How do you build your own small business lead generation engine?
First, you have to think of it as a real engine. It has to be a leads machine that has multiple parts that work flawlessly together. The failure of any one part of your lead engine will cause the whole thing to fail to run to it’s completion.
That means using quality tools to track leads, follow up with leads and categorize leads at every stage.
It also means that you have to design your small business lead engine to have a clear business purpose. You would not build a mechanical engine that ultimately does not do something. Likewise, why would you build a lead generation engine if it does not ultimately dive sales up?
Your lead engine is going to have some components such as an autoresponder, which nearly everyone needs to have. But beyond that, you may use a CRM or you may use a spreadsheet in Google Docs. You might follow up via phone or you might use your autoresponder to encourage people to call you when they are ready.
Ultimately, design your lead engine, launch the thing and measure the results. Then look for weaknesses in the lead generation process and experiment with ways to improve them.