SlideShare ist ein Scribd-Unternehmen logo
1 von 27
Downloaden Sie, um offline zu lesen
start with a lead
                                   Eight CRITICAL Success Factors for Lead Generation


                                                                              eBook by brian j. carroll
www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page of 27
start with a lead
                              Eight CRITICAL Success Factors for Lead Generation Success

                              ©2010 by InTouch
                              Licensed under the Creative Commons License, Attribution 2.5
                              http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5


                              You are welcome to post this on your blog, send it out to anyone who would be interested in
                              or better yet, possibly benefit from pieces of this eBook. Please stop by my blog and post
                              your thoughts, I’d love to read them at:

                              http://blog.startwithalead.com

                              Thank you,

                              Brian J. Carroll
                              CEO InTouch, Inc.




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 2 of 27
background
                              My book, Lead Generation for the Complex Sale (McGraw-Hill), was inspired by
                              the inarguable fact that concerted lead generation endeavors were primarily that in name only
                              until recently. Until now, “lead generation” was associated with direct mail campaigns, some-
                              times supported by a flashy website, sporadic trade show appearances, intense e-mail blasts
                              or stabs at telemarketing, but with very little if any special attention brought to bear on the
                              complex sale.

                              The complex sale is not about mass marketing. Rather, the complex sale focuses on the spe-
                              cific needs and wants of the target audience. It is valuable to businesses that are engaged in
                              long-term sales processes that require prolonged education and nurturing of the prospect.
                              These companies generally provide solutions to their clients, who tend to be more sophisti-
                              cated, are targeted to solving specific critical business issues and are managed deliberately
                              and with precision. The complex sale most often manifests itself in the environment of busi-
                              ness-to-business marketing.

                              Marketers today are constantly reminded that the company needs more sales leads . . . now.
                              Unfortunately, that immediacy quite often is at the direct expense of quality. A flood of ordi-
                              nary, everyday leads does not mean that successful sales will follow. The challenge, there-
                              fore, is to tailor and adopt lead generation programs that will increase the odds of creating
                              better sales leads, ultimately resulting in long-term, happy and profitable customers.

                              My firm operates on the premise of eight critical success factors underlying the kind of lead
                              generation programs that will best serve today’s complex sale objectives. In terms of the
                              properly reciprocating lead generation process, any one of these is as important as the
                              others.




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 3 of 27
the critical eight

                              The following are eight critical success factors needed for success in any
                              lead generation program:

                                    Conversation, Not Campaign
                                    Sales and Marketing as a Team
                                    An Ideal Customer Profile
                                    A Universal Lead Definition
                                    An Effective Lead Management Process
                                    A Foundational Database
                                    Integrated Multimodal Tactics
                                    Consistent Lead Nurturing




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 4 of 27
conversation, not campaign
                              Lead generation isn’t about instant gratification, but rather requires sustained effort to suc-
                              ceed, often over a relatively long period of time. Key words are consistency and time.

                              Companies don’t buy; people do. The goal of well-developed lead generation plans, there-
                              fore, is to evolve relationships between people through dialogue that positions the lead gen-
                              eration effort as conversation to identify, initiate and nurture productive selling situations.


                   Companies don’t buy;
                                     people do.
                              Research shows that buyers in an executive position clearly choose the sales person who
                              has not only been a resource but who has also developed an ongoing relationship with them,
                              regardless of their timing to buy. Customers regularly illustrate the need for sales people who
                              call on them to understand both their business and their needs while being sensitive to the
                              pressures under which they operate. Sales people who meet these criteria become known as
                              trusted advisors, and trusted advisors get the sale.

                              Relationship building includes sustaining the relevancy of ongoing dialog. When customers
                              have a problem, you want them to turn to you first, someone they trust, for a solution.

                              The objective is to wedge that level of trust into the affiliation as a relationship builder while
                              always keeping in mind that the customer is thinking, “How you sell me is how you will serve
                              me.”




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 5 of 27
buying process tactics funnel
                             Mapping out your sales process can ensure conformity with the customer’s buying process,
                             driven by a clear understanding of needs and the impact of those needs on both that com-
                             pany and its customers. Inevitably, every potential customer has a different buying process.

                             Does everyone involved in the lead generation program understand your prospect’s buying
                             process? This can be viewed from the perspective of the modalities it employs at each buying
                             step. I use figure 1, illustrated on the next page, to develop the correlation in specific in-
                             stances between steps in the buying process and the sales effort together with tactics that
                             might work at each stage. The key business issues for each individual in the buying process
                             must be understood and addressed. Consistency is critical.

                             Each touch, or contact, should add value through its ongoing relevance to the targeted indi-
                             vidual, and consistency extends to the style of delivery of the message. Because the sales
                             team is responsible for much of the customer’s perception of the company, concerted care
                             must go into developing the ongoing, relevant communication the sales team will employ in its
                             relationship-building efforts with customers.

                             All companies go through steps of one kind or another in their buying process. We can’t force
                             them to skip steps, but we can help with lead nurturing by instilling regular and meaningful
                             communication that aids their progress and their process.




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 6 of 27
Broadly Targeted,
                                                      Less Interactive,
                                                                               Lead Generation Model
                                                      Less Measurable
                                                                                                                                  Inquiry
                                                                Branding, PR,
                                                                 Advertising
                                                               (Print, TV, etc.)               Identify Need


                                                                SEO, Website, and
            lead generation model                                  Direct Mail
            figure 1-Buying Process Tactics Funnel                                                                         Lead
                                                                   Events, Seminars,
                                                                                                Research
                                                                   Trade Shows, and
                                                                                                Solutions
                                                                       Webinars


                                                                     Outbound Calling                            Sales Ready
                                                                      Inbound 800#                                   Lead
                                                                                                 Develop
                                                                                                Short List

                                                                           Lead Nurturing
                                                                            Opt-in E-mail
                                                                                                               Qualified
                                                                                                               Prospect
                                                                           Conference Calls
                                                                                                 Review
                                                                            F2F Meetings
                                                                                                Proposals


                                                                                   Follow-Up
                                                     Narrowly Targeted,
                                                     Highly Interactive,
                                                     Highly Measurable
                                                                                               Customer




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 7 of 27
sales and marketing as a team
                               The best mindset, strategy and tactics – and the most astute sales and marketing individuals
                               – are for naught without the collaboration of everyone involved. The unrealized potential can
                               be likened to the batteries in a flashlight. If the batteries aren’t inserted in the right direction or
                               are otherwise out of proper contact, their latent power is unusable.

                               Likewise, the harmonious interaction of sales and marketing is crucial. If they are askew and
                               going in dissimilar directions, sales and marketing will not empower a successful complex
                               sale or sales lead strategy. Bottom-line sales performance reflects just how well sales and
                               marketing are working together.

                               Lead generation, consistently the most significant touch point between sales and marketing,
                               offers a variety of opportunities for improving teamwork. However, the workflow of both de-
                               partments is linear and seems determined to go only in one direction. Without bidirectional
                               communication, effective lead generation suffers for lack of a closed-loop feedback process
                               and consequent poor results. With a feedback process in place, each department has a better
                               sense of what the other needs in order to accomplish their mutual goals. Melding inherently
                               diverse viewpoints and inputs in today’s commoditized business environment is important to a
                               well-oiled marketing and sales machine that produces good sales leads and positive results.




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 8 of 27
sales and marketing as a team
                               The solution for building bi-directional communication between the two, resulting in lead gen-
                               erations programs that flourish and generate acceptable ROI, starts with the proper direction
                               and management from the senior executive level. Like the complex sale, lead generation,
                               with all its facets and interactions, can usually be sparked only by the CEO who believes in it.

                               It is incumbent on marketers to view the sales team as its prospective customer, both from
                               the standpoint of problems and opportunities. The sales team thus becomes so integrated
                               that it has program ownership just like everyone else. Taking that further, if sales is the other
                               customer to marketing, why not, in the interest of developing answers, position marketing as
                               the customer of sales?


                  Sales and marketing should have a
                unified understanding and consensus on
                      what the definition of a sales lead is.
                               Companies seeking cooperation and teamwork sometimes believe they can perform miracles
                               by reorganizing the sales and marketing departments. Interdepartmental reorganization ap-
                               pears to offer little value to lead generation programs. What matters most is having everyone
                               on the same page, integrated and respecting one another as pro forma customers.




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 9 of 27
an ideal customer profile
                              The ideal customer profile uses the unique attributes of prime customers to help prescreen
                              potential opportunities. The ideal customer profile helps identify decision makers and key in-
                              fluencers and ultimately serves as the basis for defining a sales-ready lead.

