ViewPoint

AUGUST 20, 2018

Most sales and marketing teams are looking for ways to generate more leads. It's likely a daily discussion for most of us, but have you ever considered that your sales reps need fewer leads—or more accurately, fewer raw, unfiltered, unqualified leads. The overall result is often wasted marketing dollars and wasted sales time.

Sales Qualified Leads 149

Sales Qualified Leads Lead Ranking Leads Lead 149

ViewPoint

FEBRUARY 23, 2016

A broken lead generation strategy could mean trouble for your sales and marketing team, but not just because of the fundamental misalignment between the two departments. Have marketing and sales decided on a shared definition for a qualified sales lead? Do your marketing and sales teams trust each other?

Marketing Qualified Leads 168

Marketing Qualified Leads Lead Ranking Sales Qualified Leads Lead Generation 168

ViewPoint

SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

Voicemail in today’s sales arena can be your secret sauce to connecting with your prospects or it can be a death knell. In fact, our experience shows 20% - 30% of all sales opportunities we generate for clients result from leaving a carefully crafted voice message. When done correctly, voicemail is powerfully effective.

Generation 120

Generation Lead Generation Tips Positioning 120

ViewPoint

APRIL 16, 2018

It’s referred to as the sales pipeline and it’s owned by sales people, right? He’s observed that while marketing has made inroads, they are limited—marketing is currently providing sales with only 25% to 30% of the leads needed to meet revenue goals, and sales is still expected to generate 60% or more of their own leads.

Top of Funnel 180

Top of Funnel PointClear Work Management Sales Qualified Leads 180

ViewPoint

MAY 16, 2017

When it comes time to exploring how you can increase lead generation ROI, that is, produce better leads more cost effectively, move "technology" to the bottom your to-do list. Then implement the workflow that encourages both sales and marketing to be acccountable for their role in revenue generation.

Sales Leads 202

Sales Leads Process Top of Funnel Lead Scoring 202

ViewPoint

JANUARY 9, 2014

Last August I wrote a blog for Top Sales World titled “Lead Generation Hogwash: The Top 7 Lies.”. I detailed 7 lies to be aware of to avoid a lead generation disaster (read the blog for the specifics): Any list will do. Their fear that you’ll turn on the hard sale based on that form is one reason they lie. Leads suck.

Sales Qualified Leads 120

Sales Qualified Leads Lead Generation Lead Scoring Lead Ranking 120

ViewPoint

MAY 14, 2018

Momentum in sales and sports is a strange phenomenon. For salespeople and sales managers, few understand the Prime Directive of Sales Management: Enhance Sales Momentum (Never Interrupt It). Sales momentum isn’t about sales skills. It’s measured as a product of its mass and velocity of your sales efforts.

Forecasting 149

Forecasting Organic Leads Work Management Trigger Marketing 149

ViewPoint

OCTOBER 19, 2017

Tastes great, less filling—that’s not only one of the greatest campaigns ever ( AdAge says it’s 8 th on the list), it has a corollary in the sales lead generation space. By outsourcing your lead generation, qualification and nurturing activities you get better results for less cost, and I can prove my claim. How can this be?

Lead Generation 149

Lead Generation Cost PointClear Generation 149

ViewPoint

SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

Building a successful sales force is not easy. Most sales managers will tell you it involves three fundamental steps: Hire the best-qualified candidates; train them; and compensate for results. These three often-overlooked elements are critical to optimizing sales performance: 1. Deploying Sales Resources 2.

Top of Funnel 174

Top of Funnel Ad Building Verticals Training 174

ViewPoint

OCTOBER 12, 2017

To make your forecast for the new year, look at sales for the coming year in terms of units. Now you have the number of units that will be sold in the coming months without lead generation. This is the basis for projecting the number of leads needed to make the forecast from sales leads for the new year. You will need 750 sales.

Forecasting 166

Forecasting Sales Qualified Leads Leads Lead 166

ViewPoint

FEBRUARY 9, 2012

In this three-part series, the first article on marketing analytics looked at predictive targeting best practices, and the second article cited two sales lead generation programs to show how these processes actually drive improved results. Sales lead rates decline after the fifth contact cycle. It takes about 1.6

Lead Generation 120

Lead Generation Sales Leads Sales Qualified Leads Analytics 120

ViewPoint

MAY 23, 2017

I’ve read and heard (from a well-known industry analyst firm) that best-in-class companies close 30% of sales qualified leads while average companies close 20%. Sales isn’t qualifying down from 1000 marketing qualified leads to 14 sales qualified leads. The sales close rate on these leads is zero percent. What a waste.

