What is lead generation?

U.S. Companies Are Severely Mismanaging Lead Generation

I think most marketers agree that the management of sales leads is critical to generating Return on Marketing Investment. Sadly, sales leads continue to land on the scrapheap according to a soon to be released report by the Business Performance Management Forum and CMO Council. The report entitled “Gauging the Cost of What’s Lost,” found […]

Using Six Sigma to improve Lead Generation peformance

I just got back from speaking at today’s Minnesota Technology Forum where one of the other speakers was from 3M. They are one of the world’s major adopters and proponents of Six Sigma. The question that changed everything The speaker shared how Six Sigma helped 3M improve their sales team’s effectiveness by increasing the quality […]

Lead Generation Via Direct Marketing is Coming Back

Legitimate email marketing has dipped due to aggressive filtering and SPAM. As a result, B2B Marketers are increasing their direct mail budgets. Also, I’ve noticed a significant uptick inquiries for our B2B lead generation services. Reaching Top Execs via Direct Mail If you want to reach top executives, a simple letter with a #10 envelope […]

Bridge Sales & Marketing Gap With Clear Lead Definition

Teamwork is essential in order to maximize ROI from your lead generation programs. Are you sending inquiries or qualified leads over to your sales team? 90% of the companies that I work with (I talk with hundreds each year) lack a clear definition (especially between marketing and sales) of what a sales lead is. Successful […]

List providers confuse lists and lead generation

I read this press release in which infoUSA states they are, “a leading provider of….sales leads.” Not true. I wish mailing list and database providers would stop confusing people by calling what they sell “sales leads.” They are not sales leads at all. They simply are undeveloped lists of names and data. They fall far […]

Marketing To Do List for Lead Generation

Don’t waste your lead generation efforts. Make sure you’ve completed this to do list. Develop Universal Lead Definition with sales team Follow a rigorous lead qualification process Pass only qualified leads to sales team Get input from sales on target companies Get sales team input to co-develop campaigns Connect sales and marketing data in CRM […]

Tracking Lead Conversion

Are you able to track the sales advance rate of your lead generation program? If not, you’re missing a key component of effective lead generation called lead tracking. Justin Hitt, describes how you can automate your lead tracking process and measure lead generation peformance. I encourage you read his article and adopt a similar process. […]

generating qualified sales leads on a tight budget

Robin Robins, President, TechnologyMarketingToolKit.com shares some vignettes of successful lead generation campaigns by computer resellers. Perhaps these ideas could work in your industry? As you’ll see the method of lead generation doesn’t necessarily have to be complex to be effective. Generating Qualified Sales Leads On a Tight Budget

Why Quality Leads First

I read a great article by Justin Hitt which emphasizes the importance of quality over quanity in lead generation efforts. It’s a great reminder of this fundamental truth which is, “focus on quality first and then worry about ramping up quantity.” Exerpt from Justin Hitt’s Inside Strategic Relations, 1 August 2004 Newsletter Unfocused lead generation […]

Lead generation after the sale is made

Many sales professionals practice what could be called, “drive by selling.” Once the deal is done, these professional hunters have already shifted their focus to getting their next prey. I think this article from Business Day, is relevant to anyone who has a complex sale. It reminds us that the first YES is just the […]

Top Offline lead generation tactics

Looking for the most effective way to generate leads? A recent survey conducted by MarketingSherpa in March 2004 asked marketers, “What are your top offline lead generation tactics?” The following lead generation tactics were considered extremely effective in (in order of effectiveness) 1. In-person seminars / road shows 2. Telemarketing3. Direct mail4. Trade shows You […]

Behavior Counts in Sales Lead Generation

Barbara Mednick, a Twin Cities marketing communications consultant and freelance writer for the Star Tribune, wrote a recent article about sales behavior. Barb asserts, that in a complex sale, “your behavior counts – even when you don’t think you’re working.” It begins with the mindset of becoming a trusted advisor – one who seeks to […]

13 Platinum B2B Lead Generation Ideas

I read this article by direct marketing expert, Ray Jutkins. Nice work. This Baker’s Dozen Collection is based on 3 decades of B2B (lead generation) experience. Working “live” in the field with real companies. And their marketing and sales teams. Read 13 Platinum B2B Lead Generation Ideas

Differentiation, Segmentation Plus Value Proposition

Seth Godin argues that differentiation and segmentation are selfish because they are seller focused. I agree. A strong value proposition is the only thing that captures the attention of overworked and stressed out decision makers because it connects with their needs directly. Here’s the problem… most companies have lousy value propositions. Often “value propositions” are […]

Increasing the Odds of Product Launch Success

Join me and the Midwest’s premier new product launch experts as they share their knowledge in an intensive day-long program guaranteed to increase your odds of product launch success. I will be speaking on B2B lead generation strategies for the complex sale. Get info at Launch People Website

Success with sales leads

The management of sales leads is critical to generating Return on Marketing Investment. The Yankee Group Report, “Improving Sales Effectiveness in a Down Economy,” states, “Solving the lead management problem is especially critical in challenging economic times. Companies need to prevent each lead from falling through the cracks- which happens 70 to 80 percent of […]

Lead generation ROI depends on data quality

Don’t waste precious your lead generation budget on old databases. According to published reports, more than 20% of contact information changes annually. That’s a conservative estimate. In some cases, I’ve seen over 40% of CRM database information changes annually. For most marketers, I’ve found, data quality is an afterthought. Who can blame them? It’s boring […]

Lead generation to sphere of influence

If your current lead generation program reaches only the decision maker, there’s no consequence for them to ignore you. Bottom line: Most of your prospects are not as concerned about your solution as they are with the relationships they have with their coworkers, superiors and subordinates. The example below shows the sphere of influence for […]

Making Lead Generation Count: Wipro's Integrated Program

Facing enormous pressure to produce qualified leads for the sales force, marketers are rethinking their lead-generation strategies and programs. What new tactics will boost response rates? Which types of campaigns can lead to the greatest return? Since its beginning three years ago, Wipro’s program has created a 350% increase in leads and now directly accounts […]

Do you know a qualified lead when you see one?

Mac just published an article in his e-newsletter on defining a qualified lead. You may think you know what a qualified sales lead is, but if you asked your salespeople and corporate executives, would they have the same definition? Mac McIntosh’s newsletter for business-to-business sales & marketing professionals: Do you know a qualified lead when […]

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