Lead Generation for The Complex Sale

Ever wondered how you can get the inside track on selling complex sales to the B2B market?  Brian Carroll's book, Lead Generation for the Complex Sale is hot off the press as of today and provides some great insights to this difficult task. 

I had the privilege of reading an advanced copy a few months ago and I have to say that he's covered a lot of ground.  Some of the best things I like about it begin with his conviction that, "Lead generation becomes a conversation, a dialogue; it is not a series of campaigns."

He further clarifies, "In addition to all these resources [Intranet portals, blogs, and extranets], the best strategy is to have an open dialogue to obtain sales lead feedback such as:

• Was this helpful? Why? Why not?
• What else should we be doing?
• What other questions could we have asked to make the lead even better?
• What are we doing that we should stop?

He quotes analyst research to back up his assertions and the eye-opening observations are not to be missed.  For example, did you know that, "A study by the Aberdeen Group concluded that 40 to 60 hours of the sales person's month is spent re-creating sales-ready, customer-relevant collateral material [?]"

He further explains that inquiries are not leads and gives you a process for defining your own companies universal lead type and message map. He includes a some key points about value propositions from Jill Konrath of Selling to Big Companies that should not be missed.

I don't want to give it all away for you, but one of the reasons I really enjoyed the book is his focus on the many different channels for lead development, the consistency of the message and the real need for interaction to nurture sales with long selling cycles. 

Check out Brian's blog for the press release and podcast about the launch.  Better yet, do yourself a favor and buy the book. 

Comments

[ProspectZone Mortgage]

Well that all makes sense, but how do you get that dialog with your prospective clients without bothering them? Do you pop up a survey or chat box on their window? That's a little impolite. Do you email it to them? The tough part is making your visitors want to be part of such a dialog!

[Ardath Albee]

In response - establishing a dialogue is difficult. It takes a concerted effort. If your website content and marketing messaging are about what's important to your leads, they will want to engage with you.

Take a look at how you communicate with them. Is it all about your company and what your company does? Or is your content focused on explaining a problem, showing them a need for change (what they will get) and then how you can help? Generating demand through conversations is about providing valuable thought leadership that shows your prospects you have the expertise they need to solve their issue. You need to help them envision what their lives/businesses will be like once they've committed to the change.

I can go on for quite a while about this, so I'll stop here. You may find my website has further information that will help you - www.marketinginteractions.com. Or you can buy Brian's book, Lead Generation for the Complex Sale (link is available on the left) for more insight.

Thanks for asking!
Ardath