The second way to grow your business is to generate more leads. A lead is someone who has responded to your marketing in some way; they have some level of interest in your product.

When it comes to generating more leads, consider:

1. Who is your target market?

2. Where are they in the highest numbers?

3. How will you reach them?

4. How will you attract them so that they move from suspect to lead?

There are hundreds of ways to generate more leads. Some will be highly relevant and others completely irrelevant to your business. Generating leads is both art and science, so don't be afraid to experiment. Here are some ideas to get you thinking:

1. Your website.

Is it an effective lead generation tool? Do you have content of value that leads can download after submitting their contact details? Is it clear who you are, what you do and how you can be contacted?

2. What advertising channels do you use?

How effective is your current advertising spend? Remember, the purpose of marketing is to generate leads.

3. How powerful is your marketing collateral?

Things like your brochures, product catalogues, educational eBooks, even your branded team uniforms.

4. Do you have strong referral networks?

Do you have a referral system? Do you reward referrers?

5. Have you built strategic alliances?

These should be with other businesses who serve the same market but aren't competitors. For example, a retail fashion store building an alliance with a beauty therapy business, or a builder working closely with an architect.

6. Are you on social media?

Do your customers hang out on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter? How can you add content of value, earning you the right to do some cheeky lead marketing?

7. Do you host events?

For product launches, fundraisers, to educate, or simply for fun? Marketing is sometimes defined as the communication of education.

There are so many ways to generate leads. Experiment, have fun, and always measure your campaign results.

“It's much easier to double your business by doubling your conversion rate than by doubling your traffic.” - Jeffrey Eisenberg