Lead Generation vs. Buying Leads

1st I can tell you that you truly don't know what you are getting when you "buy" leads from a lead vendor company. For instance you could be buying a lead that has #1 been shared many times with other Entrepreneurs in other home based businesses or even your own. I think we have enough competition as it is, don't you agree? #2 this lead could be wrongly incentive based. What I mean by that is the prospect you are calling could have completed a survey online about working from home to get a free computer in return. Are you going to want to talk to that lead and chase them down and convince them about your business? Now all incentive leads aren't bad if the incentive has something to do with working from home. So let's say you have that same prospect that filled out a survey looking to work from home and get a free ebook about home based business ideas in return. That incentive lead is more up your alley and will be easier to possibility convert into your business. But how do you know what type of lead you are buying unless you trust the company and they have shown you the "true" capture page that lead was sent to - to fill out that survey. The bottom line is that you don't know and you will soon find out when you pick up that phone.

Now I'm not saying that buying leads is a bad thing. I think working all angels is best. But where you put your money and how you spend it early on (and always for that matter) should be very important to you. You want to see a ROI (return on investment) for each purchase you make. But to try and convert those 95% NO's into a YES may be hard for you while you are still new. So you need to get a basic understanding of the script you use and why before you pick up that phone. Most don't know this, but there is a psychology behind what we do.

No matter what you do it is vital that you keep working and talking to people whether it's a lead you purchased or one that you generated on your own. Always be talking to others about your business and services.

Let me tell you why generating your own leads is better. 1st you have full control over what your lead reads. The prospect is exclusively yours and you have now just cut your competition down to zero. Because you control the content that your prospect will first read, you will know when they get in touch with you, they are more serious than someone who just wanted that free computer.

Once they do start to contact you and they will, plug them into a system that explains about your opportunity.  Carefully coordinate the material you send out, easing them into the information without overloading them. It's a proven system that works and works well for many out there. But you have to learn a few tricks and skills before this is something you may wish to tackle. In the mean time while you learn, it is fair to say buying leads is a good idea. Just make sure you know where you are getting them from.

You can also place classifieds out there and have people contact you that way while get educated about capture pages, URL directs and things like that. At least you'll have some control over the content out there. But be sure to place those ads where you'll get your ROI. Free classifieds are hard to work and take so much time and effort that sometimes I wonder if it's even worth it. Truly my conclusion is that it's not.

If you are going to post to classified ads, please do yourself a big favor by learning how to write good classifieds. Your time and money are both very valuable to you, so make sure you don't fall into the same pattern that most network marketers fall into - bad writing skills that will kill their campaign in a heartbeat! Again you want to entice your readers, not drive them away. The key elements (suggested by David Schwind here in MS community) to keep in mind when writing any publication is:

    * Create curiosity

    * Make it controversial

    * Ask a question

    * Make it somewhat emotional

I've seen it work time and time again, so take it from those who have been in this industry longer than you! Save yourself some time, money and heartache!

Find out more about how I may be able to help you without all the hype! http://www.AboutLisaAlexander.com. Feel free to visit my blog at http://lisaalexander.wordpress.com.