                              The goal of the ideal customer profile is to focus on prospective companies with the greatest
                              likelihood of becoming profitable customers. The ideal customer profile is a basic framework
                              with which to pursue a potential customer — and to determine when to pass, should it be-
                              come clear that the opportunity wasn’t as good as first inferred.

                              Of major importance is collaboratively defining what a sales-ready lead actually is. An initial
                              step is to create a profile of the ideal customer. The ideal customer profile will be the main fo-
                              cus of how you spend your energy, time and budget in surveying the most productive oppor-
                              tunities.

                              Learn the size and scope of the market and find the location of the sweet spot. Then, target
                              what are considered to be your best potential companies and contacts. Compare these to the
                              best and the worst of your current customers. What do they have in common? Rank the cur-
                              rent customers by most profitable, best revenue, easiest to do business with. Evaluate the
                              characteristics of each and identify the key attributes shared by your best and worst custom-
                              ers. Then add current revenue and profitability data and anything else that might be appropri-
                              ate and assess the relative strength of your list of possibilities.




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 10 of 27
an ideal customer profile
                              Those at or near the top should be accurate reflections of your ideal customer profile. Take
                              the top and bottom customers and prospects and build a more detailed profile. Populate the
                              profile with such things as:

                                     •   Annual revenue
                                     •   Standard Industrial Code (SIC) and North American Industry Classification (NAICS)
                                     •   Number of employees
                                     •   Level of contact and functional area
                                     •   Local, regional or national scope
                                     •   Business situation
                                     •   Psychographics aspects

                              Psychographics aspects may be corporate values, culture, philosophy, leadership and inter-
                              nal/external factors that have an overt affect on the company.

                              Determine the most important attributes to replicate. It should be readily apparent that there is
                              a marked difference between those on the best customer list and those on the worst. Does a
                              best customer show the inclination to be well managed with long-term growth, while a worst
                              customer exhibits continual reorganization and declining revenues? There will be other attrib-
                              utes specific to an industry. From these factors, you’ll be able to determine your ideal cus-
                              tomer profile.

                              If launching a new company, product or service, this data probably won’t be available. De-
                              velop a profile of what you believe will have the likely fits. There are ancillary ways of locating
                              such data – e.g., competitors or trade associations.




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 11 of 27
a universal lead definition
                               A universal sales lead is one that has been determined to fit the profile of the ideal customer.
                               It prioritizes and defines the degree of sales readiness. It has been qualified as sales ready
                               and it spells out the responsibilities and accountabilities of the corporate lead generation team
                               members (the sales and marketing people) and requires their buy in.

                               Many companies lack a clear understanding what defines a sales lead. They fail, as a result,
                               to make lead definition a credible part of their marketing efforts. There is consensus that sales
                               functionaries fail to act on nearly 80 percent of the leads they get, largely because most of the
                               leads aren’t qualified, or because appropriate buyers haven’t been identified and targeted.

                               John Coe, in The Fundamentals of Business-to-Business Sales & Marketing (McGraw-Hill),
                               says: “The job of marketing is to develop a lead generation system that matches the readi-
                               ness of the buyer with the expectations of your sales person.”

                               Creating a universal lead definition for any given opportunity starts with ferreting out what
                               sales and marketing consider to be the characteristics of an ideal sales opportunity. For each
                               opportunity, it’s important to know what constitutes a good sales lead, what initiative or need
                               makes this a good fit and what information is necessary to determine if the lead is worth a fol-
                               low-through. Who are the economic buyers and influencers? What does the prospective com-
                               pany value? What is its culture? Are there common business issues?

                               From there, it’s critical to determine what information is required, in order to qualify the lead in
                               terms of how the company currently qualifies a prospect. This includes questions necessary
                               to get must-have and nice-to-have answers.




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 12 of 27
a universal lead definition
                              Lead qualification is a process that focuses on rating and scoring all inquiries, regardless of
                              source, according your universal lead definition. By using a lead qualification process, your
                              sales team can rest assured that they will only receive truly sales ready leads.

                              Once it is known where the leads fit into the sales process – and the customer’s buying proc-
                              ess – the appropriate marketing actions can be determined. This allows nurturing of leads
                              that aren’t yet sales ready and, where necessary, the sales team can hand leads back to mar-
                              keting for further qualification.


                    More ROI is reaped from the patient
                 tending of potential customers over time.
                              It is further important to be able to differentiate between near-term, mid-term and long-term
                              leads by establishing a timeframe to evaluate and implement the solution. Budget considera-
                              tions and funding authority also enter in, and it would be helpful to identify any specific behav-
                              iors or traits of the target audience.

                              Finally, functions or buy points should be targeted for key contact information. There should
                              be knowledge of how interest is created and driven in order to focus the solution and what
                              compelling event generated the interest in this case. Who is involved as the buying process
                              evolves? Who or what drives the initiative? What is the best entry point?




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 13 of 27
an effective lead management process
                               Lead management has the role of watching and directing the conversion of sales leads into
                               customers. Figure 2, on the next page, shows how the well-organized lead management pro-
                               gram should look. The “funnels” representing marketing and sales functions illustrate the lead
                               management process and its components, together with their interaction. The success of the
                               marketing funnel directly impacts that of the sales funnel.

                               The effective lead management program implements and enforces standard, universal lead-
                               scoring definitions and establishes a clear process for handling and distributing inquiries and
                               leads. Inquiries can be dealt with centrally for prequalification before sending them on to sales
                               as sales-ready leads.

                               Such a program is geared to identifying best opportunities based on application of a consis-
                               tent methodology based on your sales process and the buying process of your potential cus-
                               tomers. It assigns clear responsibility for lead tracking and closed-loop feedback. Measure-
                               ment of sales performance against objective criteria is thus enabled, such as sales lead ac-
                               ceptance and the degree of follow-up by the sales team. It also facilitates mechanisms and
                               incentives for sales team feedback, and updating measures revenue contribution to ultimately
                               drive better return on marketing investment.




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 14 of 27
lead management process                   E-mail, Direct Mail, Print Media, Website, Outbound Calls, Webinars, Trade Shows

           Figure 2-The Lead Mgt. process
                                                     Marketing                       Inquiries                           Not a Fit
                                                      Pipeline

                                                                                     Nurturing




                                                                                       Leads                                             CRM
                                                                                                                 Returned
                                                                                                                 Prospects
                                                  Closed Loop
                                                   Feedback
                                                                                  Hand Off
                                                                                    Sales-ready
                                                                                      Leads
                                                                                                                             Sales
                                                                                                                             Generated
                                                                                                                             Leads

                                                                                                                             Existing
                                                                                                                             Clients


                                                       Sales
                                                      Pipeline
                                                                                                                                 Measure ROI
                                                                                    Customers




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 15 of 27
an effective lead management process
                                    Breakdowns in the lead management process often occur when lead generation is
                                    viewed not as an ongoing conversation but as a series of campaigns without substan-
                                    tive integration. The inclination to indiscriminately seek more leads, regardless of qual-
                                    ity, without properly managing those on hand can also impair the process, as can
                                    handing off inquiries to sales without appropriate lead qualification. Other detriments to
                                    sound lead management include the lack of:

                                           •   Multimodal tactics An effective lead nurturing program
                                           •   Sales closed-loop-feedback incentives
                                           •   An effectively utilized or well-maintained database
                                           •   Conformance with the lead generation program in general


                                    Effectively tracking leads is often a challenging aspect of lead management, particu-
                                    larly in companies where sales activities seem to be perpetually in a black box and only
                                    sales knows what’s inside that black box. In such cases, fully 80 percent of sales leads
                                    that go into the black box are ever seen again.

                                    In lead generation, tracking leads must be ready to go when the program starts. A
                                    company is a collection of processes. Process mapping, a highly regarded procedure
                                    for creating common vision and shared language, focuses on the processes most im-
                                    portant to lead generation. This basic sales process, shown in Table 3 on the following
                                    page, is an example.




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 16 of 27
sales process table             Step Status         Description
            table 3 Sales Process Table    0   FYI            Review requires special attention
                                           1   Appointment    Lead qualified by marketing and sent to sales to be qualified
                                           2   Qualifying     Sales person is determining if lead is actually a viable prospect
                                           3   Prospect       Sales person actively pursuing
                                           4   Profiled       Completed written proposal profile and opportunity assessment
                                          5a   Preproposal    Confirming initial plan prior to formal proposal
                                          5b   Proposed       Final proposal delivered
                                           6   Committed      Agreement delivered and verbal yes to proposal
                                           7   Active Contract Agreement approved and signed
                                           A   Nurturing      Was prospect and dropped out of the sales pipeline
                                           B   Follow-up      Sent back to marketing for requalification, rescheduling, or lead nurturing
                                           C   Rejected       This clearly wasn't a lead - returned to marketing
                                               Not a fit      Lead advanced beyond step 3 in sales process - sales person decided not a fit




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 17 of 27
a foundational database
                               Your database is a valuable asset. While still one of the most overlooked tools in lead genera-
                               tion strategies, a clean, updated database is unequivocally essential to the success of any
                               lead generation program.

