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

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

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

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

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

OCTOBER 1, 2021

Should you allow prospects to enter a personal email address when they fill out lead gen forms? By forcing someone to comply with your process, you’re not making them more interested in doing business with your company (or talking to sales); more likely, the result is the exact opposite. B2B marketers seem divided on the question.

Lead Gen 297

Lead Gen Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Sales Qualified Leads 297

The Point

MAY 19, 2020

It wasn’t that long ago, when marketing automation first burst on the scene, that the height of lead nurture sophistication was the simple, automated sending of multiple, sequential emails. How does your current lead nurturing. 18 Common Features of a Best-in-Class Lead Nurture Program #leadnurturing Click To Tweet.

Lead Nurturing 299

Lead Nurturing Class Budget Programs Lead Scoring 299

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

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

JANUARY 17, 2019

Some years ago, our firm conducted a lead management audit for a technology client who was struggling to convert raw, inbound inquiries into sales qualified leads. During the audit, it became quickly apparent that one of the major issues was at the very front end of the lead qualification process. Click To Tweet.

Sales Qualified Leads 168

Sales Qualified Leads Tips Lead Nurturing Multi-Channel 168

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

OCTOBER 22, 2020

A client asks: “I know the answer is probably “it depends” but curious if you think there’s a best practice for how many follow-up nurture emails to send TOFU content syndication leads before you stop due to non-engagement?”. When Should I Stop Nurturing a Lead? When Should I Stop Nurturing a Lead? on Unsplash.

Sales Qualified Leads 227

Sales Qualified Leads Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Leads 227

The Point

MAY 17, 2021

Whatever demand gen channels you use to generate marketing leads, there’s value in always promoting a mix of content and other offers that span the entire buying cycle: early-stage, mid-stage, and late-stage. Use of very short-term metrics will almost certainly devalue those leads and the perceived ROI from the program.

Marketing Management 207

Marketing Management Paid Search Agency Buying Cycle Demand Generation Agencies 207

The Point

JUNE 24, 2022

Key Finding 2: Buyers leverage sales reps for information less (and later) than ever. Buyers are not only contacting sales reps less often (in this year’s survey, they dropped out of the top five most commonly used resources), but sales engagement is also being pushed later and later down the funnel.

Top of Funnel 130

Top of Funnel Cold Calling B2B Demand Generation 130

The Point

JUNE 23, 2020

One fixture of B2B marketing for more than a decade is the lead funnel, brought to prominence by the analysts at SiriusDecisions (now part of Forrester.) Report: Why Demand Marketers Should Expand their Focus Beyond the Lead Click To Tweet. Even cynics like me will find the argument convincing.

Lead Ranking 264

Lead Ranking Enterprise Management Marketing Qualified Leads Account Based Marketing 264

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

DECEMBER 13, 2019

Additionally, we’ll see Account-Based Marketing (ABM) move on a path toward ubiquity, eventually morphing into use case strategies, tactics and best practices analogous to demand generation, inbound marketing, lead generation, and lead nurturing.”. Next year I see the lines between sales and marketing continuing to blur.

Demand 222

Demand Ideal Customer Profiles Demand Generation Agencies Account Based Marketing 222

The Point

JANUARY 7, 2020

Spoiler alert: no amount of Q4 spend – not even with intent data, ABM, conversational marketing (chat), content experience and any other bells and whistles you might have at your disposal – will enable you to suddenly make up for leads and opportunities that should have been developed weeks and months ago. Chances are: not likely.

Account Based Marketing 130

Account Based Marketing Top of Funnel Demand Generation Agencies Paid Search Agency 130

The Point

DECEMBER 6, 2022

Your number will depend on your business model and sales cycle, amongst other factors. Use this online lead calculator to arrive at a total number of MQLs or raw leads (inquiries) required to hit your revenue number. The calculator uses industry standard figures for conversion rates (Lead to MQL, Close Rate, etc.),

Budget Programs 162

Budget Programs Lead Ranking Demand Marketing Qualified Leads 162

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

APRIL 16, 2019

Add in the fact that B2B sales cycles are typically long and complex (meaning that advertisers may not see ROI for weeks or months), and it becomes clear that thriving in today’s SEM landscape requires getting a lot of things right. Is the offer appropriate for the likely sales stage of the prospect? Failure to Nurture Leads Correctly.

Cost per Acquisition 235

Cost per Acquisition Paid Search Agency Campaigns Cost Per Click 235

The Point

APRIL 22, 2020

I posted recently on LinkedIn that, in the current climate, leads from content syndication and other CPL programs may be an ideal replacement for lost trade shows and other events, and indeed can be an effective way to stay engaged in the marketplace at a time when many buyers are laying low. Quality content = quality leads.

Lead Scoring 162

Lead Scoring Lead Ranking CPL Cost per Lead 162

The Point

DECEMBER 5, 2023

House lists (customers, leads, and other opted-in contacts) are not immune. However, remember that the threshold may also include bulk sends from sales tools like SalesLoft or Outreach. Yahoo’s rules are expected to be similar.

