Choosing the right types of home based business leads when purchasing leads can be a daunting and overwhelming task. If you put a lot of money out there and the leads turn out to be a bust, then you’ve wasted money that could have been used elsewhere in your home based business.
Let’s face it, the most difficult part of getting in gear with a new business is getting people. Whether those people are customers, prospects or clients, the bottom line is your business is nowhere without them. So leads should be one of the most important items on your agenda if not #1.
So how do you choose the right type of home based business leads and what exactly should you be looking for when you purchase? Here is a brief overview of a few types of leads and what to expect from them.
- Real Time Leads. Everyone has heard this term but how many people know what it means? A real time lead is just as it reads. You get the lead as it happens. The leads are given to you in real time or “as they happen” so they are fresh and hot. These leads are a bit pricier but worth the extra investment if you understand how to work them and work them immediately. If you spent good money on good leads and then let them sit around, you have basically thrown away your money.
- Survey Leads. Survey leads are leads where the prospect has filled out a survey on-line answering questions about getting started in a home based business or similar questions. They typically fill out 4-8 survey questions asking things about the capital they have to invest to how serious they are about getting started (i.e., how soon do they plan on getting started). Nothing is more aggravating than calling a lead and finding out they aren’t quite ready to get started yet; maybe in another 6 months. These surveys cut to the chase and eliminate the tire kickers so you get more interested, targeted prospects. Again, fresh, hot leads are usually pricier than older, staler leads. It all depends on where you are in your business. Just getting started? Go for the less expensive leads to get your feet wet then move up as you gain experience.
- Telephone Interviewed Leads. Telephone interviewed leads can be very good, especially for the beginner. Cold calling is a frightening thing to most and takes a lot of experience before you become good at it, if ever. A telephone interviewed lead fills out an on-line form of some sort, usually on a landing page or business opportunity website and then their information is sent to a call center where a professionally trained interviewer calls and interviews them. They basically pre-screen your prospect for you eliminating a lot of intimidating factors that come along with that “first” call. The prospect is already warmed up and ready for your call as the interviewer will tell them at the end of the call that someone will be contacting them. No surprises here. But proceed with caution here. Many advertised telephone interviewed leads are simply only verified through an automated computerized system without an actual interview. If the lead is inexpensive be a little cautious. Chances are it is not an actual telephone interviewed lead. Best suggestion is to request a copy of the recorded telephone interview or at the very least, the name of the person who interviewed them if you have any questions.
So which type of lead is best? Only a few have been covered here and there are many different scenarios and options to choose from. The best advice for buying leads? TEST.
Testing home based business leads before you sink a ton of money into them is always the best case scenario. Start small, gain experience and test the waters. If you invest small at first and the leads turn out to be a bust, then there isn’t a whole lot of risk involved. But if you throw the baby out with the bath water, then you are doomed for failure.