Page 229 - Social Media Marketing

218 Walk Like a Giant, Sell Like a Madman

Caution: When handing over web site and blog management
to a third party, make sure you trust the person to post excel-
lent content and not to try to sabotage you. When you're first
starting out, consider checking everything before it is posted,
to make sure you approve of the content the person is posting
on your sites. Even after you hand control of your sites over
to your VA, you should visit them regularly to make sure you
approve of the content. Make sure you have the correct pa-
perwork from the very beginning, including a non-disclosure
and non-compete agreement, signed before you start working
together.

Manage Leads

One of the big mistakes that many salespeople make when they
sign up for an Internet lead-generation service is that they fail to
maximize the value of the leads they receive. The most successful
salespeople nurture their leads and turn them into business, as
explained in Chapter 9, "Dating Your Leads before Someone Else
Does," but few salespeople have the time to invest in nurturing
those leads. What is the solution? Hire a VA to manage your leads
for you. A VA can:

• Add your leads to a central database, so they do not get lost in
the shuffle.

• Add your leads to a drip e-mail campaign, so you will be there
when the prospect is ready to buy or sell.

• Ship marketing materials to prospective customers.
• Provide online customer service and notify you when a

prospect is ready to talk to you.