For new high-tech entrepreneurs, "computers and software sales leads" can mean any party expressing a potential interest in your product. Leads are of prime importance especially for startup businesses. Any potential interest in your product may be in response to:

1. A form on your company's website to generate computers and software sales leads.
2. Person-to-person contact at a trade show or conference.
3. A sales call made via telephone, email, fax, or snail-mail letter.
4. Television, print, direct mail, or online advertising.

If you're a computer hardware manufacturer or reseller, your products probably require standard commercial sales lead generation techniques and advisories, like any other product. However, if you're a software creator, your products may require a more specialized search, because software can be considered more as intellectual property (lines of code) than as hardware.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Visit online directories that offer free access to computer industry sales leads

Since many directory websites offer services for a fee, trying free directory access services may help you first determine if computer leads or software sales lists are right for your company. Note that some trade lead directory services will offer trial subscriptions before you buy.

I recommend: Part of venerable Dun & Bradstreet, ZapData offers a limited-lead trial subscription to their trade lead directory service. Dun & Bradstreet offers a free, seven-day, unlimited, trial subscription to their Selectory database of business leads. Hoovers offers a free online business-to-business directory that includes a number of leads for each industry. They also offer several subscription plans that include additional benefits at each level.

Subscribe to online lead services or buy computer and software sales lists

While it makes sense to take advantage of a trial subscription before actually paying for a service, don't ignore purchasing lead services from companies that don't offer free trials.

I recommend: LexisNexis, one of the most popular paid subscription-based content search services, offers its Dossier Suite. This service delivers company, industry sector, and key executive information from 43 million businesses. USA Data Corporation's trade leads list service offers a granular search in specialty target markets.

Find the right computer industry sales trade show to display your software and/or hardware products

Because software is often a highly specialized product aimed at programmers and other technically-inclined individuals and businesses, general computer business trade shows may lack the specificity to target the most valuable potential user segment of your market and, thus, will generate mostly computer sales leads.

I recommend: Tradeshow Week magazine's website offers a comprehensive calendar of tradeshows categorized by industry types, countries, states or provinces, and/or cities. The Biz Tradeshows website has an extensive tradeshow calendar for computer and software sales leads events. TechWeb probably has the largest computer industry sales show calendar. AllConferences offers a calendar aimed at software developers networking for software sales leads. Some libraries will have the print directory Trade Shows Worldwide; it also contains a wealth of trade show dates and information.

Buy a software and computer sales leads list from a direct mail or email list broker

Take advantage of email to target your customers, but before doing so, note the inherent danger involved with spam and 'canned spam' laws and be aware of the latest email marketing regulations.

I recommend: BuyZone is a free service that matches businesses with mail and email list brokers. Sponsored by the Direct Marketing Association, Direct Marketing Vendor Search delivers a free directory of mail and email list brokers. Concept Marketing Services offers paid access to a directory of trade associations. See SpamLaws.com to learn the latest legal regulations concerning spam email.

Add a mailing list subscription form to your website to generate computers and software sales leads

Regularly update your company's website content, or create a periodically delivered company newsletter and use your subscribers to build a list of potential buyers.

I recommend: Bravenet has a free build-your-own online mailing list and send-your-own newsletter service. ConstantContact offers similar services, but they'll build the list and send newsletters for your company for a fee. Note that they have a free 60-day trial of their service. For programmers, Hotscripts is a free online directory aimed at web developers.

Keep your software and computer sales leads organized and updated once you acquire them

While it's difficult enough to generate computers and software sales leads, it's easy for valuable leads to get lost or become outdated over time. Leads software sales management software may provide the right answer for your business.

I recommend: View demos for the LeadTrack and SalesGenius sales lead tracking software. SalesForce offers a free 30-day trial of its online sales leads software.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  While it's easy to get plenty of computer industry sales leads, most software sales leads acquired without thorough research and careful consideration risk being off-target.
• •  While spam, or unsolicited email, has a negative connotation in the online world, permission-based (opt-in) email marketing to computer and software leads can be a positive marketing experience. Some email marketing services even offer double opt-in services, to confirm the user has requested to receive such messages.
• •  Your company website may be your best marketing tool. Offering continuously updated free information will regularly bring visitors to your site, and, therefore, computer and software leads also.