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Sales Lead Management Association Declares October 10-16, 2010 To be Sales Lead Management Week

Companies Challenged to Fuel Business Growth through Lead Management Focus

Los Angeles, CA—April 6,  2010- James W. Obermayer, executive director of the Sales Lead Management Association, announced today that SLMA declares the week of Oct 10-16, 2010 as Sales Lead Management Week. Obermayer stated "The drum beat of sales lead generation and the proper management of inquiries is what fuels business growth and propels companies out of stagnation.  By having a week dedicated to the management of leads we encourage industry leaders to challenge themselves and their employees to move toward increased marketing and sales accountability through proper lead management.   It is time that customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing automation programs no longer are hamstrung by managers who allow 75-90% of the inquiries generated to be ignored by salespeople." 

SLMA Challenges Corporations
Traditionally, this has been a week for webinars, seminars, podcasts, speeches and blog entries that discuss the importance of lead follow-up and ROI reporting for lead generation.  The SLMA site has ideas for companies that believe it isn't enough to generate the lead, it must also be managed.   The SLMA challenges marketing and sales officers to create events around the topic of lead management.

 Support for National Sales Lead Management Week
Steve Woods, co-founder and CTO of Eloqua said,"Better lead management is one of the shortest paths to increased revenue.  Correct identification, prioritization, and follow-up of leads improve sales effectiveness and efficiency.  Sales Lead Management Week is an ideal way to call attention to this critical business initiative."

Dan Rogers, chief executive officer of SmartLead by AdTrack, which provides lead management systems and services stated"Recent research shows that marketers are under pressure to increase market share, lower costs, prove ROI and directly contribute to revenue growth. Lead management systems and best practices enable marketers to cost-efficiently achieve all of these goals.  Sales Lead Management Week is a great time to spotlight the growing importance of inquiry and sales lead management."

Carlos Hidalgo, president of The Annuitas Group, added"More than 50% of organizations state that lead generation is their biggest marketing challenge.  This number will grow larger, however, as companies look at going beyond traditional lead generation and move into lead management, which is a must.  Organizations that want to improve revenue make sales more effective and respond to the changing needs of the buyer must adopt a lead management process.  They should use Sales Lead Management Week as a platform to make the case for addressing these issues and gaining executive sponsorship and buy-in."

About the Sales Lead Management Association
The SLMA is an association with the mission of helping companies become successful in the critical business process of managing sales leads.  Membership is free.

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