Did you ever wonder what happens to all the leads that marketing sends to sales? Studies show that almost all efforts are wasted because sales doesn't follow up or they get lost or discarded.
That's a very compelling reason to go read Brian Carroll's newly released and complimentary ebook, "start with a lead." I read it today and it's worth your time to do the same. He talks about eight critical success factors and makes a lot of good points.
Some of them are that lead generation involves a conversation, not a campaign. Another insight that should be obvious, and probably is, but slow to alignment is the need for sales and marketing to unify their efforts as a team.
Brian says, "Likewise, the harmonious interaction of sales and marketing is crucial. If they are askew and going in dissimilar directions, sales and marketing will not empower a successful complex sale or sales lead strategy. Bottom-line sales performance reflects just how well sales and marketing are working together."
He talks about the ideal customer profile, universal lead definition and nurturing. One of my favorite takeaways is a quote he incorporates that really defines the lead generation process:
"John Coe, in The Fundamentals of Business-to-Business Sales & Marketing (McGraw-Hill), says: “The job of marketing is to develop a lead generation system that matches the readiness of the buyer with the expectations of your sales person.”
I could go on, but you will really want to read this one for yourself. Get the download.