                               The properly designed and well-maintained database is the hub of all lead generation activity
                               and communication. It is the rallying point for collaboration between marketing and sales and
                               promotes a spirit of cooperation among other diverse corporate groups including information
                               technology, whose responsibility it is to create and implement the database.

                               Because many are involved in the complex sale, it’s important that the useful information
                               about a prospect is captured in a single central location that is accessible to all. The central-
                               ized database enables collection and consolidation of information from many sources into a
                               uniform format.

                               The ideal customer profile and universal lead definition should drive the fields in the data-
                               base, and such fields as those required to expedite the steps in a lead generation program, of
                               course, must exist to capture the required data points. Control of the lead passes from one
                               person to the next with all of the applicable information fixed in one place.

                               It must be clear to the sales department that the database is a vital component requiring the
                               commitment to keeping it dynamic and functioning. Marketing’s responsibility is to maintain
                               that awareness and to respond immediately to feedback from sales.




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 18 of 27
a foundational database
                              Building the database is not complicated. With the ideal customer profile and universal lead
                              definition in place, strong database design is already well under way. Database fields neces-
                              sary to lead generation practice reflect attributes specific to the ideal customer profile and uni-
                              versal lead definition and may include industry identification and description, annual revenue,
                              employment size, geographic information, budget and decision timeframe. Also necessary
                              are standard fields like company name, address, telephone and fax numbers, contact names
                              and titles, web site address, e-mail addresses, division/subsidiary/parent company relation-
                              ships and a unique identification number.

                          The value of the database is only as
                             good as the buy in of everyone on
                          the lead generation team.
                              Tracking or status fields can help track leads through the entire lead generation process and
                              facilitate reporting. These fields may focus on status codes (where the lead is), assignments
                              (specific handlers), activity dates (most recent or impending lead activity), lead source (origin)
                              and forecasting tools (close probability, estimated revenue for sales planning).

                              The value of the database is only as good as the buy in everyone on the lead generation
                              team.




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 19 of 27
integrated multimodal tactics
                              To be successful in generating leads for a complex sale, marketers can't rely on one specific
                              tactic; rather, they must leverage a portfolio of tactics. An informed strategy is required for
                              reaching the targeted decision makers, a strategy with multimodality of tactics and repetition
                              of message as key elements.

                              A multimodal lead generation plan heightens the response rate potential, due to the fact that it
                              more effectively impacts contacts and their spheres of influence. While overcoming the inher-
                              ent challenges associated with timing, this enhances audience awareness as well.

                              So, what about multimodality of tactics? The CEO who asked his marketing manager about
                              the most effective tactics for generating leads and got the response “all of them” probably
                              wasn’t pleased that it takes more than one.

                              The objective of initiating dialogue with a prospective company can be fulfilled in many ways.
                              It might be by way of an initial face-to-face meeting. Or, he or she may have been motivated
                              by other means to make contact with you. Regardless of how dialogue has been established,
                              other tactical modes to keep it going – e-mail, direct mail, business events, et al. – should be
                              ready and waiting to be brought into play.




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 20 of 27
integrated multimodal tactics
                               A client shared this analogy: “I look on our lead generation efforts, particularly in the present
                               economy, as I would a financial portfolio. If I can’t measure the tactics or programs in terms of
                               return on investment to the organization – leads generated, business closed, opportunities in
                               the funnel – then why should I expect the company to invest in my fund?” Which is to say,
                               strive to maintain an assortment of researched and/or proven best-fit tactics.

                               What tactics are you using to good advantage? What tactics are your competitors using? The
                               flexible and iterative multimodal approach calls for a thorough evaluation and systematic plan-
                               ning of the various lead generation methods. Success depends on a balance of push tactics
                               that encourage the contact to action and pull tactics that create a strong impression of your
                               company and build brand awareness.


                A multi-modal and multi-touch lead
             generation portfolio will always outperform
                marketing tactics that stand alone.
                               Analyzing, measuring and optimizing tactics is what it’s all about. Complacency is not. Tactics
                               that perform well and underperforming tactics should be quickly identified and dealt with as
                               required. And there is close correlation between tactics and budgeted spending; when the two
                               are close together, you will achieve the endresult of optimal return on investment.




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 21 of 27
multimodal lead generation                                                                 Identify and verify contacts
         figure 4-Lead Generation Modes                                                           Develop relationships
                                                                                                  Gain internal referrals
                                                                                                  Uncover business needs
                            Advertising                                        Phone calls        Opt-in for content notification
                          Sponsorships                                                            Identify sales ready leads
                           Associations       Branding                                            Invite to upcoming events
                            Newsletters                                                           Re-engage past opportunities
                                Events


                       Editorials                                                            One-to-one
               Public speaking
                                                                                  E-mail     One-to-many
                  Press release
                         Content
                                      Pubilc relations
               News coverage                                                                                        Organic search
              Article placement                                                                                     Paid search
                                                                                                                    Webinars
        Search engine optimization                       Multimodal Lead Generation     Online Marketing            Newsletter sponsorships
                   Landing page                                                                                     Banners
                                                                                                                    Portals
                             Blog         W ebsite
                         Podcast                                                                                    Online directories
                             RSS

                                                                                                          Self mailer
                                 Seminars                                                                 Postcards
                              Work shops                                                Direct mail       Dimensional mail
                                  Webinar                                                                 Personal letters
                             Teleseminar       Events
                             Conferences
                              Tradeshows                                                              Vendors
                        Executive briefings                                                           Consultants
                                                                                      Referrals       Customers
                                                                                                      Partners




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 22 of 27
consistent lead nurturing
                               In a broad view, the secret to successful lead generation is the underlying process of lead
                               nurturing. Lead nurturing converts inquiries into qualified leads and starts the qualified leads
                               on a trajectory to capture sales. It essentially follows up and turns qualified leads into future
                               sales opportunities by consistent and meaningful dialogue, regardless of timing to buy.

                               Lead nurturing is not a single marketing campaign, but rather a series of steps and communi-
                               cation tactics with the objective of developing and building a relationship with the potential
                               customer. The relationship will result in conversations that may convert to sales.


             Lead generation is a conversation, not a
                 series of disjointed campaigns.
                               Lead generation initiates and perpetuates the requisite dialogue in the quest of opportunities
                               that are relatively imminent. Lead nurturing, on the other hand, keeps the conversation going
                               over time, building solid relationships and allowing the creation of interest in products and/or
                               services while bringing the leads to sales-ready status whenever the buying opportunity pre-
                               sents itself. The sales-ready state of such leads is the result of good lead nurturing and ulti-
                               mately brings in better-qualified leads, higher close ratios, stronger sales pipelines and
                               shorter sales cycles.

                               A sustainable, long-term lead nurturing process is proactive, intentional and actionable. It in-
                               corporates multimodal tactics designed to move prospects from awareness to interest to trial
                               to action. The key is to dynamically integrate your execution, always aligning marketing efforts
                               with sales initiatives. The result offers the greater probability that sales will adopt the working
                               discipline of nurturing leads on a long-term basis.




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 23 of 27
consistent lead nurturing

                              a lead nurturing program might ask:

                                    •   Whom do I want to nurture?
                                    •   What problems does the prospect face?
                                    •   What is the prospect’s top priority?
                                    •   What does the prospect worry about?
                                    •   What is my messaging?
                                    •   What is the best way to deliver my messaging?
                                    •   What action should the prospect take?
                                    •   Should my product or service be demonstrated?
                                    •   What are the incentives or inducements?
                                    •   How often should I stay in contact?
                                    •   Which tools require direct sales involvement?



                              A crucial aspect of lead nurturing is the ability to provide valuable education and information
                              to prospects. By enlightening prospects about the ways your business can fulfill their needs,
                              you earn the distinction of expert and trusted advisor. The sales person provides insights and
                              solutions rather than making sales pitches.




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 24 of 27
consistent lead nurturing

                               A carefully crafted lead nurturing program anticipates the prospect’s questions and responds
                               with timely answers. This inspires awareness that you are creating value by providing useful
                               information. Relevancy is the key. By consistently offering relevant content in the context of
                               lead nurturing, the potential customer’s inner dialogue will be inclined to respond, “You and I
                               have been talking for quite awhile. You understand me, my company and my industry. You
                               have given me useful and pertinent ideas on this issue. You have helped me sell the idea to
                               my colleagues and they understand and accept it. I realize this is going to be a challenging
                               project, but I think you can do it. Let’s get it going.”

