The Zen of Lead Generation, Part II
By Bob Martel, JMB Marketing Group

Go grab your most recent lead generation campaigns—and review them before reading this article.

You’ve heard it before, yet I wonder if you’ve given it much thought. Your company is a collection of thoughts in the minds of your customers, stakeholders and stockholders. Whatever they believe about the perceived value of your company is true, in their minds – and that’s what matters. Every experience further builds upon or destroys the picture in their head about the value of doing business with your company. Whether you are a corporate marketing staffer, a small business owner, or a marketing freelancer, it’s worth taking the time to discover the truth about your customers. Call it your path to marketing enlightenment, and once you discover the truth your lead generating direct marketing results will soar.

Whoever is responsible for lead generation at your company, regardless of the marketing methods, must be keenly tuned in to the wants, desires, needs and dreams of your customer. Sounds obvious but guessing at these can prove very costly. I am not suggesting that your marketing team hold hands and stare at the wall or meditate during your next meeting, although it’s not a bad idea to consider individually. I am suggesting that the lead generating team actually speak with some actual live, air-breathing customers before writing one word of copy. The value of this should be obvious.

We all like to do business with people we know, like and trust and earning that trust and confidence in your company should be the primary mission. The process and pursuit of trust will build rapport, which will be evident in the quality of your lead generation efforts. Take a deep breath and close your eyes for a moment (after reading the next sentence!). Think outside of your comfort zone and begin to see your customer and prospect as a human being much like yourself, complete with a conscience and subconscious mind, a personal life, perhaps a young family, and with a wallet filled with expendable cash for which you are seeking to acquire. Whether in business to business or business to consumer marketing, remember that you are still marketing to people and you have to tug at the right heartstrings.

Do you agree that you probably do your best thinking away from your desk? Where is that special place for you? Walking? Driving? Sitting at the beach? Invest in a digital recorder to capture your thoughts about your business and especially about your customers. Consider some of these points as you meditate about your customers:

• Breathe with your customers: Get in synch with them. Take a deep breath or two and meditate about your customer before writing any direct response copy. Focus on breathing to increase your awareness of the present moment – and the customers you serve today.

• Put your customers and prospects in a trance: Make their buying and customer support experience so delightful they wouldn’t dare go elsewhere! It’s called top of mind awareness and, yes, you can put them in a trance.

• Become your own prospect: Would you respond to your own lead generation efforts? Is your marketing message really resonating with you as a prospect?

• Be aware of and recognize your present reality – and know that what you attend to is what you get in business: Are you desperate to generate business or do you need more high quality leads to take your business to the next level? Where is your focus, or lack thereof?

• Know the benefits of the benefits: Why do your best customers really keep coming back? Don’t guess. Hit the road and find out! What does “owning the benefits” of your product or services then allow for your customer? Ask them!

• Listen to the pulse of your marketing universe: Are you listening to what your customers and best prospects actually want you to sell them? Or do you think you know their needs better than they do? This thinking put a $12B computer company out of business in the early 1990’s. Are you next?

• Don’t just do something. Sit there: While your boss may not believe that the act of doing nothing is worthy of a paycheck, there is something to be said for meditation and planning before rushing to action. American companies invest little time in the planning process compared to Asian business cultures, which plan extensively. (We’re still not sure about the Europeans. Kidding!) Grab the book, Don’t Just Do Something. Sit There, by Sylvia Boorstein, and take yourself on a mindfulness retreat. Your lead generation will improve as a result.

We are all here, on the same basic journey, yet each with different blessings and challenges. We all want the same basic things in life; security, family, prosperity, happiness and love. The benefits of your products and services should make a difference in the lives of your customers in some unique way – or you should go sell something else. You and your customers will be much happier.

Now, grasshopper, being more mindful about your customers you are ready to write that lead generation campaign.

---Source: Bob Martel is the principal consultant at JMB Marketing Group. View his Web site at www.jmbmarketing.com. Email him at bobmartel@jmbmarketing.com with your comments about this article.