Image by: Simon James
By Charles Lewis

You are in the business of fulfilling the needs of other businesses, whether through providing wholesale products or offering valuable services. And the struggle is always the same: How do you generate great leads for you and/or your sales team?

Prospective clients are out there, but how do you effectively inform them that your business solution is one that deserves their time, attention and (ultimately) money?

Business-to-business (B2B) marketing is unique in the way that your customer is not the general public, but other businesses. That’s a crucial distinction because overall, business owners and managers are considered to be more savvy than the average consumer.

And some of those nuts are hard to crack. So to get through to them and others, I offer these working strategies that will have you filing purchase orders in no time.

1 – Buy A List

One of the best ways to develop hot leads of prospective clients in a B2B situation is to buy them. Just about everybody does it. If you are not rustling up the bushes with one of these pre-fab, turn-key marketing solutions, you should look into it.

But many businesses suffer because of foolish choices that were when it came time to decide WHICH list to buy. You have to do your homework.

All lists are not created equal. In fact, that “bargain” list is likely to be a bunch of alphabet soup masquerading as gold to mine. There is a reason good lists are expensive – because they work.

Stick with list provider companies that have pedigree in the business and a solid track record to boot. For me, infoUSA sticks out among this crowded field by offering not only great lists, but also live “experts” that you can actually speak to on the phone, as well as helpful tools to get you started on a successful campaign using one of their many types of lists.

Also, we’ve talked before on Danjur about Nextmark, and their valuable list-finding tool. National Public Radio has called them “The Google of mailing lists” and one visit to their site will tell you why: easy access to more than 60,000 mailing lists and other marketing resources.

2 – Networking Events

Lunch isn’t just for eating – it is also for networking like a champ. Find local business luncheons of whatever stripe and grab yourself a plate (I hear the chicken’s good today). Come prepared with marketing materials and anything you would need to make a sale.

Work the room. Your materials stock should be depleted within the hour. You’d be surprised how many deals were done over a cup of coffee at one of these things.

3 – Chamber Of Commerce

Basically a fraternity for businesses, your local chamber celebrates capitalism in a big way – why not join them? Being a member has other bennies as well, including access to local politicians and all kinds of outspoken behavior and lobbying power on your behalf.