Looking to enhance sales lead performance? Put process before technology.

Posted by Dan McDade

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on May 16, 2017 3:37:23 PM

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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.  Technology is great at automating best practices, but you have to have them in place first. 

So start by engineering your processes to focus on lead quality not quantity. Then implement the workflow that encourages both sales and marketing to be acccountable for their role in revenue generation. Finally figure out how you can deliver the marketing-nurtured opportunities that sales will follow up on and close. Then, and only then, it's time to check out  your automation options.

I recently talked to Jim Obermeyer on the Sales Lead Management Association (SLMA) radio show about what needs to be addresses before a technology solution is selected. We had a conversation about the importance of process surrounding Market, Media, Message and Metrics. Here's a synopis:

Market: There's no such thing as a good list without a lot of work on marketing's part. Testing, segmentation, and nurturing non-lead outcomes make the usual bad list work for you  (delivering 3x more return) and allow you to deliver an on-point message. More about this. 

Media: Use all media in your arsenal, including outbound touchpoints that engage prospects and forge relationships needed to convert. A steady diet of inbound leaves a lot of opportunity on the table that your competitors will pounce on.

Message: Compelling "silver bullets" (conversational points) about your prospects' specific challenges, problems or concerns (vs. a scripted  "blast them all" approach) let you truly interact with prospects - and progress the funnel. 

Metrics: Measure your success in a meaningful way that incents quality, value, and seamless conversion. (That is, by not using a cost-per-lead metric.) Here's more on how to shift to outcome-based measurement.

Before buying new technology, define the processes your organization needs to make the most impact. Then use technology to give you the productivity advantages and visibility needed to scale. 


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Topics: Lead Generation, Marketing & Sales Alignment, Sales Process, Lead Nurturing, Outbound Marketing


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