Sales Lead Management Today

Go Figure: Stupid Asinine Foolish Lies about Lead Generation

I  hear a lot about what works and what doesn’t

David Lewis on Building a Demand Factory. Listen While You Work!

This program originated with Leadspace Radio, the host is Damon Waldron and his guest is David Lewis  of  DemandGen.  Leadspace Radio is broadcast on the SLMA Live channel by Leadspace 

Hear top demand generation expert David Lewis tell you how to build your own lead generation demand factory. He maps a plan

White Paper: 12 High Velocity Metrics That Drive Sales

Title: 12 High Velocity Metrics That Actually Drive Sales   (Also called the Free Cheat Sheet)

Published by: Inside Sales

Author: Ken Krogue

Length: 2 Dynamic pages with the road map for sales success

SLMA Score:   Three out of four stars.  Short paper.  Not much on what to do about the implied problems.  Strong scent of self-serving here.  But it delivera on the 12 metrics list, but doesn't help you to decide what is a good score with a few exceptions.   Could be much better. 

Highlights: This is shortest and most comprehensive 12 item list for metrics that drive sales I have seen for a sales manager.

The list tells you what should be measured.  The “how”is up to you.  I would have liked to see Ken’s answers about best practices in addressing these “High Velocity Metrics” but maybe that will come in another white paper. 

I downloaded the white paper and printed it.  The printer had just stopped humming when an inside sales acceleration consultant, Jimmy Cluss (510) 606 9246 called me to see if I had any questions about the white paper, etc.  

Which brings us to the first of the high velocity metrics:

“How fast does your sales team respond to leads?”

I guess they walk the talk.  The other 11 metrics are just as succulent and worth reading and using as a guide.

Recommended for: CSO, Inside Sales Management, Presidents, Marketing Management.

 

Listen While You Work: A Study on the Most Effective Lead Follow-Up Strategies

The guest for this SLMA Radio program is Adam Bluemner the managing editor of  Find Accounting Software.  This is a great interview on the most effective follow-up strategies which were analyzed from 63,256 calls. The study is available here. The host this week is Jim Obermayer.

White Paper From Velocify: Winning Strategies for Optimal Sales Processes

White Paper: Winning Strategies for Optimal Sales Processes

Title: Winning Strategies for Optimal Sales Processes: The Inside Sales Process Report

Published by: Velocify

Cost: NA

Length: 23 pages

Highlights:

   More than 400 inside sales leaders completed a 30 question survey for this research.  This report has serious authority.

• 19 highly informative charts
• Technology can play a key role in establishing, executing and monitoring effective inside sales processes
• Fast growing companies challenge salespeople in terms of lead and call volume
• Intelligent automation early in the sales cycle is crucial

100,000 Listeners for SLMA Radio Programs

- Three programs on the SLMA Network Reap Viewership -

SLMA Live, an internet radio channel produced by the Sales Lead Management Association (SLMA), reported reaching an audience of 100,000 replays.  SLMA LIVE producer and founder of the SLMA, Jim Obermayer, said “The listenership total is from the three programs we broadcast each Thursday: Leadspace Radio, MSPradio and SLMA Radio. Each has a 30-minute program with host and guests, and each has its own website for listener replays. 

Susan Finch, SLMA Radio co-host, said “The originally-aired programs are available for replay

Article Review: Be Quick or Be Dead…Case Study: 63,256 Calls Prove the Most Effective Web Lead Follow-up Strategy

Be Quick or Be Dead…Case Study: 63,256 Calls Prove the Most Effective Web Lead Follow-up Strategy

Title: 2015 B2B Web to Phone Qualifications Study

Published by:  Adam Bluemner, Managing Editor for Find Accounting Software

Author: Adam Bluemner

Cost: NA

Length: 19 Pages

Highlights:

• Must read study for every inside sales manager
• How the speed of follow-up affects results.
• Average number of calls to qualify a lead?
• Contact success rate by call number?
• Qualification rate by call number?
• Chart: First call contact rate by time until call
• Chart: First call results by time until call.
• How many follow-up calls should be made?
• Waiting to call web leads ruins contact and qualification rates
• Most salespeople give up too quickly
• When is the best time for follow-up? 
• The advantage in sales goes to those that are quick

I was struck by the statement that speed of follow-up truly affects vendor preference.  It makes sense and there has been evidence of it in other studies but this nails it.  You will be surprised at the exact time for the best follow-up. 

Recommended for: Presidents, CSO, Inside Sales Management, Marketing Management.

Download Link

 

Having lost sight of our objectives, we need to redouble our efforts!

How many times, as sales slip and sales reps complain about marketing, have we heard Marketing say they will redouble their efforts? It isn’t uncommon to believe that to increase sales you should increase sales activities. But let’s back up for a moment and decide first what the objectives are before spending more money to create more leads that are often ignored in the first place.

If sales are slipping, review/do the following:

1. Is sales lead follow-up at the 60-80% level at any given time (20-40% is still in the pipeline)? ____ Yes ___ No

2.If follow-up is not happening:

Victor Kippes Unscripted. Listen While You Work!

