The bond between a business and its clients can be likened to a personal relationship; they need to be cherished, valued, and taken care of. No matter how good you are at B2B lead generation or any type of online and offline marketing, you will never get things rolling if you don’t learn how to stay ‘connected’ to your target audience.

It’s not just about brainstorming on what they want and then feeding it to them directly. It involves a deeper understanding of how each business move ties up with a response from the market. If you really want to gain quality B2B leads, you need to ask yourself these questions:

Who are likely to pay for my products or services?

There will always be people who need your products and services. The question is: do they know that? Business people have tons of problems with regards to their operations, but only a handful of them really know which solutions or services they need. It’s your duty to educate them on what they need to know, so it’ll be easy for you to pitch.

Who were my previous buyers?

Why is it important to look back at people who were once your customers? Because they’re the ones who can set the bar for your current lineup of goods or services. Delve deeper into the possible factors that made them decide on the purchase, and you can even use them for testing phases and valuable feedback.

Do I really know how far my reach goes?

You probably already know who your fans are, but why assume and risk? To be 100% certain (and avoid regret in the future), go out there and measure your reach. Conduct online surveys or focus groups. What you don’t want is to overestimate your influence.

Do I really understand my target market, or am I just assuming?

Thing is, your own personal experiences and knowledge can make you believe that you do understand your target market. That can cloud major decision-making steps along the way, when you could have used scientific means to remove all doubt.

How will I find them?

As soon as you determine which animal to hunt, the next thing to think about is which weapon you would use. Each target market has their own weak spots; techies are more impressed with websites and portfolio, SMBs love social media, and execs are still into old-fashioned phone calls.

Is there room for market expansion?

Getting to know an industry better only opens doors to penetrate new territories. But don’t bite more than you can chew; aim to expand only if you have mastered your own niche. A venture into unfamiliar places can be overwhelming, so if you’re planning to make more ‘friends’, make sure you know what you’re doing.