                               The true value of lead nurturing comes from the disciplined technique of staying in touch
                               while providing the “right” information throughout the evaluation and buying processes. The
                               result is optimized mind share, efficient budget spending, profitable relationships and in-
                               creased business.

                               in the end...
                               The complex sale requires a proven approach that depends on diligence and intelligence.
                               Lead generation specialists are committed to the long-term proposition that digging for leads,
                               educating prospects, navigating the nuances of the complex sale and creating new, high-level
                               return on investment is what has brought lead generation to the position it enjoys in the mar-
                               keting hierarchy today . . . vis-à-vis the eight critical success factors.




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 25 of 27
the inside track
                               to gain the lead, consider starting here:


                               READ Lead Generation for the Complex Sale
                               http://www.leadgenerationbook.com, If you are involved in generating qualified leads for com-
                               plex sales, the popular new Lead Generation for the Complex Sale is a recommended read! It
                               has been praised by marketing experts and practitioners alike. Download a free chapter.

                               VISIT Brian’s B2B lead generation blog
                               http://blog.startwithalead.com, Thousands of people read Brian’s award-winning blog each
                               week, acquiring useful tips and ideas for every part of the lead generation process.

                               DOWNLOAD free webinars and podcasts
                               http://www.startwithalead.com/resources, this online resources area is a rich source of free,
                               valuable content for anyone who’s looking for useful information about lead generation, sales
                               leads and marketing for the complex sale.

                               CONTACT InTouch
                               http://www.startwithalead.com, For more than a decade, we’ve been thought leaders in lead
                               generation; now you can put our expertise to help you execute successful Lead Generation,
                               Teleprospecting, Lead Nurturing and Lead Management programs.

                               Hear Brian speak
                               Bring Brian’s innovative, engaging and approachable style to your next event.

                               Brian J. Carroll is founder and CEO of InTouch, one of the first companies to provide
                               lead generation solutions for the complex sale and recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of
                               America's fastest growing companies. He speaks to 20,000 people a year on improving sales
                               effectiveness and lead generation strategies. Carroll has been featured in The Wall Street
                               Transcript, Sales and Marketing Management, and Inc.




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 26 of 27
InTouch, Inc.
                                                          2 Pine Tree Drive, Suite 307
                                                          Arden Hills, MN 55112

                                                          800-810-7710

                                                          website - www.startwithalead.com
                                                          email - bcarroll@leadgenerationbook.com




www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 27 of 27

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Andere mochten auch

Meet Brand Ascension - 2017
Meet Brand Ascension - 2017Meet Brand Ascension - 2017
Meet Brand Ascension - 2017Brand Ascension
 
Content Marketing - Bridging the Brand to Customer Gap
Content Marketing - Bridging the Brand to Customer GapContent Marketing - Bridging the Brand to Customer Gap
Content Marketing - Bridging the Brand to Customer GapJoe Hines
 
People buy people but are they buying you
People buy people but are they buying youPeople buy people but are they buying you
People buy people but are they buying youPractically Perfect PA
 
The best form of Sales Person for complex sales in the new economy
The best form of Sales Person for complex sales in the new economyThe best form of Sales Person for complex sales in the new economy
The best form of Sales Person for complex sales in the new economyAchievers Group (Australia)
 
Accion Cloud in Practice - Cloud Comuting Platforms Classification
Accion Cloud in Practice - Cloud Comuting Platforms ClassificationAccion Cloud in Practice - Cloud Comuting Platforms Classification
Accion Cloud in Practice - Cloud Comuting Platforms ClassificationAshutosh Bijoor
 
HEALTH CARE & PHARMACEUTICAL BUSINESS: KEY CHALLENGES & IT VALUE
HEALTH CARE & PHARMACEUTICAL BUSINESS: KEY CHALLENGES & IT VALUEHEALTH CARE & PHARMACEUTICAL BUSINESS: KEY CHALLENGES & IT VALUE
HEALTH CARE & PHARMACEUTICAL BUSINESS: KEY CHALLENGES & IT VALUEMauricio Campos Suarez
 
In Entrepreneurship, Cash Rules
In Entrepreneurship, Cash RulesIn Entrepreneurship, Cash Rules
In Entrepreneurship, Cash RulesRev1 Ventures
 
Consumer Behavior Of Failed Product
Consumer Behavior Of Failed ProductConsumer Behavior Of Failed Product
Consumer Behavior Of Failed ProductKumar Kumar
 

Andere mochten auch (10)

10 irrefutable Laws of customer service.
10 irrefutable Laws of customer service.10 irrefutable Laws of customer service.
10 irrefutable Laws of customer service.
 
Meet Brand Ascension - 2017
Meet Brand Ascension - 2017Meet Brand Ascension - 2017
Meet Brand Ascension - 2017
 
Content Marketing - Bridging the Brand to Customer Gap
Content Marketing - Bridging the Brand to Customer GapContent Marketing - Bridging the Brand to Customer Gap
Content Marketing - Bridging the Brand to Customer Gap
 
People buy people but are they buying you
People buy people but are they buying youPeople buy people but are they buying you
People buy people but are they buying you
 
The best form of Sales Person for complex sales in the new economy
The best form of Sales Person for complex sales in the new economyThe best form of Sales Person for complex sales in the new economy
The best form of Sales Person for complex sales in the new economy
 
Accion Cloud in Practice - Cloud Comuting Platforms Classification
Accion Cloud in Practice - Cloud Comuting Platforms ClassificationAccion Cloud in Practice - Cloud Comuting Platforms Classification
Accion Cloud in Practice - Cloud Comuting Platforms Classification
 
HEALTH CARE & PHARMACEUTICAL BUSINESS: KEY CHALLENGES & IT VALUE
HEALTH CARE & PHARMACEUTICAL BUSINESS: KEY CHALLENGES & IT VALUEHEALTH CARE & PHARMACEUTICAL BUSINESS: KEY CHALLENGES & IT VALUE
HEALTH CARE & PHARMACEUTICAL BUSINESS: KEY CHALLENGES & IT VALUE
 
In Entrepreneurship, Cash Rules
In Entrepreneurship, Cash RulesIn Entrepreneurship, Cash Rules
In Entrepreneurship, Cash Rules
 
Consumer Behavior Of Failed Product
Consumer Behavior Of Failed ProductConsumer Behavior Of Failed Product
Consumer Behavior Of Failed Product
 
Complex sales v0.12
Complex sales v0.12Complex sales v0.12
Complex sales v0.12
 

Mehr von Brian Carroll

How empathy will improve your marketing & sales pipeline
How empathy will improve your marketing & sales pipelineHow empathy will improve your marketing & sales pipeline
How empathy will improve your marketing & sales pipelineBrian Carroll
 
5 Things You Can Do To Improve B2B Lead Generation
5 Things You Can Do To Improve B2B Lead Generation5 Things You Can Do To Improve B2B Lead Generation
5 Things You Can Do To Improve B2B Lead GenerationBrian Carroll
 
Optimizing lead generation to get better results
Optimizing lead generation to get better results Optimizing lead generation to get better results
Optimizing lead generation to get better results Brian Carroll
 
Lead Management for the Complex Sale
Lead Management for the Complex SaleLead Management for the Complex Sale
Lead Management for the Complex SaleBrian Carroll
 
Online Lead Generation: How to optimize forms to convert “window shoppers” in...
Online Lead Generation: How to optimize forms to convert “window shoppers” in...Online Lead Generation: How to optimize forms to convert “window shoppers” in...
Online Lead Generation: How to optimize forms to convert “window shoppers” in...Brian Carroll
 
How To Improve Lead Generation With Prospecting
How To Improve Lead Generation With Prospecting How To Improve Lead Generation With Prospecting
How To Improve Lead Generation With Prospecting Brian Carroll
 
Inbound Lead Nurturing
Inbound Lead NurturingInbound Lead Nurturing
Inbound Lead NurturingBrian Carroll
 

Mehr von Brian Carroll (7)

How empathy will improve your marketing & sales pipeline
How empathy will improve your marketing & sales pipelineHow empathy will improve your marketing & sales pipeline
How empathy will improve your marketing & sales pipeline
 
5 Things You Can Do To Improve B2B Lead Generation
5 Things You Can Do To Improve B2B Lead Generation5 Things You Can Do To Improve B2B Lead Generation
5 Things You Can Do To Improve B2B Lead Generation
 
Optimizing lead generation to get better results
Optimizing lead generation to get better results Optimizing lead generation to get better results
Optimizing lead generation to get better results
 
Lead Management for the Complex Sale
Lead Management for the Complex SaleLead Management for the Complex Sale
Lead Management for the Complex Sale
 
Online Lead Generation: How to optimize forms to convert “window shoppers” in...
Online Lead Generation: How to optimize forms to convert “window shoppers” in...Online Lead Generation: How to optimize forms to convert “window shoppers” in...
Online Lead Generation: How to optimize forms to convert “window shoppers” in...
 
