing an interest in. With the recipients name and address pre-printed, the effort needed on their part is just enough to get only part qualified prospects. You can further raise the return rate by running a coded promotion offering a prize – perhaps a free installation or something else which is appealing.

If you do this neighbourhood by neighbourhood and do it in conjunction with some of the other excellent ideas mentioned, the marketing initiatives will re-enforce each other. When recipients respond, your telemarketing / booking staff will have a qualified lead to work on. If there is a subsequent neighbourhood based telemarketing campaign, you will have warmed the prospect up a bit and perhaps opened the door. If the product fits the market and there is initially little interest, the method is not necessarily to blame, the timing may be wrong. If you budget for a number of mail campaigns over the year, you are bound to hit a window when a homeowner’s concern for their windows coincides with the availability of a budget to do something about it.

Best wishes


Steve Alker
Unimax Solutions
 
Posted by: carrie77 Moderator Response
11/30/2006 5:53 AM (CST)
Hello Everyone,

I am closing this question since it's more than 2 weeks old. We do this to reward the contributions of participants in a timely manner + to give increased visibility to the newer questions.

Thanks for participating!
Carrie (Production Editor)
 


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