Top 14 Lead Generation Tactics

According to former Harvard Business School professor David Maister, typical marketing practices are not only inapplicable for professional service firms, they can be dangerously wrong.

Directors of professional services firms often tell me they’re frustrated with the quality of their marketing materials, worried about their company’s low profile, or feeling pressured that their efforts aren’t generating enough leads. Are any of these problems for you?

Many professionals don’t realize that there is a body of knowledge about what works and what doesn’t in professional services marketing. A review of marketing recommendations from Maister, Robert Bly, Alan Weiss, and other experts reveals a recurring theme of what works and what doesn’t in marketing a professional services firm. My own 20 years of practical experience marketing professional services firms backs up these findings.
The best marketing for professional service firms is educational in nature. Here are the top 14 tactics that work, in order from least to most effective:

the unsuitable seven

14. Cold calling – This should be done by a business development person, never a manager. Nothing says “trust me” like a cold call. A better approach is what I call warm calling, which is a follow up to seminar invitations.

13. CD-Rom or Video Brochures: These can be great lead conversion tools, but they cost too much for lead generation. Instead, paste the videos on your website.

12. Print Brochures – Once again, don’t spend too much money up front to generate leads. Instead, create them as PDF files that Adobe Acrobat can read and place them on your website.

11. Sports/Cultural Event Sponsorship – Being the title sponsor of the right event can make an impact, but it’s not the best use of lead generation dollars.

10. Advertising — Isn’t it ironic that none of the big ad agencies built their clientele through advertising? However, if you specialize in an industry and they publish directories, it’s always good to have your business listed.

9. Direct Mail – This is the traditional direct mail of a letter and a piece of print, such as a reply card. Some accountants and financial planners have used this cost effectively, perhaps by offering a free consultation (there’s a much better form of direct mail—see tactic No. 1).

8. Advertising — While getting your name in the newspaper and trade magazines is a cost-effective way to increase awareness of your business, it doesn’t always translate into potential customers.

The seven magnificents

7. Paid Ballroom Seminars: Rent the ballroom at your local Marriott or Hilton and charge for a full-day or half-day seminar. Participants should take away a substantial package of good information from your company (and a good meal too).

6. E-Newsletters – This is the drip-drip school of marketing torture and the opposite of spam. By signing up for his newsletter lists, prospects are telling him they’re interested in what he has to say but aren’t ready for a relationship right now. These people should receive valuable practical information and invitations to monthly events until they decide not to participate in the list.

5. Networking and Trade Shows – A great way to collect business cards and ask permission to include them on your email newsletter list.

4. Community and Association Involvement – ​​Everyone likes to do business with people they know, like and trust. You need to get involved and “loop to filter,” as an Ohio State University professor used to say.

3. How-To Articles in the Customer-Facing Press — Better than any brochure is the how-to article that appears in a publication that your target customers read.

2. Practical speeches at client industry meetings: People want to hire experts, and by definition, an expert is someone who is invited to speak. Actively seek out forums to talk about and list past and upcoming conference dates on your website.

1. Free or low-cost small-scale seminars: The best proactive tactic you can employ is to regularly invite prospects by mail and email to small seminars or group consultations. If your prospects are geographically dispersed, you can do these briefings over the Internet (webinars) or over the phone using a bridge line (teleseminars). These cannot be 90 minute commercials. You should present valuable information on how to solve the problems your prospects are facing and then a short mention about your services.