How do I find new sales leads?

Sales image by Michael GiuffridaEvery business needs customers and most small businesses start our by getting referrals through their network and from their existing customers.  At some point as you start to grow your business more aggressively, referrals and networking may not be enough.  Its easy to say “I’ll just hire some sales people”, but those people need to find leads as well. So ultimately, if you want them to be successful, making you successful, you need to help fuel their sales engine with some sort of lead generation tools.

There are many data services in the marketplace such as Rainking and Discover.org that range in price and have many different features for finding new prospects.  The challenge I have found with many of these services is that they focus on larger organizations, both from a price perspective and a target perspective.  If you are a smaller business trying to sell to smaller businesses, it may be difficult to afford these tools and gain the value you are seeking from them.

Luckily, there is a tool which can help you, and give you more control of the data you seek and the process through which you gain leads.  It’s called LinkedIn Sales NavigatorSales navigator harnesses the power of the LinkedIn network by allowing you to segment companies by size, geography, and even search for titles and keywords to create your contact lists. Once you have created a list, it allows you to follow these people to see what matters to them so you can become a valuable resource for information to them.  The process of selling this way is referred to as “inbound marketing and we will explore this further in future posts.  I the mean time, check out Sales Navigator for a reasonable priced way to find your next prospects or clients.


Michael Giuffrida from Southington CT has been operating businesses since 1997.  He is an experienced entrepreneur in business management, profitable growth, business valuation, mergers and acquisitions, and information technology managed services.

8 thoughts on “How do I find new sales leads?

  • Thanks for the information. I’m going to take your advice and implement “inbound marketing” strategies utilizing LinkedIn Sales Navigator.

  • I was never in sales but have been around it enough to know that some of the ‘leads services’ look like ‘let the buyer beware’ kind of services. So it’ss great to get experienced advice on the matter.

  • LinkedIn offers a host of solutions beyond networking and just keeping in touch. I have had success with their premium services and Mike’s article is on target for small (and large) businesses.

  • I’ve only ever used the free LinkedIn services. Thanks for letting me know about a reasonably priced option to promote new leads.

  • Linked In never ceases to amaze me with the services they offer. Why not? All the data’s right there. Why not capitalize on it?

  • I’d never heard of sales navigator before. Who knew that LinkedIn could be as valuable for sales as it is for recruitment? Thanks!

  • LinkedIn is a very powerful tool for sales, yet does not always get the focus that it should. The LinkedIn Sales Navigator tool has been invaluable to me in building my B2B network of prospects.

  • Interesting. I will definitely pass this link onto friends of mine who are in sales roles. I didn’t know LinkedIn had a sales-related tool.

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