With so many tactics to choose from to generate leads, and so little time to decide (if you don’t want to lose prospects to faster-moving competitors), how can you create conversations with the most qualified buyers for your services?

You can speak at conferences or seminars. Take advantage of the many PR opportunities available. Or you can cold call, send direct mail pieces, set up affiliate or referral programs—the list goes on.

Not knowing which tactic to choose and what to expect from your lead generation efforts can be a service provider’s worst nightmare. You have to zero in on what’s going to make the biggest splash in your pool of prospects. But how do you know?

Over the course of 2010, Wellesley Hills Group has conducted research from over 800 professional services providers; they’ve told us what’s worked, what hasn’t, and how they plan to generate leads in the future.

Join us on June 15 as Mike Schultz will be sharing findings from Wellesley Hills Group’s yet to be released What’s Working in Lead Generation 2010 report.

You will learn the answers to those sticky questions such as:

• How can I fill the front end of the pipeline with qualified prospects that will buy?
• Which tactics look good, but don’t work well for lead generation?
• How does lead generation work with other marketing and business development activities?
• Which tactics will work for my firm, given the dynamics of what I sell?
• What are the keys to developing a culture that supports ongoing lead generation success?

When: June 15, 2010 at 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (continental breakfast and networking begin at 7:30 a.m.)

Where: Newton Marriott – 2345 Commonwealth Avenue, Newton, MA 02466

All attendees will receive a complimentary executive summary to the What’s Working in Lead Generation 2010 benchmark report.

Register for Lead Generation Success for Professional Services>>>

Trust—it’s what you want all prospects and clients to have in you. But it takes work to earn that trust. As Nancy Fox says in her article this week, 5 Ways to Win Business and Influence Decision Makers, you “gain influence and trust with business decision makers when [you] demonstrate that [you] understand them, their business, and the needs and wants of their business.” Start by identifying the real decision makers and then develop a relationship with them, paying attention to the client’s wants and needs.

Charles H. Green reinforces that thinking in his article, When You Fling Mud at Competitors, You Get Dirty, Too. You want to focus on your client, not your competitor. You may be tempted to point out what you do better than your competitor and point out your competitor’s flaws, but that doesn’t sit well with clients. They may think you care only about winning the sale and beating the competition, not about really helping them.

“Focusing on your client, not on your competitor, is the trustworthy thing to do,” Green says. “And when trust in businesses is declining, those who act in a trustworthy manner differentiate themselves. Isn’t that what you want?”

You also instill feelings of trust, as well as demonstrate understanding of clients, when you write and speak about issues important to them. By writing a blog, publishing articles, or speaking at events, you show prospects that you have the expertise they need. Getting to that level, however, also takes work, says author Tom Davenport in his podcast interview, So, You Want to Become a Thought Leader? But if you do it well and set yourself apart from others also trying to show their thought leadership, the benefits are enormous.

That thought leadership, combined with effective PR, will also help catch the eye of the media. And when you make a name for yourself in the media, you increase your trust factor even more. The easiest way to spread news about you and your firm is through press releases, says Paula Phelan in her article, PR Strategies That Get the Media to Notice You, but those press releases must be interesting. Even if you don’t have any “hard” news, you can get the media to take notice using service announcements, client case studies, and articles written by industry experts.

The Role of Social Networks

You can take your media connections a step further and develop relationships with writers and editors via social networks. Make them aware of your expertise and your willingness to talk to them about issues, and they will seek you out when they need analysis and quotes for stories.

It was social networking and online marketing that helped networking solutions company Juniper Networks increase its contact base and allowed the company to engage with potential customers, writes Stephanie Tilton in her case study, Networking Solutions Company Discovers the Power of Email and Social Networks.

“Juniper tapped into Web 2.0 technologies and social-media platforms, including YouTube, live chat, forums, and Twitter. By embedding ‘forward-to-a-friend’ mechanisms into its communications, Juniper made it easy for recipients to pass them on and for the company to measure activity. By the end of the campaign, nearly all emails ended up going viral. Plus, [they] could see how many contacts it had built up and how quickly they responded to various promotions.”

The company opened the channels to allow customers and advocates to communicate with them and share ideas and suggestions. In return, Juniper Networks created a web portal that includes online lab facilities, an online forum, webcasts, and education programs.

Further evidence that digital marketing channels are becoming a priority for marketers comes from Econsultancy and ExactTarget. A survey that they conducted shows 66% of B2B marketers will increase investments in digital marketing such as social media in 2010. Traditional marketing, on the other hand, is dropping considerably.

