The Point

JANUARY 23, 2018

Prospects may simply not be ready to engage with sales because either 1) they don’t know such a solution exists, or 2) they may not be aware they have the problem in the first place. This requires a constant re-loading of the sales funnel with new, expensive leads. Look, I get it.

Sales Management 253

Sales Management Sales Qualified Leads Demand Generation Agencies Lead Scoring 253

The Point

DECEMBER 15, 2020

A client asks: How long should a lead be chronically non-responsive before they’re marked as “marketing suspended”? Over time, an accumulation of stale, non-responsive leads can bump you to a higher pricing tier for your CRM or marketing automation license. . How Quickly Should I Suspend or Delete Non-Responsive Leads?

Lead Scoring 162

Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Leads Lead 162

The Point

OCTOBER 8, 2015

Bear with me as I relate a quick story about lead nurturing: A few months back I became a sales lead. A question: at this point, what kind of lead am I? By my own reckoning, I’m an MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead). Perhaps I was an SQL (Sales Qualified Lead) at one point in the conversation, but no longer.

Lead Ranking 100

Lead Ranking Marketing Qualified Leads Sales Qualified Leads Lead Scoring 100

The Point

OCTOBER 15, 2019

If your organization is generating plenty of leads but those initial inquiries aren’t converting to sales qualified leads, meetings, or pipeline, a myriad of things could be at fault: 1) sales follow-up may be sub-standard in either cadence, frequency, or message. 2) lead nurturing. 2) lead nurturing.

Sales Qualified Leads 138

Sales Qualified Leads Work Management Marketing Management Account Based Marketing 138

The Point

NOVEMBER 27, 2018

Precious few B2B marketers can show true ROI from organic social activity, and even less are using organic social media in a systematic way to either generate social leads or drive those leads through the demand generation funnel. Integrating Social Leads into the Demand Generation Funnel via @spearmktg. Click To Tweet. (HS)

Top of Funnel 203

Top of Funnel Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Lead Scoring 203

The Point

OCTOBER 25, 2018

The analysts at Demand Gen Report just published their “ 2018 Lead Nurturing & Acceleration Survey Report ” and one conclusion is no surprise: many B2B companies are still really bad at lead nurturing. It’s not just that 44% of respondents said that their lead nurturing “needs improvement.” Think about that.

Lead Nurturing 178

Lead Nurturing Marketing Report Lead Scoring Lead Ranking 178

The Point

JULY 1, 2019

For the last decade or more, it’s been an accepted principle – almost a key tenet – of B2B demand generation that business buyers don’t want to talk to a sales rep until the last possible moment. It’s why, for example, we marketers have assumed control for more and more of the lead funnel. For example: * Lead Scoring.

B2B Sales 124

B2B Sales Demand Generation Agencies Top of Funnel Lead Scoring 124

The Point

APRIL 1, 2014

Recent studies tell us while the adoption of marketing automation technology continues to gain momentum, fewer than 20 percent of marketing executives say that they are fully integrating the technology into their current sales and marketing initiatives. Marketo creates task in CRM to remind BDR to call lead 1 week later. Wait 2 weeks.

Lead Nurturing 100

Lead Nurturing Sales Qualified Leads Lead Scoring Lead Ranking 100

The Point

MARCH 22, 2019

Lead scoring – as a fundamental part of a company’s lead management strategy – has officially fallen out of fashion. Two reasons I can think of: One is that lead scoring is routinely set up as part of an initial implementation of a marketing automation platform. 3 Key Reasons Not to Give Up on Lead Scoring Click To Tweet.

Lead Ranking 113

Lead Ranking Lead Scoring Sales Qualified Leads Account Based Marketing 113

The Point

NOVEMBER 10, 2016

In 2015, JW Player piloted a small-scale, in-house SEM program on Google AdWords to gauge the potential efficacy of using search advertising to drive qualified leads for its enterprise video platform. JW Player contacted Spear Marketing Group , a leading B2B demand generation agency , for help.

SEM 222

SEM Cost Per Click Enterprise Management Paid Search Agency 222

The Point

JUNE 7, 2017

And the qualities that make it an effective sales email are lessons for anyone embarking on a sales outreach campaign, or any rep who writes emails, for that matter. Howard, I was intrigued by your position on pre-qualified leads in a recent blog post. 5 key principles to an effective sales email via @spearmktg.

Best Practices 145

Best Practices Lead Ranking Sales Qualified Leads Account Based Marketing 145

The Point

JANUARY 14, 2014

In my experience, most of the mental energy and strategic thinking around the practice of lead nurturing and lead management is usually applied to the goal of accelerating prospects through the sales process – from MQL to SQL, from SQL to Opportunity, and so on. And that lack of focus can be a big mistake. Probably not.

