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Company sales managers and their sales reps are always on the look for contacts.  Sales personnel are generally good at hearing about potential leads when they discuss what their company makes or when they are selling the benefits of services.  Sometimes the best approach for exposing new leads is to ask for suggestions from those not normally asked.

Ask for sales suggestions from all sources:

• Employees: Ask your employees.  One would think employees would automatically offer suggestions but many managers create environments where suggestions are not always welcomed, thus why offer another suggestion that will be ignored? Ask those employees with ideas and fire the bad managers. Tell those with ideas ‘thank you’ for their great ideas and follow up.
• Customers: Ask your current customers.  They know other companies that do not directly compete with them and might offer potential sales for your firm. Ask for contact names.  Tell them you will sweeten the deal if both buy from your firm, they will both save money on the volume. Give your customers some incentive to help boost your sales and grow your business.  Do not forget to give your customers ideas to boost their business also.
• Bankers: Ask your bankers.  They know who is borrowing money to buy equipment, new buildings, additional warehouses or increasing credit lines. They know a lot of different companies in the market with potential synergies with yours. They will not offer these ideas unless you ask. Remember to offer sales leads for customers and vendors of yours.  The bank representative will not forget you.
• Lenders: Ask your outside lenders, finance companies or local bank branch managers.  They see trends in market segments that you do not. They know what machinery is moving because they research the market value before they take it as collateral.
• Insurance Brokers: Ask your insurance representative or broker who he or she might regard as a potentially good customer.  They have large groups of customers in different markets and industries.  The broker is much more likely to share leads with you if you have already given him potential new insurance clients from your vendor and customer lists.
• Freight Companies: Ask your trucking firms.  They deliver goods everywhere and know who is busy and who is not. They might also know who buys your product.  You can take their business cards and give out their name to boost their business.  Once you begin doing this, they will be on the lookout for new customers for you.  The favors go both ways.
• Delivery Firms: Ask your expedited delivery person (i.e. Fedex, DHL, UPS).  He visits dozens of businesses and may know those which are growing or expanding.
• Vendors: Ask your material suppliers.  They sell raw materials to lots of manufacturers, middlemen buyers and others. They see activity in the market that may lap over into your business segment. Hand them a listing of those customers that may appreciate competitive material bids.  Tell your supplier you would like for him to consider a purchase price savings in exchange for providing new sales customers.
• Accountants: Ask your CPA firm which of their firms are busy and which are not.  Ask for suggestions for potential customer fits within their client lists.
• Tax Firms: Ask the firm that protests your property or sales and use taxes.  They are downtown all of the time disputing appraisal amounts, know numerous county officials, see other firms fighting off higher taxes and may be aware of potentially good customers for your firm.
• Mailmen: Ask the mailman who is busy in the neighborhood.  He most likely will know or think of new sales leads for you because of various reasons.  Maybe the mail volume is higher (multiple trucks loading or unloading). Possibly because he sees every building every day he inherently knows who is spending money (construction, equipment), who is hiring (cars parked in the street, candidates filling out applications) or which companies are slow and may need to outsource or find cheaper alternative sources.
• Lawyers: All companies have a lawyer on call or a legal staff they contract for labor disputes or for settling contract problems.  Those firms know many companies and may have some suggestions for your company.  Ask them.
• Family, friends, acquaintances: Great ideas come from the least expected sources.  Ask your family members and friends. They may work for your next potential customer.

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