ViewPoint

APRIL 16, 2018

Traditionally few would contest who owns the pipeline in any organization. It’s referred to as the sales pipeline and it’s owned by sales people, right? But is this still true? With the advent of new marketing automation capabilities, AI apps and other technology, marketing is inserting itself deeper in the pipeline at almost every level. I recently talked to Dan McDade with PointClear as part of a series on SLMA Radio that I’m hosting that deals with the issue of pipeline ownership.

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Top of Funnel PointClear Work Management Sales Qualified Leads 180

ViewPoint

APRIL 11, 2018

One of PointClear’s business development representatives, working on behalf of a global software company, made 11 touches (calls, voicemails and emails) and his persistence paid off. He landed a huge lead for our client (with a $1 billion company). The timing and number and type of touches makes up what is called a cadence, which must be carefully orchestrated.

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PointClear Sales Qualified Leads Leads Lead 136

ViewPoint

FEBRUARY 23, 2018

Before addressing that question, let me ask another. What is a lead? Is it the name on a list you bought from a content aggregator for $23? Is it the person who signed up for your webinar this week? Is it someone who swiped their badge at the tradeshow you attended last month? While all of these scenarios have potential, none could be called a lead.

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Sales Qualified Leads Forecasting PointClear Enterprise Management 120

ViewPoint

FEBRUARY 13, 2018

Jim Obermayer is the founder of the Sales Lead Management Association , and host of the Funnel Radio Channel. Jim recently interviewed PointClear’s Dan McDade about the five most important things he’s learned in business and life—in one of an ongoing series of radio programs featuring sales and marketing industry leaders. Following is an edited transcript, or you can listen to the program in its entirety here.

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PointClear Ethics Budget Programs Business 149

ViewPoint

FEBRUARY 7, 2018

How much should a lead cost? Understanding what goes into generating a high-quality B2B lead helps you determine whether you're getting a good deal. It takes a skilled team, a proven cadence, multiple touch points, message testing, market analysis — and plenty of perseverance —t o produce the leads that truly contribute to revenue generation. While most people wouldn't quibble with the above reality, many still measure marketing success based on the cost per lead.

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Cost per Lead Cost Lead Scoring Lead Ranking 245

ViewPoint

DECEMBER 12, 2017

Last week a prospect told me that he needed higher quality leads than were currently being provided by two third-party outsourced solution providers. His definition of a lead was the loosest that I have ever heard. An employee of a targeted company needed only to download some content to be qualified as a lead. It did not matter if they were ready to buy – or even qualified to buy.

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Sales Qualified Leads Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Buy 189

ViewPoint

DECEMBER 7, 2017

It’s truly strange when companies enter the stealth mode. They hide phone numbers, dial-by-name directories, and employee names, but still imply you’re important to them! I called someone I know, but had not spoken to in some months. The result pushed me over the edge in frustration. This is how it went. Them. “Hi, we’re very interested in talking with you; please press 1 for sales and 2 for customer service.

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Paid Search Agency Companies Lock-In Press 168

ViewPoint

NOVEMBER 27, 2017

“Our numbers are off substantially,” he said over lunch some time ago, “but our individual salespeople are making quota for the most part. What is killing us is turnover in salespeople. It’s been irritating, surprising and very difficult to over-come.”. Territory turnover for this new sales manager isn’t unusual, but the solution can be evasive, expensive and humbling.

Forecasting 149

Forecasting Sales Qualified Leads Telemarketing Marketing Management 149

ViewPoint

NOVEMBER 20, 2017

Delivering a superior sales experience is the best way to increase B2B sales success, and the RAIN Group sales training folks have the statistics to back it up. Their new infographic is an interesting and timely read—highlighting what differentiates top performing sales organizations. For example, the ones that win consistently share key characteristics, like driving value (81%) for their prospects, listening to buyers (75%), and understanding prospects’ needs (73%).

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Differentiation B2B Sales Statistics Training 149

ViewPoint

NOVEMBER 17, 2017

The age-old issue of how Sales and Marketing work together (or not) is still on the table. While everyone agrees the two organizations must be in sync to meet revenue goals and scale, the finger pointing continues. Marketing complains that Sales doesn’t follow up on their leads; Sales contends that the leads Marketing sends their way aren’t any good.

