Lead Generation

This post was inspired by a question that was asked on Linked In. It is a question that seems to always come up around the sales campfire and one that many "sales experts" debate over and over again. The subject is "Touch Points" and the amount of touch points it takes to get to a decision maker .

This always brings a smile to my face when I read about this topic or hear it debated. It reminds me of the Tootsie Pop commercial of the 1970's when a boy asked the wise old owl "How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop." The owl says "Let's find out." Then the owl takes his licks of the Tootsie Pop ..." A One... A two-HOO...A three.." Then tells the boy "A Three!" as he crunches the Tootsie Pop on lick number 3. Same can be said for sales touch points. Is the magic number 7, 8, 9, 10? The answer is actually "yes" to all. Allow me to explain…..
If I have a close contact in my network that is close to one of my targets it may only take one touch point to get to the decision maker and close the sale (assuming the target has a need for my product or service). Now let’s say I just happen to be at the right place at the right time when a trigger event is taking place. Again, it may only take 1-2 touch points to get to my desired outcome (i.e. a sale). However, if my target is near the brink of financial ruin or in the process of freezing all budgets it could take a year of touch points to get anywhere near a sale. There are many variables and you need to understand the lay of the land.
If you have read my blogs then you know I tend to take a pragmatic approach. Rather than complicate things or look for a magic formula I try to put the shoe on the other foot. That is to say look at it from my target’s perspective. Here are some basic principles to consider……
- Make sure you can clearly communicate what your differentiating value is.
- Research the company to see if you can find out if they have pain points now or
have had pain points that your product/service can solve.
- Understand what key "trigger" events create a need for your product/service.
- Have a KIT (Keep In Touch) strategy. This may be a marketing campaign so that if the timing is not right (no trigger event is occurring or won’t occur for some time) your product/service will remain top of mind when the trigger event happens. This also helps you move onto the next sale without “letting go” which is hard for us salespeople.

Lastly, stand in your target’s shoes for a moment. Do you want to be called, emailed, etc. 7, 8, 9, 10 times or does that seem harassing and desperate? Do you want your email box filled with all types of advertisements each week? Do you want text messages sent to your phone each day with promotions? Probably not. Soft persistence pays off, but those touch points should have value. A seminar/speaking event, a piece of information that may help others (free of charge and without the need for registering or signing up), a white paper with some case studies.

There is no magic touch point number.....but there better ways to manage those touch points. Good luck out there!