How to Buy Business Leads That Fit Your Business and Boost Sales
 You were expecting to be asked this question and now here it is, “Do you know of anyone else who might also like this product?”
Home product or service “parties,” while many people find any way to avoid going to them, account for the sales and consequent growth of many companies. Avon is still around, as are Mary Kay, Tupperware, and a host of like “party givers.”
The bottom line to the value of asking that particular does two things: (1) avoids cold calling (“Hello Mr. Jones, Mary Ann asked me to give you a call…”) and (2) opens the door to more leads with one or more “parties” and additional names and phone numbers.
A business owner who specializes in, let’s say, a skin care product, would probably give his or her right arm to have access to the Avon representative’s personal directory of leads.
However, anyone in business knows that leads can lead to a mother-load of sales; most people will not part with their gold mine of potential customers---and possible profits---no matter how good the offer.
There is, however, hope. A business owner who is looking to give a business a “shot in the arm” or a new website owner who needs people to visit his/her site can buy leads outright.
Buying Business Leads is Different from Buying Email Lists
Different from obtaining email addresses, leads have more of a tendency to be categorized by gender, location, buying habits, homeowner or renter, income, whether or not children are in the family, and a whole assortment of other criteria that comprise a set of demographics. The problem is: how and where do you purchase leads that fit your business?
There are several tips to buying quality leads and no one set of leads is equal to another.
First, let’s break down a few different sources of leads:
 1. Retail Outlets. Retailers often have corresponding websites and more retailers are offering leads for sale in a particular industry.
For example, a home builder may offer their leads for sale to air conditioner and furnace repair companies, flooring installers, and swimming pool builders.
2. Health care and insurance agencies may sell their business leads to businesses that specialize in products and services for older people.
3. Mapping companies can (and do) sell demographic information and homeowner leads to businesses that offer products and services to people in farming or rural areas.
An Imporatnt Advantege of Buying Business Leads
The wonderful aspect of buying business leads is that those people already have an interest in the type of service or product your business provides---and they have shown the purchasing of similar items in the past or who might need similar items in the future.
Before Buying Business Leads, Take Stock of Your Business
Before buying business leads, the most important thing you must do is pull up a chair and dissect your business. Here are some tips for this process:
1. What is the nature of your business?
2. What is the cost of your product or service?
3. Who is your average customer: Age, location, income bracket, previous purchases?
4. Who are your competitors? What makes your business different from others?
5. Do you prefer email, telephone, or person-to-person contact (or all three)?
Buying Business Leads Versus Renting Them
Buying business leads versus renting them is not cheap and you want leads that direct you straight to potential customers who already show an interest in the area your business specializes in.
Here are some advantages to keep in mind when buying business leads:
1. Reputable lead companies have done the work of finding and pre-qualifying your prospects.
2. Reputable business lead companies most often provide lists of fresh leads; not leads that have been used over and over by other businesses.
3. Reputable business lead companies obey the laws and do not allow spamming (unsolicited email), or “harvest” leads from other companies without permission.
4. Does the lead company offer qualified or unqualified leads?
Targeting Your Customers
Additionally, note the region(s) of your customer base: do you want or can you travel to locations outside your base to demonstrate a product or service?
Once you have defined your business and what it offers and to whom, you are ready to start locating the place from where you can buy business leads---and there are many companies that offer the sale of them.
What to do when your search engine comes back with 100 business “Leads for Sale” listings?
Obviously, the first thing to do is check the credibility of any lead generation and sale company before you buy business leads from them. This includes online reviews, Better Business Bureau affiliations or complaints, business references, and how long the company has been in business. After that, begin whittling the companies down by:
1. Reading the FAQs and any tips on “buying business leads” websites. Do they offer helpful information? Do they offer trials? Do they offer lead tracking software so that you can test performance?
2. Reading customer comments about the company on the site and through the internet.
3. Does the lead sale company do grading of leads? In other words, is there a price break for leads that have performed well in the past versus unqualified leads? What are those statistics?
4. Does the company offer broken-down demographics where you can specify your business’ client base? Or does the lead company simply offer generalized lead packages? The difference can mean the quality of the leads!
Free Business Leads
 Free business leads are also in the realm of possibilities for obtaining leads.
You would follow the same criteria as for buying businesses leads except pay particular attention to what those free lead companies want in exchange from you and your business.
Are you going to have to click on “members’ sites” for example?
Are you going to have to purchase “trial” products as in “Just click on products you are interested in, sign up, pay, and cancel if you like within 30 days?You will still receive credit from us that you can use to buy business leads from us.”
Important Points to Keep in Mind When Buying Business Leads:
- Dissect your business product or service and its average type of customer.
- Who are your competitors and where are they located?
- Define your methods of customer contact.
- Does the lead sale company offer qualified and unqualified leads?
- Does the lead company give you the option of defining demographics?
- Does the lead sale company have a solid reputation?
- Does the lead company provide a trial of their service and/or software?
- Does the lead company offer performance tracking so that you can measure sales results?
- Does the lead company have a FAQs page that gives guidance, helpful articles and reports, and legitimate contact information?
- Do “free leads” companies require something from you and your business in return for leads?
Jump-start a business With Business leads
Buying business leads can be one of the best and easiest ways to jump-start a business or increase profits for an existing business. No matter what of business you have, buying leads can mean more customer referrals than any other method in sales.
Business Lead Resources:
http://home.infousa.com
http://www.experian.com/small-business/sales-leads.jsp
http://www.salesgenie.com
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