Sometimes you feel drained dry. Marketing is going nowhere. You can’t get that important sales appointment.

Maybe it’s time to try something different. Look into local sales leads organizations.

Most are small groups deliberately comprised of people in different businesses. In fact, to eliminate competition for leads, many won’t accept two people in the same field.

The idea is that members keep their ears open for any tips wafting along, then share them.

Say a member learns that her neighbor’s company will be remodeling its office. She passes that tip to the group, where you, a building contractor, perk up instantly. It’s easy now to make a nice, warm call to her neighbor and have an inside track on snagging the business.

Or even easier. You tell the group that you own a printing company, and a fellow member says he needs some brochures printed. Suddenly, you’ve got a sales appointment for this afternoon.

Many of the groups meet weekly, but briefly, in a structured setting. They share their leads quickly, then get on with the business day.

The groups, of course, are only as effective as the quality of the sales leads they can share. Visit several groups before selecting one.

How do you find networking groups? One place is the Web. Enter “(your city) business leads groups” on your favorite search engine, and a list pops up. There’s some chaff to winnow, but lots of nuggets, too.