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I own and operate a small home improvement business in Marion County Florida. About six months ago, a marketing company contacted me after finding me in the "yellow pages". The good news is, I am glad they did. After discussing what I wanted for qualified leads and what services I wanted them to market for me, my profile was established and my leads started flying in. My business has grown at my pace. I do not get old leads. Every lead is a person who has a specific progect, repair or improvement they would like to have done. Some are emergency repairs and others are timed improvement progects. The other great aspect of this is that once I have had a chance to meet and do work for the customer, they always find something else for me to do. It may be a small 1 or 2 hour repair or a 1 to 2 week improvement progect. But I always seem to get more than what I originally paid for. My leads range from $7.00 each to $50.00 each. The lower lead cost jobs usually pay about $100 to $150.00 where the $50 leads usually pay out aproximatedly $500 to $1500. Not to mention that all of the new business I earn from the customer or from their friends, family or neighbors, I get for FREE!

In closing, all businesses are different and lead generation is either "by the numbers" or "direct marketing" or specific identified search (like the ones I get) and your decision should be based upon the cost of the lead, the age of the lead, the qualification of the lead and the realistic numbers of leads you need that will be converted to a sale so that the cost of this lead program...PAYS FOR ITSELF and then WHEN DOES IT BECOME PROFITABLE?

My customers are actually looking for someone like me to do work for them. They have progects that they are planning or emergency repairs that are "NEED TO BE DONE RIGHT NOW". I accept both of these leads, contact the customers within 1 hour of their request and I am setting an appointment to discuss the progect or I am getting the important information to get right over and fix the emergency. So my customers are not targeted, they are targeting me. And that is worth paying for because I usually earn the business.

So, I hope I showed you one side of my success using lead generation. Again, we all have a different type of business but to succeed we all need one element for success....that is..a prospect who gives us the opportunity to share what we offer with them. If it is what they need (our job toproove that)
then we are the professional with the experiencewill do it right, at the best cost and will do it in the proper amount
of time so that when something else is needed, you will think of ...you guessed it me, you or us.

Getting the lead is one thing. Doing something with it is another. Good luck.
jsphmsinc

I actually did use a company to set my appointments when I first started. They totally ripped me off . They charged by the hour and guaranteed nothing. I paid for 100 hours and they set 2 bogus appointments. This led me to later develop my own lead generating division to do outbound calling. It was so successful for me that I began offering it as a service and instead of charging by the hour, we charged per lead or per appointment.

HI! Great Question. My company is called Revitalize Networking. I work with businesses by generating specific leads and scheduling the appointment. I will pass on a couple of great tips when you are wanting to save $$. Couple of suggestions.

*Determine your target. Narrow it down to a niche so you are lasor focused on a specific group that needs your services. The reason behind this is to build momentum and you able to mention who else you have spoken with and it will give you crediblity.

*Use the same geographical area. http://www.local.live.com. Type in the target ( Industry) It will give you the offices that are close to each other.

*Cold call your target in the office(referring to Business to Business Networking.) and send information and follow up with a second call.

#2 Suggestion. Call your City for a list of New Business Licenses.

Dial,Dial,Dial..............It works.

I know this does not address your question about companies that sale leads. I thought it would help.

Rhonda

I have purchased many database and used appointment setters.

One appontment setter worked great for a project and then failed on my second project with them. Trial and error - try to do homework ahead of time and ask to review their script. You need to monitor closely and shut it down if it is not successful.

I also use direct mail and am amazed that people call me 1 year after receieving the mailer!

BUYING LEADS?? APPOINTMENTS, Welcome.

No I have never purchased appointments or leads.

back in the old days, I did purchase Accounts.

Tell us more about yourself and your business.
Where are you located?? Go to Members page and share.

LUCKIEST