No matter what marketing tactic you employ, make sure you use it to show prospects and clients how you can help them. Avoid the sales pitches and being part of the “me-to” noise. You want people to trust you and to seek out more information from you—not run away from you.

After you cast your net for prospects, make sure you keep only those good for your firm

When times are tough and it’s difficult to sign on new clients or get current clients to buy additional services, we’re all tempted to take any business that comes our way. But that is a mistake. You must have a discriminating eye when considering prospects. You want a client who will stick around for the long haul and will help you grow your business.

With that in mind, Vickie K. Sullivan this week writes about the types of prospects you must have in your sales pipeline (3 Types of Prospects You Want in Your Pipeline Now):

• The Ready and Willing
• The Willing and Exploring
• The Small and Steady

Each group has its own qualities, and their members are all serious buyers.

We’d all be wise to look at each prospect that comes along and evaluate whether it’s the right fit. If it isn’t, throw it back. As Sullivan says:

“Pipelines with too many false buyers create a low close ratio, a low cash flow, and a high degree of frustration. Effective lead generation campaigns catch the attention of many buyers and have a system to distinguish between serious prospects and the wanderers in the wilderness.”

Buying Is an Emotional Experience

Martin Lindstrom, author of Buyology —Truth and Lies About Why We Buy, says buying is an emotional experience for the purchaser. Whether people buy a product or services, their emotions are always part of the equation.

Mike Schultz and Robert Croston explore that concept in their article, Use Your Brand Symbol to Trigger Emotional Responses in Buyers. Looking at the successful use of cookies in the marketing strategies of DoubleTree Hotels and Midwest Airlines, Schultz and Croston point out how those two companies used a brand symbol to appeal to travelers by creating an experience those people will value.

Professional services firms can do the same thing, they say. Ask yourself what feelings are associated with working with you and then find a symbol that represents and elicits those feelings.

Another way to get prospects comfortable with you and help them understand the value you offer is to produce online audio such as podcasts, says Randy Shattuck in his article, Podcasts: Powerful Marketing and Sales Tools. They can significantly improve lead nurturing and give you a leg up on the competition. Shattuck says:

“Audio tools such as podcasts and MP3 files can have a major impact on client acquisition, perceived value, and profit per deal. When prospective clients understand your firm’s value, expertise, and unique vision before they talk to you, you’ll realize a shorter sales cycle, higher close rates, and enhanced profitability. “

The key, however, is to produce business-class audio. Badly created audio will hurt you—you won’t be considered professional. Review Shattuck’s five best practices for producing online audio so you can avoid that.

Such communication with prospects and clients is actually public relations, Drew Gerber points out. You’re developing relationships with them—your public—and you need a strategy for doing so, he says in this week’s podcast, Get Prospects to Notice You: What Every Marketing Campaign Must Have. Listen as Gerber discusses techniques for reaching your public, whether it’s via traditional or social media; what’s required for a good PR campaign; and the success businesses can see as a result.

Are you wondering what it takes to get your firm featured in a national business publication?

In a recent interview with Start Up Lucky, Amy Cosper, editor-in-chief,  shared some tips for getting your firm’s story into Entrepreneur Magazine.

But before we get to the tips… Do you need to be a VC-funded or sexy-gadget company to be considered an entrepreneur for this publication? Not according to Cosper—even though these companies are frequently featured. Cosper offered that being an entrepreneur is “not about making millions and millions of dollars. It’s about the spirit with which you go about doing it.”

And, if you take a look at a few sample articles that feature services firms, you’ll see what she means:

• Designing From Scratch
• Work Less (It’s Good for Business)

OK, back to the tips:

• Keep the pitch short and simple to get attention, says Cosper. “State your business or mission statement in three sentences or less.”
• A pitch sent to Cosper via Twitter, or a”twitch” (Twitter+pitch) as she calls it, is very effective: “I love pitches.” While she may not respond to all email pitches, she does respond to Twitter pitches.
• What they’re looking for: a good story—one that’s compelling, relevant, and timely. A timely topic is one that reflects the zeitgeist, or spirit of the times.
• Biggest pitch mistake she sees: companies that send “a 3,000-word dissertation” and “anything too long and prose-y.” Those pitches will get lost in the shuffle.
• Best pitches? Really short and to the point. Tell her your story in three sentences or fewer. (See the theme here?)
• Finally, don’t be afraid to approach them with your story. They’re always looking for story ideas, says Cosper.

If you give this approach a try, let us know. Did it work?