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Conversion Work Management Sales Qualified Leads Inbound Marketing 120

ViewPoint

NOVEMBER 16, 2017

" The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said" –Peter Drucker. Those of us who use the phone to successfully generate sales leads have picked up an essential trade secret. While what we do for a living is talk, a more important part of our job is to listen. Think of those annoying robo calls. During the last election, I seemed to get one an hour.

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Lead Generation PointClear Sales Leads Lead Scoring 120

ViewPoint

NOVEMBER 8, 2017

There’s plenty of mediocrity in lead generation—both in-house and outsourced. However, there are a lot of things good insourced operations and lead generation companies do well. While lead generation (or teleprospecting) is not rocket science, there are a lot of moving parts in a well-run lead generation machine. Failure to execute and coordinate all of the moving parts leads to poor results.

Lead Generation 378

Lead Generation Work Management Sales Qualified Leads Marketing Management 378

ViewPoint

NOVEMBER 7, 2017

PointClear’s Kimmy Netterville has been nominated as one of the 40 Most Inspired Leaders in Sales Lead Management. The Sales Lead Management Association announced today that nominations are now closed, and voting is open until Dec. 6, 2017. The list of winners will be posted on Dec. 15, 2017. Many of PointClear’s clients over the past 11 years have directly benefitted from Kimmy’s abilities managing B2B lead generation, lead qualification and lead nurturing programs.

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Sales Qualified Leads Lead Management Sales Leads Lead Qualification 159

ViewPoint

AUGUST 15, 2017

“I ignore the quota,” Theresa the salesperson said. “No one loses their job here if we don’t make the numbers, which are totally unrealistic anyway.”. Steve piped up, “We don’t worry about the quota; it’s a yearly number and no one tracks it.”. Amad said, “Yeah, they give us quotas, but the sales managers don’t have the same numbers, and the systems engineers aren’t on the same system; so no one gets punished but us.”.

Forecasting 136

Forecasting Consulting Work Management Paid Search Agency 136

ViewPoint

AUGUST 9, 2017

Several years ago, I was in Las Vegas with friends and we always went for at least one meal at our favorite restaurant because they have great steaks and a great bar. One night our waitress asked us if we wanted to play “Two Truths and a Lie.” She told us that for a big tip she would go first. Here is what she said: I graduated with honors from Vassar College.

Lead Generation 179

Lead Generation B2B Marketing B2B Marketing Prospects 179

ViewPoint

AUGUST 2, 2017

The answer to this question is a lot more complicated than it looks. There are many factors that impact the percent of leads that should be closed by sales. This blog will take you through five factors that impact lead close rate and a calculation you can use to determine the minimum close rates your product or solution requires. The five main factors in lead close rate are: Market definition.

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Sales Qualified Leads Lead Scoring Lead Ranking ROMI 192

ViewPoint

JUNE 29, 2017

Looking for a simple and seemingly magical solution to a complicated problem of growing revenue? You’ve come to the wrong place. But, if you’re seeking real answers to this age-old question, we have something for you. PointClear has proven methods for driving sales—and they’re discussed in detail in a white paper available for download now. What we call our “silver bullets” aren’t a quick fix for what’s ailing your pipeline.

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PointClear Sales Qualified Leads Forecasting Paper 204

ViewPoint

MAY 11, 2017

PointClear was recently given a verbal approval for a pilot program by the SVP of Sales for a technology solutions provider. He liked us. Trusted us. Told us we had the deal. Then we got turned over to sales operations and purchasing (supposedly a formality). After a few additional conversations, we were told that a competitor provided a quote for half of what we charge for “the same services.

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Lead Generation Sales Leads Sales Qualified Leads PointClear 168

ViewPoint

APRIL 28, 2017

An embolism is a blockage caused by one or more bubbles of air in the circulatory system. These bubbles can travel to your brain, heart, or lungs and cause a heart attack, stroke, or respiratory failure. Stopping or slowing down lead generation, qualification and nurturing programs creates what I call a “bubble-in-the-funnel.” It may not kill you, like an air embolism could, but it can be dangerous to the health of your company.

