8 Essential Quotes About Winning Leads and Influencing People

For most businesses, keeping leads in the pipeline is a full-time pursuit. It's why you have teams of salespeople prospecting for new customers, inbound marketing campaigns trying to convert site visitors at every turn, and memorable brand assets that keep your company top of mind with potential clients. When it comes to winning new business, there's nothing more important than having a diverse set of marketing initiatives to drum up new leads. Experimenting with new ideas and testing new lead generation methods adds another item to your to-do list, however, and not everyone gets around to making it happen. If that sounds like a challenge that's all too familiar for your company, we've gathered together eight inspiring quotes and associated resources that we hope will help to catalyze your lead generation! Ideas Designed to Win New Leads

Here's a selection of the brightest minds covering how to get more prospects into your pipeline:

“We are all emotional beings looking for relevance, context, and connection.”

~Beth Comstock, CMO at General Electric

Few marketing messages resonate as well as those that play on our emotions. Companies that are able to develop deep connections with customers on the basis of what they need - and what they need to know - will always leave more of an impact than those who are unable to. Understanding the unique needs of our customers must be the first port of call for marketers. Every communication should be crafted with a view to helping customers out or giving them a place to connect and learn more about how you can help. "Do not address your readers as though they were gathered together in a stadium. When people read your copy, they are alone. Pretend you are writing to each of them a letter on behalf of your client."

~David Ogilvy, Co-founder of Ogilvy & Mather

You're busy. You have unlimited ideas to work on but limited time (and budget!) to implement them. So how can you craft a marketing message that feels individual? Customer personas and creative marketing tools are the answers. By segmenting different types of buyer into personas that every customer-facing employee understands, you can create marketing materials that speak to them directly. On the other side, you can use assets like a custom phone number and website communication tools to encourage customers to engage in one-to-one conversations that make them feel more connected to your business.

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing about."

~Benjamin Franklin

Attention comes from all directions. Making your company communications and announcements noteworthy is the first point here, but the subtle reminder lying beneath the surface of Ben Franklin's quote is that word-of-mouth can be even more important than firsthand ad impressions. When your marketing makes waves or your product causes a stir, every line written about it is a promotion that you're not paying for.

“The memorable never emerged from a formula.”

~William Bernbach, Co-founder of DDB

For all of the advice out there, there's no better place to start building a memorable brand than your own ideas and creativity. It stands to reason that to create something that uniquely communicates your business, you'll need to channel the essence of your mission: who you are, what you do, and how you came to do it. Formulaic messages tend to tow the line, mimicking others in the industry and failing to stand out as a result. Try to find what makes your company special - your business narrative, as some call it - and let that be the basis of your marketing message.

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Quotes About Influencing People

Getting people into your sales process is just the first step. Once they're on your radar, you still have a lot to do to win their business. That's where influence comes in. Between mid-funnel marketing initiatives and experienced sales operatives, this is the time to circulate information and build trust. The thoughts expressed in the quotes below are at the core of that process.

“Every sale has five basic obstacles: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, no trust.”

~Zig Ziglar, Author and motivational speaker

To move people closer to purchase, you need to understand what makes them buy what you're selling. The obstacles laid out above cover all of the broad objections consumers have during the purchase process, which gives you a framework for what your sales team will need to overcome. Marketing can help here. Effectively communicating the benefits of a product or service will chip away at the concerns most consumers have. When marketing message aligns with what the customer wants, it can instil desire, demonstrate value, and encourage trust or urgency in prospects.

"A person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language."

~Dale Carnegie, renowned American writer and public speaker

There are seemingly infinite gems to be taken from Carnegie's work - after all, he wrote the book on all of this! - but this simple reminder is as important as any: make it personal. Using someone's name is often possible, especially on telephone calls and in face-to-face encounters, but even when it's not, make an effort to speak directly to your reader. Use language that they would use and references that are familiar to make a more personal connection.

“They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

~Carl W. Buechner, American writer and theologian

The purchase process for many products and services is as much about emotion as it is practical need and logical research. The most memorable marketing campaigns combine the basic need satisfaction that the customer associates with your product and a deeper emotional attachment that is engendered by your brand. The sale can still be won without the latter, but wouldn't it be much easier if you didn't have to remind customers who you are and why they need you every time you interact? That's the power (and influence) of great branding!

"To build a long-term, successful enterprise, when you don't close a sale, open a relationship.”

~Patricia Fripp, Business writer and speaker

An important final thought on leads and new business is that some take longer than others to bear fruit. Today's lost lead could be tomorrow's big contract, so always try to stay in contact with prospects and offer them assistance where you can.

An effective sales department needs strong leads and clear marketing communications to deliver them. The ideas above should guide you to create messages and adopt tools that attract attention and implant your business in the minds of potential customers.

When you have that compelling message and brand, the leads will quickly follow!