I’ve been reading a ton of articles and blog posts on the subject of Sales Leads. Most debate the issue of where the leads are generated and who manages them – sales or marketing.
There is a huge difference between lead development / generation, whatever you prefer to call it, and actual lead management. Before sales or marketing squabble over responsibilities and needs, the critical question to the company should be, are they developing and nurturing the RIGHT leads.
Probably, marketing should take charge of the leads system, since usually, they have more time and tools to devote to it and the nurturing, but they should implement some type of alert that passes on the lead to sales and lets them know it is “sales ready”
The point is, without a thorough current customer / prospect database analysis, both sales and marketing are likely wasting a huge amount of time and money on worthless leads.
A complete market analysis will help determine the following:
- Who are you current best customers?
- Are your suspects and prospects based on that criteria?
- Are you still mailing to the same old list?
- Did you buy a new list based on the same old inaccurate data?
- Do you know the true geography, such as zip codes, of the people who you should mail to or are you wasting valuable monies also mailing to people outside of those areas?
- What did direct mail, tradeshow or email campaigns analysis show you about the right leads?
- Do you know how to weed out the “tire-kickers’ from the real potential buyers?
Most companies seem to be leaving a step out here. Before marketing develops the leads and hands off to sales to manage, every company must make sure they are developing the RIGHT leads.
Thoughtful thoughts...
"Before marketing develops the leads and hands off to sales to manage, every company must make sure they are developing the RIGHT leads."
After a time, every list just sit there and corrupt itself! Here is the need for the Right lead managemnt comes.
Courteously -- S. Kumar
http://www.learnhomebusiness.com
Posted by: S. Kumar - 10 Sizzling Sales Letter Tools | December 03, 2007 at 02:54 AM
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Posted by: steven davies | January 31, 2008 at 12:20 PM