How To Improve Lead Generation With Prospecting
How To Improve Lead Generation With Prospecting How To Improve Lead Generation With Prospecting
How To Improve Lead Generation With Prospecting
 
Inbound Lead Nurturing
Inbound Lead NurturingInbound Lead Nurturing
Inbound Lead Nurturing
 

Kürzlich hochgeladen

Kenya Coconut Production Presentation by Dr. Lalith Perera
Kenya Coconut Production Presentation by Dr. Lalith PereraKenya Coconut Production Presentation by Dr. Lalith Perera
Kenya Coconut Production Presentation by Dr. Lalith Pereraictsugar
 
Entrepreneurship lessons in Philippines
Entrepreneurship lessons in  PhilippinesEntrepreneurship lessons in  Philippines
Entrepreneurship lessons in PhilippinesDavidSamuel525586
 
Darshan Hiranandani [News About Next CEO].pdf
Darshan Hiranandani [News About Next CEO].pdfDarshan Hiranandani [News About Next CEO].pdf
Darshan Hiranandani [News About Next CEO].pdfShashank Mehta
 
NewBase 19 April 2024 Energy News issue - 1717 by Khaled Al Awadi.pdf
NewBase  19 April  2024  Energy News issue - 1717 by Khaled Al Awadi.pdfNewBase  19 April  2024  Energy News issue - 1717 by Khaled Al Awadi.pdf
NewBase 19 April 2024 Energy News issue - 1717 by Khaled Al Awadi.pdfKhaled Al Awadi
 
Organizational Structure Running A Successful Business
Organizational Structure Running A Successful BusinessOrganizational Structure Running A Successful Business
Organizational Structure Running A Successful BusinessSeta Wicaksana
 
Church Building Grants To Assist With New Construction, Additions, And Restor...
Church Building Grants To Assist With New Construction, Additions, And Restor...Church Building Grants To Assist With New Construction, Additions, And Restor...
Church Building Grants To Assist With New Construction, Additions, And Restor...Americas Got Grants
 
Call Girls Contact Number Andheri 9920874524
Call Girls Contact Number Andheri 9920874524Call Girls Contact Number Andheri 9920874524
Call Girls Contact Number Andheri 9920874524najka9823
 
International Business Environments and Operations 16th Global Edition test b...
International Business Environments and Operations 16th Global Edition test b...International Business Environments and Operations 16th Global Edition test b...
International Business Environments and Operations 16th Global Edition test b...ssuserf63bd7
 
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Shivaji Enclave Delhi NCR
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Shivaji Enclave Delhi NCR8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Shivaji Enclave Delhi NCR
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Shivaji Enclave Delhi NCRashishs7044
 
Financial-Statement-Analysis-of-Coca-cola-Company.pptx
Financial-Statement-Analysis-of-Coca-cola-Company.pptxFinancial-Statement-Analysis-of-Coca-cola-Company.pptx
Financial-Statement-Analysis-of-Coca-cola-Company.pptxsaniyaimamuddin
 
Cyber Security Training in Office Environment
Cyber Security Training in Office EnvironmentCyber Security Training in Office Environment
Cyber Security Training in Office Environmentelijahj01012
 
Buy gmail accounts.pdf Buy Old Gmail Accounts
Buy gmail accounts.pdf Buy Old Gmail AccountsBuy gmail accounts.pdf Buy Old Gmail Accounts
Buy gmail accounts.pdf Buy Old Gmail AccountsBuy Verified Accounts
 
Chapter 9 PPT 4th edition.pdf internal audit
Chapter 9 PPT 4th edition.pdf internal auditChapter 9 PPT 4th edition.pdf internal audit
Chapter 9 PPT 4th edition.pdf internal auditNhtLNguyn9
 
Market Sizes Sample Report - 2024 Edition
Market Sizes Sample Report - 2024 EditionMarket Sizes Sample Report - 2024 Edition
Market Sizes Sample Report - 2024 EditionMintel Group
 
Independent Call Girls Andheri Nightlaila 9967584737
Independent Call Girls Andheri Nightlaila 9967584737Independent Call Girls Andheri Nightlaila 9967584737
Independent Call Girls Andheri Nightlaila 9967584737Riya Pathan
 
PSCC - Capability Statement Presentation
PSCC - Capability Statement PresentationPSCC - Capability Statement Presentation
PSCC - Capability Statement PresentationAnamaria Contreras
 
Cybersecurity Awareness Training Presentation v2024.03
Cybersecurity Awareness Training Presentation v2024.03Cybersecurity Awareness Training Presentation v2024.03
Cybersecurity Awareness Training Presentation v2024.03DallasHaselhorst
 
1911 Gold Corporate Presentation Apr 2024.pdf
1911 Gold Corporate Presentation Apr 2024.pdf1911 Gold Corporate Presentation Apr 2024.pdf
1911 Gold Corporate Presentation Apr 2024.pdfShaun Heinrichs
 
PB Project 1: Exploring Your Personal Brand
PB Project 1: Exploring Your Personal BrandPB Project 1: Exploring Your Personal Brand
PB Project 1: Exploring Your Personal BrandSharisaBethune
 

Kürzlich hochgeladen (20)

Kenya Coconut Production Presentation by Dr. Lalith Perera
Kenya Coconut Production Presentation by Dr. Lalith PereraKenya Coconut Production Presentation by Dr. Lalith Perera
Kenya Coconut Production Presentation by Dr. Lalith Perera
 
Entrepreneurship lessons in Philippines
Entrepreneurship lessons in  PhilippinesEntrepreneurship lessons in  Philippines
Entrepreneurship lessons in Philippines
 
Darshan Hiranandani [News About Next CEO].pdf
Darshan Hiranandani [News About Next CEO].pdfDarshan Hiranandani [News About Next CEO].pdf
Darshan Hiranandani [News About Next CEO].pdf
 
NewBase 19 April 2024 Energy News issue - 1717 by Khaled Al Awadi.pdf
NewBase  19 April  2024  Energy News issue - 1717 by Khaled Al Awadi.pdfNewBase  19 April  2024  Energy News issue - 1717 by Khaled Al Awadi.pdf
NewBase 19 April 2024 Energy News issue - 1717 by Khaled Al Awadi.pdf
 
Organizational Structure Running A Successful Business
Organizational Structure Running A Successful BusinessOrganizational Structure Running A Successful Business
Organizational Structure Running A Successful Business
 
Church Building Grants To Assist With New Construction, Additions, And Restor...
Church Building Grants To Assist With New Construction, Additions, And Restor...Church Building Grants To Assist With New Construction, Additions, And Restor...
Church Building Grants To Assist With New Construction, Additions, And Restor...
 
Call Girls Contact Number Andheri 9920874524
Call Girls Contact Number Andheri 9920874524Call Girls Contact Number Andheri 9920874524
Call Girls Contact Number Andheri 9920874524
 
International Business Environments and Operations 16th Global Edition test b...
International Business Environments and Operations 16th Global Edition test b...International Business Environments and Operations 16th Global Edition test b...
International Business Environments and Operations 16th Global Edition test b...
 
