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One of the most important means to business success is lead generation. Yet, even with all of the resources available to businesses today, this vital element often goes unimplemented. Many companies are simply unwilling to undertake lead generation, as it is mistakenly perceived as unnecessary.

The fact is that lead generation is no small task to undertake; it requires constant tweaking and testing. But once perfected, lead generation can become a business's core strategy to long-term, lucrative income.

Consumers are bombarded with thousands of ads daily. Radio, television and the web have become an effective means to communicate business' marketing message. Today's marketing campaigns have to be innovative and benefit-driven enough to demand attention. But it's also imperative that companies regularly differentiate their marketing messages to stay in the forefront of the minds of consumers. For example, a company can use several assorted methods to get its message across. These include internet advertising, print advertising, trade shows and telemarketing.

Many elements can serve to make your lead generation campaign successful, but few are as important as copywriting. If the lead cannot glean a clear message from what they read, there are much less likely to contact you for more information. Unfortunately, many businesses completely ignore the importance of this element, experiencing early campaign failure as a result. A good copywriter will bring your story to life with words, phrases and imagery that makes your product irresistible to the consumer and urges them to get in touch with you.

Any marketing campaign's success is directly proportional to a clearly-defined lead source. If your source hasn't generated a clear return on investment, ensure that follow-up with all qualified leads has occurred before moving on to another lead source. Too many businesses often pull out of a failed lead generation campaign before determining why the failure occurred. Simply ending a campaign without further analysis will only ensure more lost dollars with future lead sources. If your company has a marketing department, it is absolutely mandatory that marketing staff are qualified in marketing and understand the role lead generation plays in the big picture. Inexperience is also a common cause of campaign failure and neglect in analyzing results.

One your leads have been identified, marketed to and followed up with, it is now up to a qualified salesperson to close the deal. Again, experience is vital in this area. Without the proper closing techniques, organizational and follow-up skills your lead generation campaign will quickly lose momentum.

It is only after a lead has turned to a sale that customer relationship management (CRM) can begin. By now, your company will have established itself as an expert in the field, and convinced your customers that your product is the one they should choose above all others. CRM will focus on keeping those customers by continually reminding them of the all of the benefits your company has to offer. Along with your company's CRM, an efficient customer service department will ensure that all customer issues, enquiries and feedback receive the attention they deserve.

Regardless of campaign type, each and every lead generation campaign should be meticulously documented. Without proper documentation, it will be impossible to identify problems with your campaign's structure or execution, and therefore impossible to prevent such problems in future. Be sure to document all leads, whether they converted to sales or not. Those who aren't currently interested in your product or service may have a need for it in future.

The ultimate goal of any lead generation campaign should be not only to turn leads into customers, but turn those customers into advocates for your product or service. You can determine whether your customers have reached this stage by conducting a small amount of research which simply asks the customer whether they would feel confident in recommending your company to their peers. It has been shown that positive answers to this question are directly related to a company's growth.

Also, it is important to understand that lead generation is a long-term investment. Successful lead generation can take months or years to manifest; therefore, commitment to each campaign must be applied. As well, having realistic expectations will play an important role when it comes time to determine your lead generation campaign's success.