In fact, time and time again, one of the main qualifiers companies use to determine appropriate prospects may be irrelevant -- that is, country of residence.
I love the United States as much as anyone, but in an online world I don't care if my customers are eating hot dogs at the ballpark or croissants on the Seine or herring on a fjord. As long as they want what I am selling, and have money to pay for it, they're great prospects.
It seems obvious, but nonetheless the vast majority of online lead generation programs are leaving money on the table.
My experience shows that between 15% to 20% of responses to financial services offers come from outside North America. For technology offers, the numbers are even more extreme -- often more than 50% are from accelerating tech markets like India and Israel. Today, even if qualified in every category, leads are too often thrown away for being little more than "geographically challenged."
While some U.S.-based marketers can't work outside the country -- either for legal, logistical or budgetary reasons -- most have no restrictions. They simply have translation issues that are easily overcome.
Here are six ways marketers can take advantage of the immense potential of leads from non-U.S. markets:
1. Tailor offers to the needs of different markets. Just as you'd customize response for domestic respondents based on their demographics, usage or attitudes, you can take advantage of cultural differences and vary response accordingly.
2. Use email follow-up rather than the phone. A major stumbling block that marketers cite is the difference in time zones that makes calling difficult. Email follow-up is a starting point to better qualify respondents.
3. Leverage their interest in learning. Many lead generation programs use educational offers as incentives to get leads. Often, non-U.S. respondents are more enticed by educational offers -- if only because they have not been bombarded by countless competitive offers. You have the chance to own your market niche among these users.
4. Build dialogue to help refine product offerings. You are sure to get a different perspective from the non-U.S. prospect. This can often lead to product and message refinements that can also be useful in selling internationally.
5. Use technology wisely. Sites where you place ads should be able to serve them geographically, limiting viewers by IP address. This can be tricky, however, because you have to have enough inventory to cover specified regions.
6. Communicate internally. Not all companies share budgets across departments. If your department is only interested in U.S. leads, but your company is global -- be the hero! Contact the sales or marketing heads in other regions and tell them that you have found a gold mine of prospects in-market for THEIR local product/service.
International sales are not for every company. But in today's online world, it makes little sense to blindly and arbitrarily throw away otherwise perfectly acceptable leads.