Smart Strategies: Landing New Clients

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As a credible way to make your company better known to select prospects, you can forward articles to them, make speeches at industry events, conduct small-scale seminars or workshops for them, and do proprietary research where the results can be shared with them." Offer them value, and they will start to entrust you with their business dilemmas.

Internet communications can be less intrusive and less expensive than direct selling via the telephone or direct mail. To generate new business leads, it's important to reach potential customers where they are looking for a service like yours, and increasingly that's through online search engines. Think about tools such as Google AdWords that enable advertisers to target consumers locally or nationally and that can be easily set up by you or your technical support staff (see BusinessWeek.com, 1/29/07, "Small Biz Ads: The Year of the Web").

"Take the time to determine the exact audience you are looking to reach and be very specific when you choose keywords," advises Emily White, director of online sales and operations at Google (GOOG). "For example, if you are a financial consultant, you might get more leads by selecting 'financial consultant Blomington.' Develop 'gotta-click' ads for users searching on your selected keywords."

Maximum Clicks

Since the online advertising environment is a dynamic one, it's essential to keep a close eye on how your campaign is doing, White says. Test different ads to find the one that generates the most clicks. Free conversion-tracking software, like Google Analytics, can help make sure you are getting the most out of your investment.

Search engine optimization is also an important way to drive traffic to your Web site and generate leads. "More than 80% of online purchase intent starts through a search engine," Berkowitz notes. "It is imperative that your company Web site is properly constructed and has relevant content so it can be found by search engines and offered up to prospective customers." If your webmaster is not familiar with search engine optimization, you can hire a consultant who specializes in optimizing Web sites for various search engines. If done right, it's a terrific investment that brings in a lot of new business for many entrepreneurs (see BusinessWeek.com, 7/6/06, "How SEO Upped the Revenues").

Once you've gotten a door open, make sure your introduction and sales presentation reflects thorough preparation and research on the prospect, including some of their key issues and problems, Berkowitz advises. "More and more, management wants everything quantified, especially the ROI. While your focus should always be on how you can add value for this potential client, make sure you demonstrate how the results of your efforts could be measured." Good luck.

Karen E. Klein is a Los Angeles-based writer who covers entrepreneurship and small-business issues.