Startups Stack Exchange Archive

How do I find good leads for selling a retail/POS software solution?

Besides softwareadvice.com which offer very expensive leads, and yelp/manta that require too much effort!

Currently we are only relying on search traffic and it is very low [both in terms of quality and numbers].

Answer 3465

Short answer: pick up your telephone and go meet customers.

Long answer: you need to get a feel of what goes on in the mind of hungry leads. What they’ll usually look like is this:

  1. They have a problem that you solve.
  2. They’re aware that they have a problem.
  3. They’re actively searching for a solution.
  4. They’ve a budget to solve the problem.

You need to get a feel of what makes them fit in 2) and 4), and what goes on in their head when they go through step 3). In particular: what do they search for, how, and why? Create marketing content and do activities (meet ups, webinars, etc.) based on these intents.

The only way you’ll discover these intents is by talking to these hungry leads. So go out and meet people until you run into them and can identify ways to characterize them.

Also, keep an open mind on what they’re trying to solve. If you’re selling POS software for bars and restaurants, the chances are good that your clients will be actively looking into “how to open a bar or restaurant” long before they’re actively looking for POS software. Providing information on that is your opportunity to capture email addresses and build a mailing list for when the right moment comes.


All content is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.