Business development that’s accessible to everyone
Before you read any further, I need to get something off my chest; I hate selling.
Let me clarify. It’s not sales conversations that I hate or the hoops that you inevitably have to jump through to close deals – those are all par for the course, and strangely; quite enjoyable! It’s drumming up the opportunities to have those conversations in the first place that’s the problem. It’s the most unfortunate side-effect of having the ambition to work for yourself.
Cold outreach to a potential customer is a tough gig. Not only does it come with that uncomfortable feeling that accompanies interrupting someone when they aren’t ready to listen, but it generally relies on techniques that are proven to be both highly ineffective and costly, the vast majority of the time.
That doesn’t mean I haven’t given outbound sales a fair crack of the whip. I’ve tried everything in the 14 years I’ve spent running a business: Cold calling, email marketing, networking, exhibitions, advertising, social media have all played parts in my ever-evolving business development playbook, and all have ended up costing me a lot in time, money, energy and integrity with little reward to show for it.
It wasn’t until I finally stumbled across the techniques, now refined and documented in my book ‘Wonder Leads‘, that I finally found the breakthrough I had been searching for all those years. A method proved to be nearly twenty times more effective than cold calling at generating warm leads, yet costs little but time and application. Crucially the whole process allowed me to keep my integrity firmly intact.
Here, I’m going to share the principles of how it drives remarkable lead generation results, primarily through LinkedIn.
Personalised video introductions for outbound sales on LinkedIn
The central concept of Wonder Leads revolves around high-quality, individually personalised videos delivered to 1st-degree connections on LinkedIn.
The keyword here is personalised. This is not about creating a single piece of content, such as a corporate video intended to be viewed by as many people as possible. While that approach may generate the occasional sales opportunity, it is content marketing, not cold outreach. You have no control over who responds and no way of telling whether the people that really matter are engaging.
Wonder Leads is about crafting a bespoke piece of positive video communication intended for an audience of one. A video that builds a meaningful connection through a demonstration of empathy, effort and imagination. A video that actively generates leads with individuals you want to work with. Not conversations, referrals or engagements, but cast-iron warm leads.
Like all things that matter, the Wonder Leads approach requires time and application but done right; it absolutely knocks the socks off any other form of outbound B2B business development I’ve ever encountered.
How does the video lead generation process work?
The general principle of how Wonder Leads works is as follows:
- Connect with the right people: identify the right prospects and connect with them in the most positive way possible.
- Craft a compelling story: create a connection with your prospect through compelling words and take them on a positive, engaging journey.
- Film a personalised video: ensure you impute your business’s desired qualities by presenting yourself in the best possible light.
- Publish your video to a personalised landing page: build a bespoke home for your video that helps to drive the prospect to your preferred course of action.
- Share with positivity: direct your prospect towards the video in the most positive way possible and avoid selling at all costs.
- Measure the results: track engagement and responses to your videos so that you can quantify the return on your time investment.
What lead generation results does it get?
Unlike the most commonly used cold outreach methods that are notoriously difficult (if not impossible) to measure, every step of the Wonder Leads process can be tracked. This allows you to keep tabs of every move you make to ensure you get the most from every second you spend on your video lead generation activity.
If followed correctly, the Wonder Leads approach to business development delivers unprecedented results across the board*.
1. Better at reaching the right people
The analysis shows that our personalised video introductions approach is nearly three times more effective at reaching the right people than the next best proactive lead generation alternative.
2. Better at generating responses
Our analysis also proves that Wonder Leads is far more effective at generating responses than any other form of outbound business development. To be precise, it is:
- 7 times more effective than cold calling
- 14 times more effective than direct mail
- More than 16 times more effective than e-marketing
3. Much better at generating warm leads
Crucially, the analysis shows that Wonder Leads is 18 times more effective than cold calling at generating warm leads compared to alternative cold outreach methods.
*A breakdown of this comparison data can be found here, as well as a more comprehensive explanation within the Wonder Leads book.
Why do video introductions through LinkedIn work so well for cold outreach?
There are many reasons why personalised video introductions are so effective in generating warm leads. Here are just a few:
- Remote: You can do them from any location, with minimal equipment – perfect for overcoming the challenges of COVID-19 and the new normal.
- Efficient use of time: The effort to reward ratio of Wonder Leads is far superior to any other form of business development.
- Highly targeted: By handpicking the recipients, you maximise your chances of making a successful approach.
- Non-invasive: The prospect gets to digest the content at their own convenience, so it never feels intrusive.
- Personal: Everyone responds better to more personalised content because it feeds our innate psychological needs.
- Demonstrates effort: The additional effort required to create and send a personalised video introduction is imminently visible and appreciated by the prospect.
- Easily digested: Personalised video introductions should be short to minimise any imposition on the recipient.
- Well-planned: Done right, cold outreach using personalised video should lead the prospect on a positive journey of discovery about your company and encourage them to find out more.
- Trackable: Every aspect of the Wonder Leads methodology is trackable, which means you can monitor your progress and never feel like you are shooting in the dark.
- Elevates your value: Quality production helps to mark you out as someone of higher value, and your goods and services are likely to be perceived as such.
- Leaves a positive mark: The Wonder Leads approach places all emphasis on building positive human relationships. There is no hard sell. By following this methodology, you are raising the B2B communication bar and making the business world a better place for all.
What can I do to implement this business development approach in my own business?
Supposing the above sounds like a good fit for your business, the best place to start is to purchase a copy of the Wonder Leads book. It’s available in print, ebook and audiobook (narrated by myself), from all major online retailers worldwide. You’ll find a list of stockists here.
The book exposes the considerable flaws in traditional business development methods and outlines the thinking behind the approach, before walking you through a practical road map for implementation.
Wonder Leads comes complete with a comprehensive list of resources designed to save you time and get you up and running with video lead generation as quickly as possible, regardless of your existing knowledge or level of experience. This is also supported by a downloadable book resource pack that can guide you through the various exercises.
If you want more hands-on support in implementing the Wonder Leads approach, I also offer 1-2-1 Business Development Coaching that can help to fast track the adoption of the methodology within your business (and overcome so of your other BD hurdles!).
Where can I see it in action?
The only real way to appreciate the impact of a Wonder Leads approach is to see one for yourself.
If you’d like to do that, connect with me on LinkedIn and mention in the connection note that you are interested in finding out more about Wonder Leads – I’ll be delighted to oblige 🙂
Good luck and stay positive!
Dave
Dave Holloway
Author & Founder
Wonder Leads
