Referrals and IT Internet Leads Hide a Little Secret!

Another reason referrals drop off after making contact is that they were expecting a completely different set of services. Perhaps they expected a company to build and manage a website for them or create a database and those aren't services you offer. There are various other reasons why not all referrals convert to sales, especially budget concerns. So remember it's best to have multiple strategies for generating leads.

Managing Qualified Leads

Just as much as you cannot expect every lead to be qualified, you cannot expect every qualified lead to convert. That means you must take the necessary step of scoring your leads, so that you can prioritize your sales efforts in order to maximize productivity. In other words, you are better off chasing high quality leads most of the time, wherever they come from, rather than playing the hit and miss game of treating all prospects as equal.

The coldest leads that appear far from probable conversion should be filed away for future nurturing. There may be times when prospects stop arriving at your doorstep, which gives you the opportunity to contact lower scoring leads. You can create your own scoring system, such as "hot, warm, cold" or a 1-10 rating.

Try not to waste too much time with prospects that appear to be going nowhere or want to haggle over pricing. Unless your pricing is negotiable, it's best to keep disagreements over your fees to a minimum. Once they contact you by phone, what you want to be able to do is schedule a meeting in person, provided you have established them as a qualified lead.

Alternative Ways to Generate Leads

The various alternatives for capturing leads beyond referrals involve both inbound and outbound marketing techniques. Inbound marketing involves creating content that drives interested prospects to your website through search engines. Outbound marketing usually involves spending money on traditional advertising or pay-per-click advertising through online platforms, particularly social media sites like Facebook.

Participating in trade shows or business fairs are yet other ways to expand your business. These events allow you to at least distribute your business card to interested prospects that you might not otherwise meet. One great thing about trade shows is that many are covered by journalists looking for fresh compelling stories.

The best way to secure new business usually involves face-to-face conversations. While some companies still do cold calling, it's definitely more efficient to build a strong reputation in your community and generate a word of mouth buzz. In a sense, referrals fall into this category, but you can also directly get people's attention by being an influencer in your industry.

Blogging and Social Media

Consider creating a blog, since Google loves giving priority to blogs, as long as they demonstrate authority. Since you are an expert at your craft, offer useful IT tips to people who are already searching for them online. By building a vast resource of informative content that answers questions for IT decision makers, you will gain the trust and loyalty necessary that creates much more powerful leads than referrals.

You can promote your blog through social media, where you can offer real time engagement with interested prospects. The key is to answer their questions as quickly as possible, since it's so easy to find other MSPs in a matter of clicks. Studies published by Hub Spot show that the fastest conversions come from responding by phone to leads that come through email, but you can make even faster contact through social media.

Conclusion

The most important advantage to referrals is that you don't have to pay for them. At the same time, it still pays to create other marketing channels for IT leads, either through attractive online content or paid advertising. Take the initiative today to talk with an expert about giving your company the best chance at bringing in new business.

About the Author

Michael Fitzgerald is the CEO of

Spacelink, a San Diego company providing IT infrastructure cloud hosting services and IT support since 2001. Michael has over 9 years of experience in San Diego with IT infrastructure and a passion to simplify the complexities of information technology and cloud services. Spacelink exists to help companies propel their businesses with a well-reasoned IT consulting strategy and forward-thinking technology that’s cost effective and reliable. Spacelink was recognized as a top managed IT services provider in San Diego and North America by MSP Mentor in 2016