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Top of Funnel Sales Qualified Leads Fulfillment Marketing Funnels 149

ViewPoint

FEBRUARY 16, 2017

In the search for the holy grail of marketing KPIs, we want ones that correctly emphasize ROI over lead cost, tie lead generation to overall revenue and profits, identify the most successful marketing initiatives and deliver insights that can be leveraged to run future high-return activity. Cost-per-lead is not the correct metric for measuring marketing initiative success for the following reasons: It incorrectly incents volume over quality.

Cost per Lead 189

Cost per Lead Sales Qualified Leads Cost Lead Scoring 189

ViewPoint

FEBRUARY 8, 2017

Qualified leads can be generated any number of ways: phone calls email, webinars, direct mail and even marketing automation if done well. It's not, however, the quantity of leads that counts. It’s the quality of the leads. Lured by the promise of easy money — "sales-ready" leads pouring in — many well intentioned b2b marketers have jumped on the "inbound marketing" bandwagon with both feet.

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B to B Cost per Lead Marketing Automation Services Inbound Marketing 120

ViewPoint

JANUARY 18, 2017

We recently turned over a huge opportunity to one of our clients. When we explained the number and type of touches this lead required, the president of that company said: “our AE’s would never have been persistent enough to get this opportunity.”. Here are the facts: We worked the lead from August – December of 2016. It took thirty-two total touches from start to finish.

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Account Based Marketing ABM Paid Search Agency Advertising Mediums 120

ViewPoint

JANUARY 5, 2017

How well are your B2B organization’s sales and marketing behaviors, practices, and processes reliably and sustainably producing required outcomes? Are you mired in chaos, spending lots of time getting little done? Are you like most companies, achieving just average results and not knowing why? Or are you among the few that are kickin’ it? No matter where you are now, there are specific steps you can take to get to a fully optimized condition.

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B2B Sales B2B Marketing Tips Account Based Marketing 136

ViewPoint

DECEMBER 27, 2016

Lead nurturing triples marketing's ROI, but only if done properly. I propose that nurturing is the most underutilized marketing activity at a marketer’s disposal. A new era of accountability starts in 2017 and nurturing (additional contact using multiple touches and multiple media—including phone, voicemail and email—across multiple cycles) is well worth the time and modest increase in expense.

Top of Funnel 189

Top of Funnel B2B Sales Account Based Marketing B2B Thought Leadership 189

ViewPoint

DECEMBER 16, 2016

Should your company be all in on inbound marketing. Short answer: no. Here are three reasons why: Senior executives are 2.5 times more likely to respond to a quality outbound effort than are more junior executives. Don’t wait for them to contact you. Pick up the phone, leave a message , send an email – be persistent AND professional. Few senior executives want to be treated like the human equivalent of a pinball, capturing your attention only when they have hit the right bumpers and scored enoug

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Account Based Marketing Inbound Marketing B2B Sales Tips 120

ViewPoint

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Should marketing and sales agree on the definition of a lead? They should, but mostly don’t. According to James Obermayer ( Sales Lead Management Association ), the fact that there is no agreement between marketing and sales on lead definition results in these problems: Salespeople say that they are not getting enough qualified leads. Per sales, a qualified lead is based on criteria they understand, but marketing is in dark.

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Account Based Marketing B2B Sales ABM Sales Qualified Leads 120

ViewPoint

NOVEMBER 2, 2016

There isn't a senior executive at any company across the globe that doesn't want more sales. The trouble is, not every company truly understands what it takes to generate that additional revenue. Here are some best practices involved with increasing sales: Lead generation, lead qualification, lead nurturing: For every dollar you have closed, you have left two dollars on the table.

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Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Lead Qualification Validation 120

ViewPoint

OCTOBER 27, 2016

Bad things happen to cake when ingredients are left out. Leave baking powder out and you end up with a flat, dense textured cake that may or may not be appetizing to your family. If you leave laws and a judicial system out of marketing and sales departments, you have a recipe for disaster. Laws include important elements such as an agreed upon lead definition, hand-off processes, metrics, and reporting.