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Shivaji Enclave Delhi NCR
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Shivaji Enclave Delhi NCR8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Shivaji Enclave Delhi NCR
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Shivaji Enclave Delhi NCR
 
Financial-Statement-Analysis-of-Coca-cola-Company.pptx
Financial-Statement-Analysis-of-Coca-cola-Company.pptxFinancial-Statement-Analysis-of-Coca-cola-Company.pptx
Financial-Statement-Analysis-of-Coca-cola-Company.pptx
 
Cyber Security Training in Office Environment
Cyber Security Training in Office EnvironmentCyber Security Training in Office Environment
Cyber Security Training in Office Environment
 
Buy gmail accounts.pdf Buy Old Gmail Accounts
Buy gmail accounts.pdf Buy Old Gmail AccountsBuy gmail accounts.pdf Buy Old Gmail Accounts
Buy gmail accounts.pdf Buy Old Gmail Accounts
 
Chapter 9 PPT 4th edition.pdf internal audit
Chapter 9 PPT 4th edition.pdf internal auditChapter 9 PPT 4th edition.pdf internal audit
Chapter 9 PPT 4th edition.pdf internal audit
 
Market Sizes Sample Report - 2024 Edition
Market Sizes Sample Report - 2024 EditionMarket Sizes Sample Report - 2024 Edition
Market Sizes Sample Report - 2024 Edition
 
Independent Call Girls Andheri Nightlaila 9967584737
Independent Call Girls Andheri Nightlaila 9967584737Independent Call Girls Andheri Nightlaila 9967584737
Independent Call Girls Andheri Nightlaila 9967584737
 
PSCC - Capability Statement Presentation
PSCC - Capability Statement PresentationPSCC - Capability Statement Presentation
PSCC - Capability Statement Presentation
 
Corporate Profile 47Billion Information Technology
Corporate Profile 47Billion Information TechnologyCorporate Profile 47Billion Information Technology
Corporate Profile 47Billion Information Technology
 
Cybersecurity Awareness Training Presentation v2024.03
Cybersecurity Awareness Training Presentation v2024.03Cybersecurity Awareness Training Presentation v2024.03
Cybersecurity Awareness Training Presentation v2024.03
 
1911 Gold Corporate Presentation Apr 2024.pdf
1911 Gold Corporate Presentation Apr 2024.pdf1911 Gold Corporate Presentation Apr 2024.pdf
1911 Gold Corporate Presentation Apr 2024.pdf
 
PB Project 1: Exploring Your Personal Brand
PB Project 1: Exploring Your Personal BrandPB Project 1: Exploring Your Personal Brand
PB Project 1: Exploring Your Personal Brand
 

