Sales Lead Generation - Seven Basic Rules to Maximize Customer Acquisition and ROI

1. Identify Decision Maker(s)

Sending sales people on wild goose chases is a losing proposition resented by all concerned. Identifying the decision maker is vital. It enables your sales people to spend their valuable time and effort calling on the person who has the authority to make purchasing decisions. Not spending their time finding out who has that authority.

2. Qualify Your Sales Leads - Know the difference between an inquiry and a sales lead.

Before your salesperson makes a personal sales visit it's essential to have a fully documented company profile in hand. To qualify as a sales opportunity this information must be comprehensive. The report must provide all the necessary detail to enable your salesperson to make a strong, convincing presentation to the decision maker(s).

3. Quantify Purchase Potential

Quantifying purchase potential is another important factor. Your sales people are in a stronger position when they have advance information about when the prospective customer will be in the market to buy, what quantity may be ordered, and potential annual purchase.

4.Track Marketing Campaign Analytics & Real Time Dashboards

How many inquiries come in from each media source or campaign vehicle daily, weekly, periodically? (From Web banners, organic search, trade shows, webinars, direct mail, eDM / email broadcasts, Co-branding efforts, telemarketing, and all other sources and promotions.)

What is your cost per inquiry and lead from each media source?
What percentage of inquiries per source is being converted to qualified sales lead opportunities and to sales?
What is the dollar value of sales to new customers?
What is your ROI in terms of your marketing and advertising investments?
How many appointments are needed to turn a sales lead into a sale (Customer acquisition)?
How long is the average sale cycle, from date lead comes in to date of first sale?
How many buy from competitors - and why?
How did each representative perform during defined segments of your business year?

All the above data must be analyzed and related to cost-of-sales for each lead source, and incorporated into a management dashboard.

5. Fulfill Your Promises

How many trade shows have you attended where information promised was never mailed to you?

How many times has a representative promised to call you after the trade show and never did?

To drive optimal sales results and high lead conversion rate, you'll need a swift follow up process in place. Fulfillment packages delivered via email or snail mail within 24 hours. Delay is hurtful. Non-fulfillment is a costly waste of money!

6. Squeeze the Maximum Sale from Every Lead - Maximizing Sales Productivity

Does your sales lead program squeeze the maximum potential from each valuable lead? The sad truth is that leads not properly identified, qualified, quantified, and followed up quickly lose their value.

Unqualified sales leads can cause even good leads to suffer. A professional approach to the lead conversion process is the only suitable strategy. Dedicated control by capable individuals supported by state of the art technology and process, should ensure that each step along the way from receiving a lead to making a customer is progressed. Timeliness is an essential factor.

7. Manage Your Lead Generation Efforts Professionally

Can you operate a Lead Generation and Qualification project without an efficient response management program?

Do you provide an environment where Sales people are fully accountable? And does Sales Management ensure compliance? (Note: An in-house CRM does not fulfill this function in reality. See article - Managed Sales Prospecting)

Are your marketing programs managed in a closed loop environment which provides quantifiable measurable front end and back end analysis, so that you can maximize your sales and marketing investments?

If you answered no to any of the above then consider outsourcing to a highly capable experienced partner specializing in B2B customer lead generation and acquisition.