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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, June 18, 2003

Several resources available to boost customer base

By Rhonda Abrams
Gannett News Service

"More sales!" The No. 1 request I get from readers is for information about increasing sales. But before you can make a sale, you need someone to sell to. How are you going to find potential customers?

Sure, if a prospective customer walks in your door or calls, it's relatively easy to make a sale. It's much harder to find those who haven't called but have the potential to become customers — in other words, sales leads.

Lead generation is a necessary skill for every entrepreneur. So, where can you find good leads for your company?

Newspapers: One of the best sources of information about your community, and thus potential customers, is your local newspaper.

Try checking the paper for:

• Stories about new or expanding businesses.

• Business pages for announcements of employee promotions.

• Business sections for listings of companies, such as largest employers.

• New business advertisements or announcements.

• Wedding announcements.

• Help-wanted ads.

• General advertisements and classified listings.

Entrepreneurs' groups: My first years in business, my best source of new clients came from joining local business organizations — chambers of commerce, women's or ethnic groups' business organizations, leads clubs, and more.

Typically, these groups set aside time at every meeting for members to network or make sales pitches.

Many of them also distributed member directories that can be used for leads. My rule about such groups: Join more than one and attend regularly.

Trade associations: These groups are similar to entrepreneurs' organizations, but they are formed around one particular industry and often have branches in larger cities.

Don't look at others in your industry only as your competition — they're a good source of information and advice, and often sources of referrals.

Trade shows: I'm a big believer in going to trade shows — as an attendee and exhibitor. Trade shows reach a large number of targeted prospects in a short period, and attendees are looking for suppliers.

Exhibiting at a trade show also gives you a way to follow up, because most show organizers produce lists of attendees for exhibitors soon after a show.

Driving around: While it's very time-consuming, in-person prospecting is more likely to generate sales than phone calls.

My sister, a saleswoman, calls on nearby businesses whenever she visits a customer; that way, she's always prospecting but not spending all of her time on cold calls.

Public records: Many for-profit companies compile and sell lists of public records that might be used for sales leads. These include new business licenses or incorporations, building permits, wedding licenses and birth certificates.