Ebook: Start With a Lead: Eight CRITICAL Success Factors for Lead Generation

  • 1. start with a lead Eight CRITICAL Success Factors for Lead Generation eBook by brian j. carroll www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page of 27
  • 2. start with a lead Eight CRITICAL Success Factors for Lead Generation Success ©2010 by InTouch Licensed under the Creative Commons License, Attribution 2.5 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5 You are welcome to post this on your blog, send it out to anyone who would be interested in or better yet, possibly benefit from pieces of this eBook. Please stop by my blog and post your thoughts, I’d love to read them at: http://blog.startwithalead.com Thank you, Brian J. Carroll CEO InTouch, Inc. www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 2 of 27
  • 3. background My book, Lead Generation for the Complex Sale (McGraw-Hill), was inspired by the inarguable fact that concerted lead generation endeavors were primarily that in name only until recently. Until now, “lead generation” was associated with direct mail campaigns, some- times supported by a flashy website, sporadic trade show appearances, intense e-mail blasts or stabs at telemarketing, but with very little if any special attention brought to bear on the complex sale. The complex sale is not about mass marketing. Rather, the complex sale focuses on the spe- cific needs and wants of the target audience. It is valuable to businesses that are engaged in long-term sales processes that require prolonged education and nurturing of the prospect. These companies generally provide solutions to their clients, who tend to be more sophisti- cated, are targeted to solving specific critical business issues and are managed deliberately and with precision. The complex sale most often manifests itself in the environment of busi- ness-to-business marketing. Marketers today are constantly reminded that the company needs more sales leads . . . now. Unfortunately, that immediacy quite often is at the direct expense of quality. A flood of ordi- nary, everyday leads does not mean that successful sales will follow. The challenge, there- fore, is to tailor and adopt lead generation programs that will increase the odds of creating better sales leads, ultimately resulting in long-term, happy and profitable customers. My firm operates on the premise of eight critical success factors underlying the kind of lead generation programs that will best serve today’s complex sale objectives. In terms of the properly reciprocating lead generation process, any one of these is as important as the others. www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 3 of 27
  • 4. the critical eight The following are eight critical success factors needed for success in any lead generation program: Conversation, Not Campaign Sales and Marketing as a Team An Ideal Customer Profile A Universal Lead Definition An Effective Lead Management Process A Foundational Database Integrated Multimodal Tactics Consistent Lead Nurturing www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 4 of 27
  • 5. conversation, not campaign Lead generation isn’t about instant gratification, but rather requires sustained effort to suc- ceed, often over a relatively long period of time. Key words are consistency and time. Companies don’t buy; people do. The goal of well-developed lead generation plans, there- fore, is to evolve relationships between people through dialogue that positions the lead gen- eration effort as conversation to identify, initiate and nurture productive selling situations. Companies don’t buy; people do. Research shows that buyers in an executive position clearly choose the sales person who has not only been a resource but who has also developed an ongoing relationship with them, regardless of their timing to buy. Customers regularly illustrate the need for sales people who call on them to understand both their business and their needs while being sensitive to the pressures under which they operate. Sales people who meet these criteria become known as trusted advisors, and trusted advisors get the sale. Relationship building includes sustaining the relevancy of ongoing dialog. When customers have a problem, you want them to turn to you first, someone they trust, for a solution. The objective is to wedge that level of trust into the affiliation as a relationship builder while always keeping in mind that the customer is thinking, “How you sell me is how you will serve me.” www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 5 of 27
  • 6. buying process tactics funnel Mapping out your sales process can ensure conformity with the customer’s buying process, driven by a clear understanding of needs and the impact of those needs on both that com- pany and its customers. Inevitably, every potential customer has a different buying process. Does everyone involved in the lead generation program understand your prospect’s buying process? This can be viewed from the perspective of the modalities it employs at each buying step. I use figure 1, illustrated on the next page, to develop the correlation in specific in- stances between steps in the buying process and the sales effort together with tactics that might work at each stage. The key business issues for each individual in the buying process must be understood and addressed. Consistency is critical. Each touch, or contact, should add value through its ongoing relevance to the targeted indi- vidual, and consistency extends to the style of delivery of the message. Because the sales team is responsible for much of the customer’s perception of the company, concerted care must go into developing the ongoing, relevant communication the sales team will employ in its relationship-building efforts with customers. All companies go through steps of one kind or another in their buying process. We can’t force them to skip steps, but we can help with lead nurturing by instilling regular and meaningful communication that aids their progress and their process. www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 6 of 27
  • 7. Broadly Targeted, Less Interactive, Lead Generation Model Less Measurable Inquiry Branding, PR, Advertising (Print, TV, etc.) Identify Need SEO, Website, and lead generation model Direct Mail figure 1-Buying Process Tactics Funnel Lead Events, Seminars, Research Trade Shows, and Solutions Webinars Outbound Calling Sales Ready Inbound 800# Lead Develop Short List Lead Nurturing Opt-in E-mail Qualified Prospect Conference Calls Review F2F Meetings Proposals Follow-Up Narrowly Targeted, Highly Interactive, Highly Measurable Customer www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 7 of 27
  • 8. sales and marketing as a team The best mindset, strategy and tactics – and the most astute sales and marketing individuals – are for naught without the collaboration of everyone involved. The unrealized potential can be likened to the batteries in a flashlight. If the batteries aren’t inserted in the right direction or are otherwise out of proper contact, their latent power is unusable. Likewise, the harmonious interaction of sales and marketing is crucial. If they are askew and going in dissimilar directions, sales and marketing will not empower a successful complex sale or sales lead strategy. Bottom-line sales performance reflects just how well sales and marketing are working together. Lead generation, consistently the most significant touch point between sales and marketing, offers a variety of opportunities for improving teamwork. However, the workflow of both de- partments is linear and seems determined to go only in one direction. Without bidirectional communication, effective lead generation suffers for lack of a closed-loop feedback process and consequent poor results. With a feedback process in place, each department has a better sense of what the other needs in order to accomplish their mutual goals. Melding inherently diverse viewpoints and inputs in today’s commoditized business environment is important to a well-oiled marketing and sales machine that produces good sales leads and positive results. www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 8 of 27
  • 9. sales and marketing as a team The solution for building bi-directional communication between the two, resulting in lead gen- erations programs that flourish and generate acceptable ROI, starts with the proper direction and management from the senior executive level. Like the complex sale, lead generation, with all its facets and interactions, can usually be sparked only by the CEO who believes in it. It is incumbent on marketers to view the sales team as its prospective customer, both from the standpoint of problems and opportunities. The sales team thus becomes so integrated that it has program ownership just like everyone else. Taking that further, if sales is the other customer to marketing, why not, in the interest of developing answers, position marketing as the customer of sales? Sales and marketing should have a unified understanding and consensus on what the definition of a sales lead is. Companies seeking cooperation and teamwork sometimes believe they can perform miracles by reorganizing the sales and marketing departments. Interdepartmental reorganization ap- pears to offer little value to lead generation programs. What matters most is having everyone on the same page, integrated and respecting one another as pro forma customers. www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 9 of 27
  • 10. an ideal customer profile The ideal customer profile uses the unique attributes of prime customers to help prescreen potential opportunities. The ideal customer profile helps identify decision makers and key in- fluencers and ultimately serves as the basis for defining a sales-ready lead. The goal of the ideal customer profile is to focus on prospective companies with the greatest likelihood of becoming profitable customers. The ideal customer profile is a basic framework with which to pursue a potential customer — and to determine when to pass, should it be- come clear that the opportunity wasn’t as good as first inferred. Of major importance is collaboratively defining what a sales-ready lead actually is. An initial step is to create a profile of the ideal customer. The ideal customer profile will be the main fo- cus of how you spend your energy, time and budget in surveying the most productive oppor- tunities. Learn the size and scope of the market and find the location of the sweet spot. Then, target what are considered to be your best potential companies and contacts. Compare these to the best and the worst of your current customers. What do they have in common? Rank the cur- rent customers by most profitable, best revenue, easiest to do business with. Evaluate the characteristics of each and identify the key attributes shared by your best and worst custom- ers. Then add current revenue and profitability data and anything else that might be appropri- ate and assess the relative strength of your list of possibilities. www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 10 of 27
  • 11. an ideal customer profile Those at or near the top should be accurate reflections of your ideal customer profile. Take the top and bottom customers and prospects and build a more detailed profile. Populate the profile with such things as: • Annual revenue • Standard Industrial Code (SIC) and North American Industry Classification (NAICS) • Number of employees • Level of contact and functional area • Local, regional or national scope • Business situation • Psychographics aspects Psychographics aspects may be corporate values, culture, philosophy, leadership and inter- nal/external factors that have an overt affect on the company. Determine the most important attributes to replicate. It should be readily apparent that there is a marked difference between those on the best customer list and those on the worst. Does a best customer show the inclination to be well managed with long-term growth, while a worst customer exhibits continual reorganization and declining revenues? There will be other attrib- utes specific to an industry. From these factors, you’ll be able to determine your ideal cus- tomer profile. If launching a new company, product or service, this data probably won’t be available. De- velop a profile of what you believe will have the likely fits. There are ancillary ways of locating such data – e.g., competitors or trade associations. www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 11 of 27
  • 12. a universal lead definition A universal sales lead is one that has been determined to fit the profile of the ideal customer. It prioritizes and defines the degree of sales readiness. It has been qualified as sales ready and it spells out the responsibilities and accountabilities of the corporate lead generation team members (the sales and marketing people) and requires their buy in. Many companies lack a clear understanding what defines a sales lead. They fail, as a result, to make lead definition a credible part of their marketing efforts. There is consensus that sales functionaries fail to act on nearly 80 percent of the leads they get, largely because most of the leads aren’t qualified, or because appropriate buyers haven’t been identified and targeted. John Coe, in The Fundamentals of Business-to-Business Sales & Marketing (McGraw-Hill), says: “The job of marketing is to develop a lead generation system that matches the readi- ness of the buyer with the expectations of your sales person.” Creating a universal lead definition for any given opportunity starts with ferreting out what sales and marketing consider to be the characteristics of an ideal sales opportunity. For each opportunity, it’s important to know what constitutes a good sales lead, what initiative or need makes this a good fit and what information is necessary to determine if the lead is worth a fol- low-through. Who are the economic buyers and influencers? What does the prospective com- pany value? What is its culture? Are there common business issues? From there, it’s critical to determine what information is required, in order to qualify the lead in terms of how the company currently qualifies a prospect. This includes questions necessary to get must-have and nice-to-have answers. www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 12 of 27
  • 13. a universal lead definition Lead qualification is a process that focuses on rating and scoring all inquiries, regardless of source, according your universal lead definition. By using a lead qualification process, your sales team can rest assured that they will only receive truly sales ready leads. Once it is known where the leads fit into the sales process – and the customer’s buying proc- ess – the appropriate marketing actions can be determined. This allows nurturing of leads that aren’t yet sales ready and, where necessary, the sales team can hand leads back to mar- keting for further qualification. More ROI is reaped from the patient tending of potential customers over time. It is further important to be able to differentiate between near-term, mid-term and long-term leads by establishing a timeframe to evaluate and implement the solution. Budget considera- tions and funding authority also enter in, and it would be helpful to identify any specific behav- iors or traits of the target audience. Finally, functions or buy points should be targeted for key contact information. There should be knowledge of how interest is created and driven in order to focus the solution and what compelling event generated the interest in this case. Who is involved as the buying process evolves? Who or what drives the initiative? What is the best entry point? www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 13 of 27