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Sales Qualified Leads High Quality Lead Marketing Automation Services Act-On 120

ViewPoint

OCTOBER 20, 2016

Per Healthline Media, an air embolism, also called a gas embolism­, occurs when one or more air bubbles enter a vein or artery and block it. These air bubbles can travel to your brain, heart, or lungs and cause a heart attack, stroke, or respiratory failure. We generate, qualify and nurture leads using Account-Based Marketing processes. At the start of 2016, we were brought in to support a group of sales reps who did not make their numbers in 2015.

Top of Funnel 120

Top of Funnel Wikipedia Sales Qualified Leads Account Based Marketing 120

ViewPoint

SEPTEMBER 13, 2016

Cold calling is dead. 57 – 90% of the buying process is complete before a sales rep needs to get involved. Marketing and sales are aligned. Do you agree these are lies? In late August I asked industry experts that same question and asked them to substantiate their answers. The team of experts includes: Ardath Albee, Marketing Interactions , CEO and Business Strategist.

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B2B Thought Leadership Cold Calling Thought Leadership Business 120

ViewPoint

AUGUST 25, 2016

The sales reps at most B2B organizations have two choices: 1) Spend their time culling through leads that experience has shown are overwhelmingly raw, unfiltered, and unqualified. 2) Or, dismiss them outright. In this take-it-or-leave-it scenario, nobody wins. Sales is not as productive as they need to be to meet quota, marketing is wasting its budget generating leads that don’t get followed up, and the company as a whole is not likely to meet revenue goals.

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Top of Funnel Sales Qualified Leads Budget Programs B2B Sales 120

ViewPoint

AUGUST 18, 2016

There is a back story to the development of the process called Account Based Marketing and that story was published in this blog by LeanData, Inc.: “In 2003, Bev Burgess , SVP ITSMA Europe, was the host of a get-together in London. As she sat between two senior-level marketing executives for global companies Accenture and Unisys, the conversation took a fateful turn.

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Account Based Marketing Automation ABM Paid Search Agency 120

ViewPoint

JUNE 24, 2016

A remarkable new book is changing the way that B2B sales professionals think about, approach, and serve their customers. Co-authored by sales luminaries Steve Andersen and Dave Stein, Beyond the Sales Process: 12 Proven Strategies for a Customer Driven-World upends traditional sales training conventions and provides a clear, logical roadmap for establishing productive long-term customer relationships and for creating real value in a business environment that has undergone unprecedented change.

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RFP B2B Sales Work Management Cross-Selling 159

ViewPoint

JUNE 15, 2016

Sales Lead Management is a complicated process. It needs a leader to pull all of the competing interests and people together to work as a team. Sales lead management is a tough subject to truly get your arms around. There are dozens of outside vendors who say they manage some portion of the sales lead process and more than two dozen internal departments that contribute to the process and the decision making.

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Lead Management Work Management Marketing Management Sales Qualified Leads 120

ViewPoint

JUNE 2, 2016

Nurture leads until they’re ready to turn over to sales is the sixth of 7 Truths about Sales and Marketing that CEOs need to know. This post is part of a series about the CEO’s role in eliminating wasted marketing spend and increasing sales results. In the last blog in this series we discussed how to keep leads from being ignored and going into a black hole by using something I call the judicial branch.

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Lead Nurturing Top of Funnel Sales Qualified Leads Lead Scoring 120

ViewPoint

JANUARY 22, 2016

This is the third in a series of three blogs about what experts feel companies did well in 2015 and what they would do better in 2016. The panelists include: Ardath Albee – Marketing Interactions. Miles Austin – Fill the Funnel, Inc. Jeffrey Hayzlett – The C-Suite Network. Dave Kurlan – Objective Management Group. Matt Heinz – Heinz Marketing. Mike Weinberg – New Sales Coach. … plus I pulled some additional comments pulled from Mikogo’s Sales Trends & Challenges in 2016 – 12 Experts Share Th

Top of Funnel 149

Top of Funnel Work Management PointClear B2B Thought Leadership 149

ViewPoint

FEBRUARY 8, 2016

In a recent interview, I sat down with Matt Heinz to pick his brain. I pitched him the question, “What makes a dream marketing team and how should a CMO build one?” Matt was one of SLMA’s 40 Most Inspiring Leaders in Sales Lead Management in 2015 , and his Seattle-based marketing company’s involvement with many CMOs around the country certainly qualifies him for this topic.

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