Deliverability 162

Deliverability Rules Purchase Marketing Automation Services 162

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

APRIL 19, 2023

Account-Based Marketing (ABM) programs are especially prone to unscientific methods of target account selection, as in: “these are the accounts that sales says they want to go after.” What’s the future for exegraphics – what do you see on the horizon?

Ideal Customer Profiles 130

Ideal Customer Profiles Marketing AI Marketing Analytics Tools B2B Marketing 130

The Point

JANUARY 27, 2022

Pilot campaigns are modest in scope, and they cause companies to dabble in ABM without the lead time, personalized content, technology, research, data, and other key investments that a more thought-out strategy merits. After all, ABM has the most value for companies with long, complex sales cycles. ABM is a long-term proposition.

Account Based Marketing 204

Account Based Marketing ABM Campaigns Demand Generation Agencies 204

The Point

JULY 30, 2020

Blogs are historically the province of the PR team, and so they’re not often looked at as a vehicle for driving leads, sales engagement, and revenue. This is one of the most effective ways to convert organic blog traffic to sales leads that you can then nurture over time. Make sure you can measure the blog’s contribution.

Demand 221

Demand Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Marketing Budget 221

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

MARCH 18, 2020

Right now, people want empathy and information of value, not a sales pitch. If nothing else, lead nurturing. Again: feel free to acknowledge the current business climate, but don’t make it your sales pitch.). Provide (as many are) free versions of your product, or premium features, or extended licenses.

Demand 243

Demand Demand Generation Agencies Top of Funnel Account Based Marketing 243

The Point

MAY 28, 2020

A major driver for the advent of ABM was the frustration that sales teams in particular had with a funnel-based model in which they were bombarded with inquiries that, ultimately, didn’t convert. I’ve written elsewhere in this space that one of the reasons ABM became so popular is because companies are just really bad at lead nurturing.).

Demand Generation Agencies 162

Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Ideal Customer Profiles Lead Ranking 162

The Point

APRIL 26, 2018

I asked Charles Crnoevich, Head at Partnerships at Bombora , the leading provider of B2B intent data, to shed some light on where, when, and for whom intent data holds the most promise. (HS) This leads to a much longer decision-making process and more opportunity for B2B marketers to influence their buyers over time. But is that real?

Intent Data 209

Intent Data Intent Bombora Account Based Marketing 209

The Point

AUGUST 25, 2020

Which of the following do you have in place: CRM, Marketing Automation, Programmatic, ABM (Demandbase, Engagio, 6Sense, Terminus), Sales Enablement (SalesLoft, Outreach), Data Enrichment/CDP (ZoomInfo, DiscoverOrg, Leadspace), Conversational Marketing (Drift), Content Experience (Uberflip), Website Personalization, Attribution.

Ideal Customer Profiles 147

Ideal Customer Profiles Account Based Marketing ABM Lead Ranking 147

The Point

JUNE 30, 2017

ABM is a strategy, and a wholly different way of looking at how leads, opportunities and revenue are generated. It is a strategic initiative that involves (or should involve) both sales and marketing at all levels of the organization. There’s only one problem: there really is no such thing as an “ABM Campaign.”. Click To Tweet. •

Account Based Marketing 235

Account Based Marketing ABM Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation 235

The Point

DECEMBER 11, 2018

In the giddy, early days when solutions like Marketo first arrived on the scene, the reigning view was that the technology was all a company needed to solve their lead management and email marketing woes. Not only is ABM success not measured by clicks, conversions, and leads, but the KPIs may vary according to campaign stage.

Account Based Marketing 157

Account Based Marketing ABM Ideal Customer Profiles Enterprise Management 157

The Point

JUNE 5, 2018

for lead management to 3.35 HJS: Your survey indicates that a clear majority of marketers are engaged across the lead lifecycle, including customer marketing. Is that a reflection of a larger trend, namely that marketers are no longer just responsible for front end lead generation? LDW: Overall, the scores were quite low.

Lead Ranking 194

Lead Ranking Forrester Lead Scoring Paid Search Agency 194

The Point

MAY 28, 2019

The most common use case quoted for chatbots in a B2B context is increasing the rate at which Web visitors convert to actionable sales leads. engagement rates and sales conversations can increase by an astounding 10X-20X. And it’s not just about getting more Web visitors to book a meeting with sales.

Demand Generation Agencies 127

Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Demand Top of Funnel 127

The Point

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

However, relying exclusively, or even primarily, on late-stage KPIs can be problematic, particularly because ABM is most typically employed by companies marketing complex, enterprise solutions with long sales cycles. That means late stage KPIs won’t register until potentially weeks or months into the campaign.

Account Based Marketing 290

Account Based Marketing ABM Lead Ranking Sales Qualified Leads 290