Lead Ranking 100

Lead Ranking Marketing Automation Services Marketing Qualified Leads Sales Leads 100

The Point

FEBRUARY 24, 2011

I only recently came across the results of research published late last year by Leads360 , a leading provider of hosted (SaaS) solutions for managing sales leads. Leads360 base their conclusions on studying more than 20 million leads. However, here’s where I think the argument falls apart.

Leads360 100

Leads360 Sales Leads Telemarketing Leads 100

The Point

MARCH 29, 2017

Earlier this year, I talked to a CMO at a B2B tech company whose sales counterpart was lobbying strongly for the company to adopt Account-Based Marketing (ABM) as part of their demand generation strategy. The lead funnel is obsolete. Think about it: most companies have no problem generating leads at the top of the funnel.

Sales Qualified Leads 50

Sales Qualified Leads Top of Funnel High Quality Lead Marketing Qualified Leads 50

The Point

OCTOBER 29, 2021

And now that chat is becoming a staple of the B2B tech stack, creative marketers are finding ever more innovative ways for leveraging their investment to drive engagement throughout the lead lifecycle. But chat is also about providing options, and reducing friction, and making it as easy as possible for someone to talk to sales when ready.

Account Based Marketing 350

Account Based Marketing B2B Marketing Automation Services Demand Generation Agencies 350

The Point

DECEMBER 16, 2013

In fact, I’ll make almost the exact opposite prediction: “By 2015, the percentage of B2B leads that arrive via corporate Websites will shrink dramatically as marketers maintain multiple, distinct online channels that are optimized for demand generation.”. Want to guess how many of those leads arrive via our clients’ Websites?

Demand Generation Agencies 100

Demand Generation Agencies B2B Sales Sales Leads Microsite 100

The Point

MAY 23, 2017

There is a growing trend in the content syndication space, and among Cost Per Lead (CPL) programs in general, for media vendors to offer B2B clients the option of pre-qualified leads. However, over the long term, I’d argue that it’s almost always more cost-effective to qualify your own leads. Here’s why: First, some context.

Sales Qualified Leads 110

Sales Qualified Leads Cost per Lead High Quality Lead CPL 110

The Point

AUGUST 25, 2015

It’s important to recognize that content syndication leads are not like most sales leads. If you hand off content syndication leads to your sales force without setting these expectations, your program may be doomed to fail. The post A Follow-Up Strategy for Content Syndication Leads appeared first on The Point.

Autoresponders 100

Autoresponders Leads Lead Marketing Qualified Leads 100

The Point

JANUARY 27, 2016

Demand Gen Report just published “ Top B2B Marketers Measure Lead Nurturing Effectiveness to Boost Performance ,” a special report in which they address the whys, whats, and how tos of measuring lead nurturing’s true impact. That, ultimately, is what lead nurturing is designed to do – move leads towards opportunity and close.

Lead Nurturing 100

Lead Nurturing Lead Ranking Marketing Qualified Leads Sales Qualified Leads 100

The Point

JULY 14, 2015

In an era when “demand generation” and “content marketing” are virtually synonymous, most B2B sales leads are the result of a prospect downloading or requesting content. That latter group becomes fodder for ongoing nurturing, in the hope that further education and brand awareness will ultimately result in conversion to qualified leads.

Sales Qualified Leads 100

Sales Qualified Leads Marketing Qualified Leads Lead Ranking Top of Funnel 100

The Point

APRIL 21, 2010

That was the challenge faced by Navicure , a leading Internet-based medical claims clearinghouse in Atlanta that helps medical practices increase profitability. convert that search traffic to measurable sales leads. In its first 30 days, the blog attracted dozens of new email subscribers and 60 sales leads.

Demand Generation Agencies 100

Demand Generation Agencies Sales Leads Paid Search Agency Work Management 100

The Point

JUNE 8, 2016

Email may still be the workhorse in how B2B companies build relationships, maintain awareness, qualify leads and nudge prospects along the sales cycle, but these days, it pays to think about “lead nurturing” as more just an email campaign. The post 5 Ways to Expand Lead Nurturing Beyond the Inbox appeared first on The Point.

Lead Nurturing 100

Lead Nurturing Sales Qualified Leads Account Based Marketing Leads 100

The Point

JUNE 29, 2009

Here’s an interesting post by Mike Damphousse of Green Leads that I found through Funnelholic (thanks Craig) on how lead nurturing impacts the effectiveness of calling campaigns designed to secure qualified sales appointments.

Lead Gen 100

Lead Gen Sales Qualified Leads Leads Lead 100

The Point

AUGUST 20, 2015

Results are in from a recent survey on B2B Lead Generation by the B2B Technology Marketing Community on LinkedIn ( free report download here ), and the numbers tell a disheartening story. Marketing automation has helped increase lead generation effectiveness by leaps and bounds, but campaign reporting is still a weak link. Why is that?

