Lead Gen ID - How to follow up

It's safe to say that Lead Gen ID has some of the most excitement we've seen from the many updates and new features we've introduced in our economic development software over the years. It's easy to see why - it's a total game-changer to discover exactly which company has visited your website, and exactly what their search criteria are for communities and locations. 

In fact, it's that second element that make Lead Gen ID unlike anything else you can find on the market. After all, you can purchase reverse IP lookup services from a variety of third party sources. However, not only will this will cost you more money (since they aren't bundled into your GIS location analysis tool such as ZoomProspector Enterprise), but they will also be missing the critical coding that lets you identify exactly what search criteria those companies are seeking. In the image below, you can see that it's possible to tell if someone is looking for industrial or office spaces, for lease, for sale or for rent, what communities are of interest, what properties they viewed, what labor force or business reports, and much, much more. 

But how to make the most effective use of this incredible valuable intelligence? Below you will find some best practices for making the most of your Lead Gen ID tool on your ZoomProspector Enterprise and Intelligence Components applications.

Identify your decision maker. Lead Gen ID doesn't tell you exactly who was searching your website, but some quick free searches can help you figure out who you need to be speak to in that organization. Start with your own CRM - you may already know who is the decision maker at the company of interest. Next, you may want to look on the company website itself. Look under the "Meet the team" or "About our company" tabs (if they exist), and you may be able to find the person with whom you want to speak. If not, then you can use searches on LinkedIn and Data.com. 

Choose your format. Research shows that calling someone is the most effective way to move a prospect through your funnel. If, however, you are unable to reach them on the telephone, you can certainly resort to email. 

Approach A: Customer Service. I'm a big fan of the honest approach. With this introduction, economic development officers start off with an acknowledgement that you saw them on your website. It would sound something like this: "My name is Alissa and I'm with ChooseThisPlace. We noticed your business has been on our website lately, and I'm just following up to see if you found everything you need, and if I can help you with anything."

This approach allows you to be candid with the company in question about your ability to view their activity online, but frames it in a helpful way. It also opens the door to further engagement, and demonstrates and proactive commitment to customer service. Most people are aware that companies and large organizations are sophisticated enough to track website visitor activity. If your prospect expresses any discomfort with this, you can reassure them that you don't track individual activity, and are only aware that someone from their company was visiting the website.

Approach B: Random coincidence. In cases where you prefer not to acknowledge that you are aware of their activity online, you can contact the company as if it were a random coincidence that you are getting in touch: "Hi there, I'm Alissa with ChooseThisPlace, and we are surveying businesses to learn more about their location needs. I'm wondering if you have a few minutes to discuss any plans you might have for expansion or relocation."

Depending on the context, this may seem like a happy coincidence, although it may be so random as to raise eyebrows. In cases where the company is situated very far away from your region, or is small enough that you might not be likely to know anything about them, the coincidence factor may be too big to be believable.