Sales Lead Manager Job Description: AKA: Demand Manager, Inquiry Manager

Provided by the Sales Lead Management Association

Job Summary

The Marketing-Lead –Generation-Wizard is responsible for creating ample demand for the company so that its sales channel will build its sales pipeline and attain sales forecast. 

Essential Functions

1. Creates business rules. Follows the written business rules which marketing and the sales channel must pursue to ensure 100% accountability for all lead generating activities. 
2. Supports Sales.  Creates inquiries and qualified leads to support the sales forecast for the company on a monthly quarterly and yearly basis. 
3. Creates Qualified Leads.  Has sufficient experience to recommend to marketing management and the company’s agencies, techniques to increase the number of qualified inquirers who respond to the company’s promotional efforts. 
4. Forecasting.   Must be able to deliver qualified leads from the sales inquiries generated by the company (or vendors).    Guides systems and processes to give the sales people qualified sales leads (not just inquiries).
5. Lead Distribution.   Distributes inquiries and leads to the B2B sales channel, within two hours of data entry.  For B2C distribute the inquiries and sales leads within 2 minutes of data entry.    
6. On-Time Lead Arrival.  Works with the corporation’s agencies (PR, Advertising, On-Line, Direct Mail, Telemarketing) to create a blend of sales inquires that arrive on a predictable schedule each month.
7. Follow-up. Works with sales management to be sure that 100% of all sales inquiries are followed-up.  
8. Grading. Understands how to grade inquiries based on the answers to profile questions.
9. ROI.  Ensures that sufficient quantitative and qualitative research has been completed with prospects and customers so that management can make informed decisions about the ROI for lead generation.
10. Formulas.  Understands the formulas that are used to predict marketing ROI.
11. Reports.  Reports on inquiry activity by product, source, and source type. Delivers a monthly report showing sales results from sales inquires and leads. 
12. CRM.  Understands the CRM system and works to make sure that the system delivers qualified inquiries (sales leads) in a timely fashion to the sales channel.
13. Database.   Understands database marketing and can make recommendations about the type of database structure needed. 
14. Database Purchase. Understands how to purchase dB lists that have a higher return on investment than other lists.
15. Fulfillment.  Ensures the fulfillment of prospect requests for information within 24 hours for B2B and within minutes for B2C.
16. Fulfillment. Creates literature packages or PDF files for fulfillment.
17. Marketing Automation. Understands and is capable of guiding inquiry nurturing processes which ultimately deliver sales ready leads.   Nurturing includes but is not limited to email, telemarketing, printed fulfillment, webinars, and marketing automation programs.

Qualifications

1. Education: College degree (BS or MBA) preferably in marketing. Comparable life experience in lieu of degree acceptable.   A record of achievement counts more than anything else. 
2. Experience: 3 years industry experience or proven marketing achievements in a related industry is desirable.
3. Knowledge: An understanding of product positioning, promotion, and return on marketing investment are needed.
4. Previous positions in sales as a sales representative are a plus as this experience brings a balanced perspective and inclination for teamwork in achieving corporate goals.  Experience as a marketing communications manager a plus.   Agency experience a plus.
5. Technically competent to judge the various programs that manage inquiries (SaaS, CRM and SFA programs, Marketing Automation software, etc). 

Sales Lead Management Association^SM Membership is Free!

This article is distributed with permission of the author on the Sales Lead Management Association website.  The Sales Lead Management AssociationSM has the mission of helping companies become more successful in the critical business process of managing sales leads. Everyone can become a member by registering and gaining access to the content on the site.  We have built an extensive library of articles, reports and information about inquiry management, sales leads, lead nurturing, lead qualification, ROI reporting, and lead distribution. Additional subjects include trade show sales lead acquisition, telemarketing, and inquiry and lead generation