One of the biggest lessons I learned from my time at Tech Ranch was that no Venture is birthed alone. From the Pilgrims to the Pioneers, every movement that made America the entrepreneurial stronghold that it is came from a group of people working together to achieve something. Your Business is no different. When it comes to lead generation, this means you need to tap everyone that might touch your customer to build out your marketing infrastructure. This is not a one day task; it takes time, patience, and a real knack for reading and influencing and knowing how to help others.

Identify Targets

The first step in any process is to properly identify what it is you need… obviously this will mean sales, revenue, etc., but dig deeper. What strengths does your offering lack? What groups do you provide the most value for? What locations are out of your reach? By doing a real and in-depth assessment of your business model, you not only prevent costly mistakes (I’ve made my fair share of these in my ventures), you can also reveal hidden areas that are ripe for conquest.

Vet Partners

You’ve identified some key strategic partners you want to acquire; time to reach out, right? Wrong. Remember, lead generation goes both ways… Adding the wrong partnership could reflect badly on your make your recomendation meaningless. Make sure you do your due diligence. Many people starting out can be too eager to make a deal or land a client. In such a state, it’s very easy to breeze past red flags and get yourself in bed with someone who may not have your best interests in mind. Instead, step back and take a moment to determine what the goals of your target are and how they might interface with you; will they be friend or foe? Don’t analyze too much here, but do enough research that you can be ready for the initial conversation. Second, get in touch with people that have done business with them before and get information on how they currently deal with clients and partners.

Assess Needs

A good partner is someone that adds value to your ideal customer, so take a look at your potential deal with the customer’s point of view in mind (You’ll notice I say this a lot!). If you were your customer, would you have need of your partner’s services? If you were their customer, would you have need of your services? If you can find synergy here, take a look at what your partner needs… can you add value directly to them? If so, you might have a real winneron your hands!

Build Relationship

Finally, remember that as in any good business transaction, your goal is to get a relationship, not a sale. This means starting small and allowing things to grow from there. Too many beautiful deals die on the vine because one party or another got too impatient or too greedy and tried to bite off more than they were ready for. Discipline is the keyword here; set boundaries and make sure you stick to your guns. Let your partner know that each step opens the door to a deeper connection; by doing this you not only show your partner that you mean business, but promote stability and make things easier on yourself as you expand.

For more information on building these networks for lead generation… Start Building them! Check out Meetup.com and look for some networking groups in your area. Add an area of interest to the built in search tool and you’ll find a wealth of opportunities to connect with fellow entrepreneurs. Then, check out LinkedIn and start identifying potential targets and reaching out to them. As you join groups and start following companies, you’ll make some huge connections. And, of course, there’s the tried and true Chamber of Commerce which, for a fee, can be an easy way to get linked in to your community if you haven’t joined them already. Find you avenue and get out there!

‘Til next time.

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