Industry stats indicate it takes fewer touches to make a sale from an exhibit visitor. If this is true, companies should be trying to go to as many shows as possible and the goal should be a high lead count of qualified prospects. In this program, Victor Kippes, President of Validar will describe the Five Ways to Increase Qualified leads by 300%. The host is Jim Obermayer.

Victor covers: 

• Why qualified leads increase sales by 300% from shows
• Preparation and planning for qualified leads
• Lead Category Definitions
• Treatment - what do do with a lead, especially borrowed interest inquirers
• Lead capture strategies that align with category defintions

 About Validar Since 2005, Validar Inc. has helped B2B event marketers better understand and...

Are Sales Leads a Perishable Asset?

How leads are managed makes the difference between a squandered investment or a measurable return on investment!

This article in its complete form has been published on the eti Sales Support sales and marketing blog. Go here to read the complete story with nine recommendations to solve the issue of perishable leads.

 Sales leads have a lot in common with perishable fresh fish

When your company spends money on lead generation, the clock starts ticking; each inquiry has a life span.  Some of the leads may take a year to buy, some take six months, and some will take a few months, or a few days.

Michael Falkson, CEO of eti Sales Support, said, “ETI’s experience shows that 80% of inquiries will convert into Market Qualified Leads within 18 business hours. Your chances of success, thereafter, fall dramatically“.

The certainty is that a group of leads from a given month has a life span.  Each month a few make a decision and disappear; they are dead to you.      

Why it matters:

Fast responders sell more than those who are slow, sluggish, unhurried, leisurely, and dawdling in pursuit of a prospect.

Sales Lead Management Association

"Anything You Do Can Get You Shot, including doing nothing"

This famous quote has been attributed to the US Army - Ranger Training Manual.  The lesson is that as marketers and salespeople you can’t fear action and you should fear inaction; both can lead to failure.   As marketers and salespeople I think the phrase must be changed to:

“Anything you do can get you fired, including doing nothing.”

For marketers, there are five certainties that will lead to eventual failure and get you fired:

• Not supporting the sales forecast with lead generation campaigns will get you fired.
• Not having a CRM system in place will lead to failure.
• Not having a marketing automation system will lead to failure
• Not measuring your campaign ROI will lead to failure.
• Not creating qualified leads will lead to failure.

Why it matters:

“Tackling the right problem is the essence of successful action”

Keshavan Nair “Beyond Winning-Handbook For Leadership Revolution”

 

GoldMine CRM Software Joins SLMA as a Major Sponsor

  The Sales Lead Management Association (SLMA) announced that GoldMine Software is now a major sponsor for the SLMA.   Jim Obermayer, SLMA’s CEO, said “GoldMine is one of the CRM pioneers and, many would say, a technology leader in the CRM industry.  I know salespeople who find GoldMine easy and convenient to use, while management appreciates the reporting and cost effectiveness the solution provides, plus the cloud access.  We are proud to have an industry leader such as GoldMine as one of our sponsors.  Paul Petersen, GoldMine’s vice president and general manager, has been interviewed on several of our SLMA Radio programs: Why CRM is Not a Settled Science and Marketing’s Role is to Follow the Money.

Paul Petersen, Vice President and General Manager for GoldMine said, “We have decided to join the SLMA in a new effort to foster CRM and customer success. We find the SLMA topics and information to be very practical and usable for businesses of all sizes.”

About GoldMine

Listen While You Work: CRM Failure? Tracy Whetzel Tells How avoid being one of the 63% that fail!

In our show last week, Traci Whetzel the Director of CRM at Concept Services, outlines how to avoid CRM failure. (DM News said that 63% of the CRM Initiatives Fail).

During the interview Traci talks about: three of the biggest reasons CRM systems fail and what can be done to avoid it.  She covers:

• Lack of buy-in from upper management and the consequences for everyone.
• Lack of benefit realization by the sales reps, they don’t see a value add to using it.
• Lack of a sales process (stages) and no key performance indicators.

About Traci Wetzel

Traci Whetzel, Director – CRM, began her career with Concept Services as a BDM, and during her tenure she has held a multitude of roles within the organization. Traci is a strategic and process driven manager with a passion for sales process design, results, CRM and all things technical.

 Traci has over a decade of experience working with and implementing various CRM solutions. She is an inspiring person to work with on both a personal and professional level because of her knowledge, optimism and “can-do” attitude. Traci is a great representation of our company’s spirit of an optimal blend of hard work and fun, which she displays on a daily basis to her employees and customers.

About Concept Services

Best CRM: Some Finer Points

Interesting conversation on "best CRM"

I agree that management must identify some key objectives – focus on real issues... one of my current prospects is considering spending upwards of $100k a year – and from what we can tell it won’t help sales people get more leads (marketing) or be more efficient (right tools) – it is to streamline the process of discount approvals – so, they want to spend more money to make it easier to give away money? After I had a little rain on their parade, I don’t think I changed any hearts but I got the owner and cfo attention – they are now rethinking. Ultimately, we may not be the right solution, but they really need to think about what they are spending money on.

The one thing that is missed is “what will make sales people want to use it” – there is data entry –