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12.23.09 Adopting Effective Lead Management Processes To Generate More Revenues  By Brian Carroll My checklist for optimizing the lead generation process so far has included six steps: the mindset of not pushing; repairing the rift between sales and marketing; creating the ideal customer profile (and the un-ideal customer profile as well); agreeing upon a universal lead definition that fits your company's goals and culture; importance of a well maintained database; and, in step 6, I outlined a multi-modal approach and discussed its importance in the lead gen process. Today I'd like to discuss the aspects of an effective lead management process. I'm not sure why many organizations think it's acceptable to only get a return on about 20% of their leads when an optimized lead management process can tremendously help to convert more of those hard earned leads in the sales pipeline. The role of effective lead management is to watch and direct the conversion of sales leads into customers, and to track milestones and touch points. Some will describe lead management as the process of going from "first contact to close."  Lead management is the bridge between sales and marketing that connects the beginning and middle of the customer acquisition process. (Download the marketing sales funnel graphic as a PDF)
An effective lead management process will:
• Implement and enforce standard universal lead scoring definitions (ULD). Don't just create your ideal definition of a lead and then bury it. Make it a part of your company's culture.
• Deal with inquiries centrally and pre-qualified before going to the sales team. Only send over sales ready leads to the sales team using your ULD as the standard against which they are qualified. Don't overlook the phone's role in this step: it's still the best way to ensure a lead is sales ready and a good fit for your organization. It's timely, interactive, and personal-the perfect combination of assets for building a relationship. • Define a clear process for the handling and distributing of inquiries and leads. Provide qualification information for each lead while making it clear who owns the lead. Require a time-limit on a turnaround once leads are distributed, and track the lead throughout the process. Continue reading this article. About the Author: Brian Carroll is the CEO of InTouch Inc. InTouch is a 50-person company focused on delivering effective lead generation solutions for "the complex sale."Brian authors the very interesting B2B Lead Generation Blog which focuses on B2B lead generation, sales leads, and marketing for the complex sale. |
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