Top 4 Lead Sources for Manufacturers

One of our recent posts talked about how effective lead generation is crucial to the success of a manufacturing business. We laid out a few lead generation tips, including optimizing your website, creating lead magnets, developing effective offers, and more. In this post, we're going to cover some important lead sources that all manufacturers should be paying attention to and cultivating.

Leverage your existing customers

Your current customers are an excellent source for new business and new leads. First, you should always be checking that all of their needs are being met and trying to upgrade or expand their relationship with you. This expansion can take the form of purchasing additional products from you or more of the current products they are buying. Plus, your sales reps should examine last purchase reports and call anyone who hasn't purchased in a time period that is typical for your industry.

Customer referrals

The second way you can leverage current customers for new leads is to ask for referrals. Ask people who you are currently working with if they know of anyone else looking for the product or service you offer. You can also request that they agree to be interviewed for a case study or testimonial to endorse your company. That way, even if they don't have anyone that they can directly refer to you, your business can still publicize their positive experience working with you to service as a referral for new prospects reading about their experience on your website.

Email marketing

In our post about lead generation strategies, we talked about making it easy for website visitors to sign up to receive emails from you by adding their email to your email list. Once prospects are on your list, they are one of the best lead sources for manufacturers. Your sales people should be checking email open reports and contacting anyone who has engaged with your emails. What's so valuable about this method is that your sales reps can see which part of the email the prospect interacted with, then call them to ask specifically about that topic, providing a higher chance of converting them.

SIC and NAICS codes

SIC and NAICS codes are huge when it comes to manufacturer lead sources. They allow you to identify which industries your current customers are in. Once you have that information, you can look for similar companies with the same codes to target and add to your new leads list. Then your sales reps can call through that list and see what needs those companies have that aren't currently being met.

Consistently use each of your lead sources

It's important not to devote all your resources to a single source of new leads. You have to cultivate all the lead sources at your disposal, starting with the most valuable and working your way down. The most important thing is to not let lead generation sit on the back burner. It needs to be a constant activity for your sales team.

If you're a manufacturer that needs assistance finding new leads and developing lead sources, Winsby has experts who can help. We'll connect you with potential customers who are looking for your products or services!

Contact Our Team Today!