  • 14. an effective lead management process Lead management has the role of watching and directing the conversion of sales leads into customers. Figure 2, on the next page, shows how the well-organized lead management pro- gram should look. The “funnels” representing marketing and sales functions illustrate the lead management process and its components, together with their interaction. The success of the marketing funnel directly impacts that of the sales funnel. The effective lead management program implements and enforces standard, universal lead- scoring definitions and establishes a clear process for handling and distributing inquiries and leads. Inquiries can be dealt with centrally for prequalification before sending them on to sales as sales-ready leads. Such a program is geared to identifying best opportunities based on application of a consis- tent methodology based on your sales process and the buying process of your potential cus- tomers. It assigns clear responsibility for lead tracking and closed-loop feedback. Measure- ment of sales performance against objective criteria is thus enabled, such as sales lead ac- ceptance and the degree of follow-up by the sales team. It also facilitates mechanisms and incentives for sales team feedback, and updating measures revenue contribution to ultimately drive better return on marketing investment. www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 14 of 27
  • 15. lead management process E-mail, Direct Mail, Print Media, Website, Outbound Calls, Webinars, Trade Shows Figure 2-The Lead Mgt. process Marketing Inquiries Not a Fit Pipeline Nurturing Leads CRM Returned Prospects Closed Loop Feedback Hand Off Sales-ready Leads Sales Generated Leads Existing Clients Sales Pipeline Measure ROI Customers www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 15 of 27
  • 16. an effective lead management process Breakdowns in the lead management process often occur when lead generation is viewed not as an ongoing conversation but as a series of campaigns without substan- tive integration. The inclination to indiscriminately seek more leads, regardless of qual- ity, without properly managing those on hand can also impair the process, as can handing off inquiries to sales without appropriate lead qualification. Other detriments to sound lead management include the lack of: • Multimodal tactics An effective lead nurturing program • Sales closed-loop-feedback incentives • An effectively utilized or well-maintained database • Conformance with the lead generation program in general Effectively tracking leads is often a challenging aspect of lead management, particu- larly in companies where sales activities seem to be perpetually in a black box and only sales knows what’s inside that black box. In such cases, fully 80 percent of sales leads that go into the black box are ever seen again. In lead generation, tracking leads must be ready to go when the program starts. A company is a collection of processes. Process mapping, a highly regarded procedure for creating common vision and shared language, focuses on the processes most im- portant to lead generation. This basic sales process, shown in Table 3 on the following page, is an example. www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 16 of 27
  • 17. sales process table Step Status Description table 3 Sales Process Table 0 FYI Review requires special attention 1 Appointment Lead qualified by marketing and sent to sales to be qualified 2 Qualifying Sales person is determining if lead is actually a viable prospect 3 Prospect Sales person actively pursuing 4 Profiled Completed written proposal profile and opportunity assessment 5a Preproposal Confirming initial plan prior to formal proposal 5b Proposed Final proposal delivered 6 Committed Agreement delivered and verbal yes to proposal 7 Active Contract Agreement approved and signed A Nurturing Was prospect and dropped out of the sales pipeline B Follow-up Sent back to marketing for requalification, rescheduling, or lead nurturing C Rejected This clearly wasn't a lead - returned to marketing Not a fit Lead advanced beyond step 3 in sales process - sales person decided not a fit www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 17 of 27
  • 18. a foundational database Your database is a valuable asset. While still one of the most overlooked tools in lead genera- tion strategies, a clean, updated database is unequivocally essential to the success of any lead generation program. The properly designed and well-maintained database is the hub of all lead generation activity and communication. It is the rallying point for collaboration between marketing and sales and promotes a spirit of cooperation among other diverse corporate groups including information technology, whose responsibility it is to create and implement the database. Because many are involved in the complex sale, it’s important that the useful information about a prospect is captured in a single central location that is accessible to all. The central- ized database enables collection and consolidation of information from many sources into a uniform format. The ideal customer profile and universal lead definition should drive the fields in the data- base, and such fields as those required to expedite the steps in a lead generation program, of course, must exist to capture the required data points. Control of the lead passes from one person to the next with all of the applicable information fixed in one place. It must be clear to the sales department that the database is a vital component requiring the commitment to keeping it dynamic and functioning. Marketing’s responsibility is to maintain that awareness and to respond immediately to feedback from sales. www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 18 of 27
  • 19. a foundational database Building the database is not complicated. With the ideal customer profile and universal lead definition in place, strong database design is already well under way. Database fields neces- sary to lead generation practice reflect attributes specific to the ideal customer profile and uni- versal lead definition and may include industry identification and description, annual revenue, employment size, geographic information, budget and decision timeframe. Also necessary are standard fields like company name, address, telephone and fax numbers, contact names and titles, web site address, e-mail addresses, division/subsidiary/parent company relation- ships and a unique identification number. The value of the database is only as good as the buy in of everyone on the lead generation team. Tracking or status fields can help track leads through the entire lead generation process and facilitate reporting. These fields may focus on status codes (where the lead is), assignments (specific handlers), activity dates (most recent or impending lead activity), lead source (origin) and forecasting tools (close probability, estimated revenue for sales planning). The value of the database is only as good as the buy in everyone on the lead generation team. www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 19 of 27
  • 20. integrated multimodal tactics To be successful in generating leads for a complex sale, marketers can't rely on one specific tactic; rather, they must leverage a portfolio of tactics. An informed strategy is required for reaching the targeted decision makers, a strategy with multimodality of tactics and repetition of message as key elements. A multimodal lead generation plan heightens the response rate potential, due to the fact that it more effectively impacts contacts and their spheres of influence. While overcoming the inher- ent challenges associated with timing, this enhances audience awareness as well. So, what about multimodality of tactics? The CEO who asked his marketing manager about the most effective tactics for generating leads and got the response “all of them” probably wasn’t pleased that it takes more than one. The objective of initiating dialogue with a prospective company can be fulfilled in many ways. It might be by way of an initial face-to-face meeting. Or, he or she may have been motivated by other means to make contact with you. Regardless of how dialogue has been established, other tactical modes to keep it going – e-mail, direct mail, business events, et al. – should be ready and waiting to be brought into play. www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 20 of 27
  • 21. integrated multimodal tactics A client shared this analogy: “I look on our lead generation efforts, particularly in the present economy, as I would a financial portfolio. If I can’t measure the tactics or programs in terms of return on investment to the organization – leads generated, business closed, opportunities in the funnel – then why should I expect the company to invest in my fund?” Which is to say, strive to maintain an assortment of researched and/or proven best-fit tactics. What tactics are you using to good advantage? What tactics are your competitors using? The flexible and iterative multimodal approach calls for a thorough evaluation and systematic plan- ning of the various lead generation methods. Success depends on a balance of push tactics that encourage the contact to action and pull tactics that create a strong impression of your company and build brand awareness. A multi-modal and multi-touch lead generation portfolio will always outperform marketing tactics that stand alone. Analyzing, measuring and optimizing tactics is what it’s all about. Complacency is not. Tactics that perform well and underperforming tactics should be quickly identified and dealt with as required. And there is close correlation between tactics and budgeted spending; when the two are close together, you will achieve the endresult of optimal return on investment. www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 21 of 27
  • 22. multimodal lead generation Identify and verify contacts figure 4-Lead Generation Modes Develop relationships Gain internal referrals Uncover business needs Advertising Phone calls Opt-in for content notification Sponsorships Identify sales ready leads Associations Branding Invite to upcoming events Newsletters Re-engage past opportunities Events Editorials One-to-one Public speaking E-mail One-to-many Press release Content Pubilc relations News coverage Organic search Article placement Paid search Webinars Search engine optimization Multimodal Lead Generation Online Marketing Newsletter sponsorships Landing page Banners Portals Blog W ebsite Podcast Online directories RSS Self mailer Seminars Postcards Work shops Direct mail Dimensional mail Webinar Personal letters Teleseminar Events Conferences Tradeshows Vendors Executive briefings Consultants Referrals Customers Partners www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 22 of 27
  • 23. consistent lead nurturing In a broad view, the secret to successful lead generation is the underlying process of lead nurturing. Lead nurturing converts inquiries into qualified leads and starts the qualified leads on a trajectory to capture sales. It essentially follows up and turns qualified leads into future sales opportunities by consistent and meaningful dialogue, regardless of timing to buy. Lead nurturing is not a single marketing campaign, but rather a series of steps and communi- cation tactics with the objective of developing and building a relationship with the potential customer. The relationship will result in conversations that may convert to sales. Lead generation is a conversation, not a series of disjointed campaigns. Lead generation initiates and perpetuates the requisite dialogue in the quest of opportunities that are relatively imminent. Lead nurturing, on the other hand, keeps the conversation going over time, building solid relationships and allowing the creation of interest in products and/or services while bringing the leads to sales-ready status whenever the buying opportunity pre- sents itself. The sales-ready state of such leads is the result of good lead nurturing and ulti- mately brings in better-qualified leads, higher close ratios, stronger sales pipelines and shorter sales cycles. A sustainable, long-term lead nurturing process is proactive, intentional and actionable. It in- corporates multimodal tactics designed to move prospects from awareness to interest to trial to action. The key is to dynamically integrate your execution, always aligning marketing efforts with sales initiatives. The result offers the greater probability that sales will adopt the working discipline of nurturing leads on a long-term basis. www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 23 of 27
  • 24. consistent lead nurturing a lead nurturing program might ask: • Whom do I want to nurture? • What problems does the prospect face? • What is the prospect’s top priority? • What does the prospect worry about? • What is my messaging? • What is the best way to deliver my messaging? • What action should the prospect take? • Should my product or service be demonstrated? • What are the incentives or inducements? • How often should I stay in contact? • Which tools require direct sales involvement? A crucial aspect of lead nurturing is the ability to provide valuable education and information to prospects. By enlightening prospects about the ways your business can fulfill their needs, you earn the distinction of expert and trusted advisor. The sales person provides insights and solutions rather than making sales pitches. www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 24 of 27
  • 25. consistent lead nurturing A carefully crafted lead nurturing program anticipates the prospect’s questions and responds with timely answers. This inspires awareness that you are creating value by providing useful information. Relevancy is the key. By consistently offering relevant content in the context of lead nurturing, the potential customer’s inner dialogue will be inclined to respond, “You and I have been talking for quite awhile. You understand me, my company and my industry. You have given me useful and pertinent ideas on this issue. You have helped me sell the idea to my colleagues and they understand and accept it. I realize this is going to be a challenging project, but I think you can do it. Let’s get it going.” The true value of lead nurturing comes from the disciplined technique of staying in touch while providing the “right” information throughout the evaluation and buying processes. The result is optimized mind share, efficient budget spending, profitable relationships and in- creased business. in the end... The complex sale requires a proven approach that depends on diligence and intelligence. Lead generation specialists are committed to the long-term proposition that digging for leads, educating prospects, navigating the nuances of the complex sale and creating new, high-level return on investment is what has brought lead generation to the position it enjoys in the mar- keting hierarchy today . . . vis-à-vis the eight critical success factors. www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 25 of 27
  • 26. the inside track to gain the lead, consider starting here: READ Lead Generation for the Complex Sale http://www.leadgenerationbook.com, If you are involved in generating qualified leads for com- plex sales, the popular new Lead Generation for the Complex Sale is a recommended read! It has been praised by marketing experts and practitioners alike. Download a free chapter. VISIT Brian’s B2B lead generation blog http://blog.startwithalead.com, Thousands of people read Brian’s award-winning blog each week, acquiring useful tips and ideas for every part of the lead generation process. DOWNLOAD free webinars and podcasts http://www.startwithalead.com/resources, this online resources area is a rich source of free, valuable content for anyone who’s looking for useful information about lead generation, sales leads and marketing for the complex sale. CONTACT InTouch http://www.startwithalead.com, For more than a decade, we’ve been thought leaders in lead generation; now you can put our expertise to help you execute successful Lead Generation, Teleprospecting, Lead Nurturing and Lead Management programs. Hear Brian speak Bring Brian’s innovative, engaging and approachable style to your next event. Brian J. Carroll is founder and CEO of InTouch, one of the first companies to provide lead generation solutions for the complex sale and recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of America's fastest growing companies. He speaks to 20,000 people a year on improving sales effectiveness and lead generation strategies. Carroll has been featured in The Wall Street Transcript, Sales and Marketing Management, and Inc. www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 26 of 27
  • 27. InTouch, Inc. 2 Pine Tree Drive, Suite 307 Arden Hills, MN 55112 800-810-7710 website - www.startwithalead.com email - bcarroll@leadgenerationbook.com www.startwithalead.com/resources | Eight Critical Success Factors | eBook by brian j. carroll | page 27 of 27