What is the difference between prospecting and lead generation?

Finding qualified prospects by sending sales letters to people you have reason to believe will become clients doesn't sound moronic to me.

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger Finding qualified prospects by sending sales letters to people you have reason to believe will become clients doesn't sound moronic to me.

This is good. This is not indiscriminate letter-blasting but selection based on pre-defined criteria.

Originally Posted by Bald Dog This is good. This is not indiscriminate letter-blasting but selection based on pre-defined criteria.

Until I know that these prospects are ready, willing and able to buy from me now these are still unqualified targets.

That is not "moronic" by any stretch of the imagination. As long as there is a pre-qualification process, it's not a blind shot in the dark which means you have a fighting chance at turning them into a customer at some point.

What kinds of hit rates are you seeing from your direct mailings? How many people are you targeting per mailing? Are you targeting multiple people within the same company by chance?

Originally Posted by rogerbauer What kinds of hit rates are you seeing from your direct mailings?

With a good letter I can hit 25% plus response rate. It's high because I'm not prospecting for instant purchase. My first contact is a white paper and it revolves around a specific "trigger event" about the company I've read in the paper or seen on TV.

Then I contact multiple people at the company but at CXO level. I avoid procurement because I never bid.

Originally Posted by rogerbauer Are you targeting multiple people within the same company by chance?

Yes, but I customise the message from each of their perspectives. The CTO's letter talks about technical problems. The CEO's letter talks about dropping stock prices. So, upon reading my letter, each CXO can understand the problem from their own standpoints. It's pretty neat.