Do we really need more?

by Carlos Hidalgo, Partner - The Annuitas Group

Talk to virtually any sales person about their greatest want on a day-to-day basis and they will most likely tell you they need more leads.  Yes, I know I am picking on sales people here. I can because I used to be one and was the chief of proclaiming that we weren't getting enough leads.

The usual cycle at most companies starts with sales complaining about not getting enough leads. So, marketing launches a campaign which hauls in a bunch of leads, which they then pass to sales.  Sales rummages through the leads, selects the ones they believe have the best chance of bringing them to quota, and ignore the rest.  Within 3 months the cycle starts all over again.

When it comes to leads, the issue is not that sales people asking for more. After all, they are in sales.  They should ask for leads.  Moreover, the issue rarely is the amount of leads. More often than not, the real issue when it comes to sales leads is that marketing needs to do better with what they already have.  Creating campaigns, and bringing in a fresh crop of leads without proper nurture of the ones already in house only adds to the problem.  Marketing (and sales) need to do be better caretakers of what is already "in the fold". 

This is done by developing and establishing a systematic, closed loop lead management process that optimizes lead flow from marketing to sales to close.

Implementing the right lead management strategy will provide the following benefits to your organization:

• Improved lead quality
• Increased value (improved ROI)
• A healthier pipeline
• Increased close ratios
• Increased revenues
• Happier sales people (and as marketers who doesn't want that?)

When it comes to the area of demand generation, it may be of benefit to begin looking at things differently instead of repeating the cycle.  Think of allotting resources to managing the leads you already have, and watch the difference that it makes in your organization.

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