Sales Qualified Leads 192

Sales Qualified Leads Lead Ranking Top of Funnel Work Management 192

ViewPoint

FEBRUARY 23, 2018

Just try to pass them on to your field sales team and you’ll see. Because the chances are pretty low—probably 3% to 4% at best—that any of these names are bonafide opportunities if you are a B2B company with a complex sales process. Sales won’t spend the time it takes to cull through 100 so-called leads for 3 to 4 good ones.

Sales Qualified Leads 120

Sales Qualified Leads Forecasting PointClear Enterprise Management 120

ViewPoint

FEBRUARY 7, 2012

In the first article on marketing analytics , I discussed the best-practice processes involved in the review, assessment and continuous enhancement of sales lead generation programs to achieve improved results. Scores of X+ went to sales, and scores of <X came to PointClear for lead qualification and lead nurturing.

Lead Ranking 120

Lead Ranking Lead Generation Sales Qualified Leads Lead Scoring 120

ViewPoint

MARCH 31, 2011

A new eBook reports on sales rep perceptions of marketing-generated leads, and the findings run from surprising to shocking to downright scary. The survey sample is nicely balanced with responding reps engaged in field sales, inside sales, and inbound and outbound lead generation and lead qualification.

Marketing Qualified Leads 120

Marketing Qualified Leads Ideal Customer Profiles Lead Ranking Lead Scoring 120

ViewPoint

OCTOBER 3, 2017

Standard B2B lead-generation programs produce an average 5% lead rate while advanced lead-generation programs (which include lead nurturing) produce an average 15% lead rate—three times higher. That is why you frequently hear sales say: “the leads suck.”. Long term, things get even worse. The math isn’t real complex.

Top of Funnel 168

Top of Funnel B2B Sales Sales Leads Sales Qualified Leads 168

ViewPoint

OCTOBER 5, 2018

He was willing to provide the sales team one of six choices: 200,000 targeted contacts (name and title) in the right vertical (no email addresses). 81 highly qualified sales opportunities with the right contact who has a need backed by some form of compelling event. Every one of us in sales has been guilty of “pushing rope.”

Sales Qualified Leads 136

Sales Qualified Leads Lead Generation Lead Scoring Lead Ranking 136

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. Look for Kimmy’s name in the “People in Lead Generation Companies” category. You have until Dec.

Sales Qualified Leads 159

Sales Qualified Leads Lead Management Sales Leads Lead Qualification 159

ViewPoint

MARCH 22, 2018

I spend a lot of time on the phone talking to prospects about the value of informed conversation; the value of an automated cadence with built-in analytics capabilities; and the value of agile lead management processes that let marketing apply learnings to do an even better job of providing the leads sales needs. Our people do as well.

Lead Scoring 189

Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Work Management Paid Search Agency 189

ViewPoint

MAY 10, 2016

Understanding the CEO’s role in eliminating wasted marketing spend and increasing sales results—the first of a 9 part blog series. In his book New Sales. Sales measures itself on revenue generated (and sometimes margin). Nuture leads until they’re ready to turn over to sales. Simplified. Stay tuned.

Sales Qualified Leads 212

Sales Qualified Leads Cost per Lead Lead Ranking Paid Search Agency 212

ViewPoint

DECEMBER 1, 2016

I once worked with the then SVP, Marketing of a large public company who was frustrated with sales. At one point he got so angry that he offered sales management the following choices for spending a $100,000 budget to generate leads. For details on how sales should follow-up on a lead click here. Big surprise.

Sales Qualified Leads 120

Sales Qualified Leads Marketing Qualified Leads Lead Ranking PointClear 120

ViewPoint

FEBRUARY 16, 2016

These companies have a very high demand for their products and services, but they still need strong lead generation and qualification processes. It is unrealistic, even for the aforementioned companies, to think that sales can close every opportunity they receive. A good sales-ready lead is not just an email address with a pain point.

Sales Leads 159

Sales Leads Sales Qualified Leads Leads Lead 159

ViewPoint

NOVEMBER 17, 2017

The age-old issue of how Sales and Marketing work together (or not) is still on the table. Marketing complains that Sales doesn’t follow up on their leads; Sales contends that the leads Marketing sends their way aren’t any good. What are your thoughts on the current state of Marketing and Sales alignment?

Conversion 120

Conversion Work Management Sales Qualified Leads Inbound Marketing 120

ViewPoint

JUNE 5, 2017

I recently chatted with Jonathan Farrington of Top Sales world about the transition from finger pointing to collaboration between sales and marketing. The status quo--where marketing complains about sales not following up on their leads and sales says the leads are no good--is not the place to be. Segment and stratify.

