Using the Easy Resources to Generate Free Leads
While most people think of their localities as simply a place to check out books, browse the Internet or do research for term papers, in actuality most libraries can provide access to incredibly valuable information for generating free leads. This is true for most types of industries and whether you are looking for business or individual sales leads. Your librarian can advise you on all of the available resources at your library, but there are a few things in particular that are common to most libraries.
One of the simplest resources for generating leads is the telephone book. While you personally probably only have access to the local phone book, at a library you can often find books for cities across the country. Since business phone books are organized by type of business, you can easily find contact information for potential clients in many different cities.
Reverse directories can be just as useful, and in some cases maybe more so. These allow you to search for contact information from general to specific, starting with the city and street instead of with the name of a business or individual. This is especially useful if you would like to organize a mailing list to send information about your business or product to a specific area.
Publications with market research information can be highly useful for business leads, since they contain information on companies in a variety of major industries. If your customers are mainly in your own city, you should check if your library has access to public records, which can lead to targeted lists. Things you can search for include people who have recently purchased a home or taken out a mortgage, as well as businesses which have recently opened.
Many of these places for finding free leads can be accessed online as well. Still, you will not know what other opportunities your library can offer unless you visit in person. Besides print publications, there are often online databases that are available to libraries but not to the average consumer. After talking with a librarian about your specific needs, an afternoon spent doing some library research can end with an impressive list of quality leads.
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