How to Generate Leads in Sales (B2C)

The idea of getting more sales leads many times feels like the desire to win the lottery. We all want it. Not a lot of people you know are successful at it. 

You walk into a convenience store and ask for some lotto tickets. Every once in a while, if you’re lucky, you win a few bucks. If you’re really lucky, you win big-time. 

You walk into work. This time, it is not all about luck. You have to put in the work to get new leads and turn them into customers who want to stick around. Lead generation is not a matter of blindly choosing a scratch-off ticket, closing your eyes and praying for the best. 

So don’t treat it as such. Today, we are here to tell you how to generate leads in sales with the right lead generation techniques for your B2C company. 

What is B2C Sales?

Business-to-consumer (B2C) is what happens if you run a company that sells products or services directly from your business to your consumers. There is no middle man. You are selling to the customers who will be the ones who use your products or services. 

When you sell directly to your customer base, you can call yourself a B2C company. 

And what is a lead? A lead is someone who wants or might want to buy what you are selling. In B2C, how to generate leads in sales depends on the lead generation process you follow. 

In the late 1990s, after the advent of the internet, B2C sales became one of the best ways for businesses like yours to sell to their audience. All it took was a few clicks from the customer to end up with your product at their front door. 

Even though much time has passed since then, it can still be tough to find the answers on how to find leads. And it can get even tougher to turn leads into customers and generate sales with them. 

What is the Difference Between B2B and B2C Sales?

Your lead generation marketing and lead gen as a whole will differ depending on what type of sales model your business adheres to. In other words, B2B sales leads are not the same as B2C sales leads. 

The primary difference between the two comes down to what group of people you are trying to sell to. B2B companies sell from business to business. And again, B2C sells from business right to the consumer. 

B2B means that you are selling your products or services to other businesses who will resell them to consumers. That is, you are not catering to the end customer from the beginning of your gen marketing efforts to the end of the closed sale. 

How to generate leads in sales will depend on whether you abide by a B2B or B2C sales structure. Today, though, we are here to give you lead generation tips for the latter. 

10 Effective Ways to Generate Sales Leads in B2C

Below, you will find the top 10 proven ways to go about generating customer leads. The bulk of these techniques fall under the category of inbound lead generation. 

But no matter the types of lead generation, you will find that a mixture of these steps will serve your business’s health well.

Create Transparent Guidelines

There are so many options out there for the customers who buy from within your industry. But those options rarely provide them with solutions or answers they will benefit from. There is a lot of “We have the answers!” without much to support that claim. 

As you know from your own experience, that gets frustrating. Consumers today want something that will work. They want an honest and trustworthy solution from an honest and trustworthy company. You can be that for them with transparent guidelines and quality solutions. 

And it starts with your lead gen marketing. You can offer them downloadable and valuable e-books on your website. Use call-to-actions (CTAs) that lead buyers in the right direction. Show up for them with training courses, webinars and holistic generator marketing content. How to generate leads in sales is not a one-size-fits-all approach. 

Post Videos to Boost Sales

We as human beings like visual learning. Videos are one of the most interactive ways to appeal to your audience through visual learning. 

Some like to play videos in the background while they work. Others unwind after their workweek is over by watching videos. 80 percent of video marketers even say that video marketing is a direct contributor that boosts sales.

We are not talking about shameless promo videos, either. Those may help, but DIY and how-to videos are the way to go when you want to engage your customers and offer them solutions to address their pain points and desires. 

They also get your voice across to your target market. You can use them as an outlet for creativity, humor, or professionalism, depending on how you want to position your brand in the eyes of your audience. 

Write and Publish Informative Articles

When you write and publish your own content on your blog, you give your market a go-to resource. Why not expand your reach by writing and publishing informative articles on external sites, too? 

It establishes your business as a leader in your industry. It also gives you a chance to generate new leads from segments you did not think of in the past. 

Where would a new business lead need help? What are their pain points? How can you help them to hurdle over the obstacles that stand in their way? As you craft a new article for them, answer these questions first. 

Build Loyalty Programs

Just like The Goonies, word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM) will never say die. People like to receive recognition for their efforts. Loyalty programs are a great way to acknowledge your customers’ contribution to your business’s success. 

You might want to operate your loyalty program on a points-based system. Maybe you offer rewards for referrals (more on that just below) or free trials. Explore what works best for your business model and go from there. 

Always Ask for Referrals

If you are looking for the answers on how to generate leads in sales, you could already be sitting on the answer. 

Referrals from existing customers is a key way to play on that WOMM we talked about earlier. Leads are more prone to buy from a brand that their loved ones recommend. It means they will trust you much quicker than if you reach out to them with no context. 

Create Buzz With Quizzes

Have you ever taken one of those Buzzfeed Quizzes that were once so popular? There is something about the appeal of an interactive quiz. They are fun and often lead to some sort of a solution or answer at the end. 

Ensure that the quizzes you publish for your audience make sense for what you sell. They have to be on-brand. If they are not, and use clickbait-heavy tricks, you will not be able to convert your leads. But you can get creative with the topic of your quiz as long as it relates to what you offer. 

Build a Community With a Podcast

A good bit of people you meet have their one and only “podcast.” The one that they listen to in the car, at their desk, or while they clean their house for some virtual company. The vast majority of people have a few they jump back and forth from. 

You can supplement your blog and other business media with a podcast, too. This is a way to add value to your existing solutions and put a voice to the name your customers keep seeing every time they check out. 

Engage More on Social Media

Even more so than a treasured podcast, your customers use social media. Which platform (or platforms) does your audience prefer to spend time on? Facebook, Instagram, Twitter? There is a wide range for them to choose from. 

You will see the most successful brands engaging their customers and brand followers on their social media pages. Responding to comments, shouting out customer success stories, and liking replies are only a few of the ways they engage. 

Revisit Lost Opportunities

Why are you spending so much time generating new leads? When you have so many lost opportunities to look to instead? A lot of the time, people did not buy from you that one time because they did not have room in their budget or were busy with something else. 

But no time like the present, right? Reach out again. See if now is the time for them to close a sale with you. Personalize this new experience with them and remind them of the last time the two of you spoke. 

Expand Your Network

You have business contacts from your peers who have their own lead generation techniques. They also may have leads that were not right for them but might be right for you. 

Head to sites like LinkedIn to expand your professional network. Engage and communicate with your fellow industry leaders like you would your audience. See how you can start a symbiotic relationship with them. 

Conclusion

Here at Selling Revolution, we know how to generate leads in sales for your business. And we will make sure they are high-quality leads so that you end up with higher conversion rates. 

Our team has decades upon decades of experience in building selling systems for home service companies. And we want to do the same for you. 

That is why we compile content that we tailor to your specific professional needs. We give you the resources to stay up-to-date with industry trends. And we have the solutions to align your channels for better leads, better sales team training, and better leads every time. 

Ready for that level of improvement in your company? Book a call with Selling Revolution today.