Top of Funnel 149

Top of Funnel Sales Qualified Leads PointClear Cost per Lead 149

ViewPoint

FEBRUARY 24, 2016

Unfortunately, as a result of this thinking, marketing spends a ton of money generating leads for sales that are never followed-up. Here are 5 things CEOs need to consider in order to fix what is broken: What is the CEO’s role as it relates to marketing and sales? Isn’t it demand generation with a new name?

Lead Ranking 149

Lead Ranking Demand Generation Agencies Account Based Marketing Paid Search Agency 149

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. 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.

B to B 120

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

ViewPoint

DECEMBER 27, 2016

Nurturing programs increase the overall program leads rate significantly: Standard B2B lead-generation programs produce an average 5% lead rate. Advanced lead-generation programs (which include nurturing) produce an average 15% lead rate—three times higher. Note that there are three groups of prospects that benefit from nurturing: 1.

Top of Funnel 189

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

ViewPoint

OCTOBER 10, 2016

The biggest disconnect between marketing and sales is the hand-off of marketing qualified leads (MQL’s) to sales and the acceptance of those leads (SAL’s) by sales. closed/won deals per 1,000 inquiries, while organizations without a formal SAL stage generate only 4.6 closed/won deals per 1,000 inquiries.

Marketing Qualified Leads 120

Marketing Qualified Leads Lead Ranking Sales Qualified Leads Top of Funnel 120

ViewPoint

NOVEMBER 3, 2014

I am excited to announce that SellingBrew just published my Playbook Diagnostic, “Five Signs You’re Missing Sales Opportunities” and has generously made it available free to readers of ViewPoint for a limited time. Lead Generation Sales Leads' Available Free for a limited time!

Lead Generation 120

Lead Generation Sales Leads Generation Leads 120

ViewPoint

AUGUST 11, 2016

Marketing must align its B2B lead generation activities and resources with deeper-in-the-funnel outcomes. For these trends to positively impact overall sales success, I need to re-emphasize that qualified leads must be fully vetted, possess the potential for high close value, and be highly convertible.

Cost per Lead 120

Cost per Lead Sales Qualified Leads Lead Generation Cost 120

ViewPoint

AUGUST 17, 2018

Organizations that optimize sales and marketing achieve kickass results by doing just three things well. Deliver fewer, but better, leads to sales. Often sales and marketing haven’t collaborated on such fundamental issues as who their audiences are, how to best reach them and once they do, what to say. Measure what matters.

Sales Qualified Leads 136

Sales Qualified Leads Optimization Marketing Management High Quality Lead 136

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. Identify your most valuable segments, and apply that knowledge predictably to generate higher return. Don’t go overboard.

Lead Scoring 120

Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Lead Qualification Validation 120

ViewPoint

MAY 28, 2015

As an outsourced lead generation company, one of the ways we can best serve our clients is to offer insight on what they can do to maximize the results from their program. Over ten years ago I put together a comprehensive list of the top reasons outsourced lead generation programs fail. (Those kinds of relationships really suck.).

Lead Generation 120

Lead Generation PointClear Generation Leads 120

ViewPoint

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Should marketing and sales agree on the definition of a lead? 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. The result?

Account Based Marketing 120

Account Based Marketing B2B Sales ABM Sales Qualified Leads 120

ViewPoint

JUNE 2, 2015

What makes some lead generation programs fail and others flourish? As an outsourced lead generation company we see a wide array of scenarios, which allows us to offer insight into what clients can do to maximize results. The planning involved in setting up a lead generation program incorporates the same principle. War stories.

Lead Generation 120

Lead Generation Generation Work Management Leads 120

ViewPoint

JULY 20, 2015

I was the marketing manager of a medical device company and we were near the end of the day’s sales meeting. As I closed my part of the program by projecting an ROI (number of raw inquiries, qualified leads, and projected sales) from our new lead generation program, I innocently asked if there were any questions.

Sales Qualified Leads 120

Sales Qualified Leads Leads Lead Marketing Qualified Leads 120

ViewPoint

JUNE 5, 2015

In the first 2 parts of this series we discussed the role of executives and best practices for planning and preparation when outsourcing your lead generation program. Part III: Expectations for ongoing success: marketing and sales accountability. Expect two qualified, sales-ready leads per FTE per week. The Right Expectations.

Sales Qualified Leads 120

Sales Qualified Leads Lead Generation PointClear Lead Qualification 120