Lead Generation 100

Lead Generation Demand Generation Agencies Lead Scoring Lead Ranking 100

The Point

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

If you’re not generating leads – as in: a lot of leads – from your company’s blog, you’re missing out on what is perhaps not only your best opportunity to convert organic Web traffic into actionable, measurable sales inquiries, but also the best way to actually show real ROI from your social media investment.

Business Blogging 100

Business Blogging Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Generation 100

The Point

JANUARY 9, 2015

I was reminded of this principle earlier today when a colleague forwarded an email received from a inside sales representative at a technology company looking to partner with our agency. B2B Marketing Cold Calling Copywriting Creative Demand Generation E-mail email marketing inside sales lead generation Offer Strategy Sales 2.0

Demand Generation Agencies 100

Demand Generation Agencies Copywriting Cold Calling Telemarketing 100

The Point

FEBRUARY 28, 2023

In uncertain economic times, Market Development Funds (MDF) can be a precious resource for channel partners (resellers, distributors, ISVs) looking for budget to fund sales and marketing activity. If you do invest in lead generation, set clear expectations for sales follow-up. What actions do you want your prospects to take?

Demand Generation Agencies 147

Demand Generation Agencies Advertising Agencies CMS Development Work Management 147

The Point

SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

When sales teams need marketing to help them make their numbers, the natural response is to go fishing for hot leads. This requires a constant re-loading of the sales funnel with new, expensive leads. In contrast, for Marketo, the proportion of sales derived from slow leads is an astounding 50 percent.

Sales Qualified Leads 100

Sales Qualified Leads Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Leads 100

The Point

OCTOBER 30, 2013

A client asks: “I notice that you’re recommending we gate our offer content behind landing pages as part of the lead nurturing campaign. It’s why click-to-lead conversion rates are never 100%, no matter how good your landing page. Why is that necessary when we already know who these people are? Here’s why: 1. A click is not a response.

Lead Nurturing 100

Lead Nurturing Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Landing Pages 100

The Point

SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

Sungard AS runs a highly successful demand generation program, an integrated mix of both online and offline campaigns, to generate a consistent flow of leads to the company’s sales force. Design, build and launch a “Welcome” email program designed to improve follow-up and response to new leads.

Conversion Rate 100

Conversion Rate Marketing Qualified Leads Demand Generation Agencies Lead Ranking 100

The Point

NOVEMBER 15, 2022

We have a debate between our marketing and sales teams on whether the best approach is marketing emails, sales outreach, or something else. More times than not, however, the best approach is a segmented strategy that combines targeted sales outreach complemented by marketing support. Curious as to your opinion?”.

Purchase 162

Purchase Paid Search Agency Paid Social Agency Outreach 162

The Point

AUGUST 8, 2013

When a client says “We set up lead scoring but sales doesn’t pay any attention,” it’s a sure sign that something is amiss – and more likely the problem doesn’t rest with sales. Here’s Part 2 of our discussion of the most common B2B lead scoring mistakes.

Lead Scoring 100

Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Sales Qualified Leads Marketo 100

The Point

AUGUST 1, 2013

Lead scoring has quickly become an integral part of a demand generation marketer’s arsenal. A well-planned, well-designed, and optimized lead scoring schema can be a key contributor to sales productivity, sales engagement, and the rate at which inbound leads convert to Sales Qualified Leads, opportunities, and deals.

Lead Scoring 100

Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Sales Qualified Leads Leads 100

The Point

JULY 23, 2012

In an ideal world, all B2B sales leads would be pre-qualified and ready to buy. One result of that pressure can be a demand for tactical, sales-driven campaigns designed specifically to seek out hot leads, campaigns that lead with so-called “late stage” offers like demos, free trials, or even price discounts.

Demand Generation Agencies 100

Demand Generation Agencies Sales Qualified Leads Leads Lead 100

The Point

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Do I need it in order to do lead nurturing?”. My answer: “It depends how you define “ lead nurturing ,” but technically: no, you don’t need marketing automation in order to nurture leads. It enables you to deploy lead nurturing programs that are more timely, relevant, and, ultimately, effective.

Lead Nurturing 100

Lead Nurturing Demand Generation Agencies Marketing Automation Services Sales Qualified Leads 100

The Point

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

And here’s where I think that analysis goes astray: First, demand generation effectiveness is not best measured by which channel generates the highest number of “quality” leads. Second, let’s consider what the survey respondents most likely meant by “lead quality” in this context. Far from it.

Trade Show 100

Trade Show Demand Generation Agencies BtoB Lead Scoring 100

The Point

JANUARY 24, 2013

Key to designing an effective lead nurturing program is taking stock of your current lead management process. Giving sales a voice in the process will help ensure that, as an organization, they feel they have a stake in the new lead management program and won’t feel it’s being foisted upon them by marketing.

Lead Management 100

Lead Management Process Work Management Sales Qualified Leads 100