Leads are the lifeblood of any business. Without them, marketing is a confusing game of “create something and throw it out to the world and see what happens”. Getting those leads, however, is one of the biggest obstacles a business will ever face. All kinds of marketing and sales techniques have been developed to get leads (cold calling, direct mail, coupons, social media, cute cat videos, etc.), but it’s still not any easier.
Leadsology: The Science of Being in Demand has a system for that (if you provide services.) The book walks readers through crafting a more reliable lead-generation system.
What is Leadsology About?
Leadsology is a cute name for a system developed by Tom Poland for service providers, whether you are a freelance graphic designer or an internal sales member of a Fortune 500 consulting company. The book’s goal is to help you understand why you’re not generating leads, how many leads you need to generate, and how to direct those leads toward close and referral.
The process to more leads begins with a better understanding of why leads aren’t showing up in the first place. Tom Poland argues that a big reason for lackluster lead generation is the way we’re approaching them. Many service providers assume the issue is marketing or some aspect of the product. If they just say the right words or have the best-looking website, they’ll be able to pull in more clients. This excess focus on creating lead magnets (like social media, blogs, podcasts, Google ads, etc.) might help in the short-term, but they are not part of a sustainable lead generation system.
Another issue behind lackluster leads is the message carried across in the marketing. Marketing as a service provider requires sharing who you are and what you do, who will best be helped by what you do, and how you will help improve their lives. Many business owners and sales people focus on the first two parts of the previous sentence (who they are and who they can help) without providing a clear statement about how they will help. Without that key statement of value, there is no immediate call to action.
Tom Poland continues throughout the book to explore how issues, like inconsistent marketing, affect the quality and number of your leads. Along the way, he provides resources or specific recommendations on how to tailor marketing into a strategic (versus occasional) lead-generation machine.
Poland is a serial entrepreneur who started five businesses (selling four of them.) He is also a speaker, consultant and author. Currently, he serves as the founder and owner of the 80/20 Center and Chief Leadsologist at Leadsology, a consulting firm.
What Was Best About Leadsology?
The best part of Leadsology is the customized advice Poland provides for service providers, especially sole providers who are looking for a way to improve sales leads without expensive marketing budgets or even time. Poland argues in his book that his lead generation system can be maintained with a scheduled weekly period he calls “Marketing Day”, which focuses scheduled time for a specific profitable and lead-generating activity each week.
What Could Have Been Done Differently?
While Leadsology is definitely geared toward minimal marketing, it can take a while to develop the system the book advocates. Having such a system requires deep knowledge of your own skills and the needs of your clients, which takes some time to develop. The Leadsology system isn’t something that a beginner can pick up from scratch. It’s designed more for experienced freelancers and sales professionals who work directly with clients.
Why Read Leadsology?
Effective and higher-value lead generation is often a topic for sales professionals trying to push their clients through a sales funnel. Leadsology isn’t one of those books. While it doesn’t discount the funnel, the book argues that passively waiting for leads (especially as a sole practitioner) won’t cut it. Instead, Poland suggests that service professionals (like writers, consultants, etc.) focus on creating and maintaining an active system of lead generation built with a minimal investment of time and a maximum amount of output. Leadsology walks readers through that system and shares how to adopt the proactive mindset that will keep that system going for the life of your business.
This article, “Create a More Reliable Lead Generation System with Leadsology” was first published on Small Business Trends