Sales Lead Management Today

Sales Lead Mgmt. Assn. Opens Nominations for “20 Women to Watch in Sales Lead Management - 2012"

James W. Obermayer, CEO of the Sales Lead Management Association announced that the SLMA is accepting nominations for this year’s “SLMA 20 Women to Watch in Sales Lead Management for 2012.”  

Winners, chosen by a panel of independent judges, will be announced on April 2nd at 10 a.m. PST.  

  “The women we would like to recognize,” said Susan Campanale, SLMA’s vice president, “are most likely in CRM, marketing automation, or lead generation firms; or in telemarketing, lead management software, exhibits management, or lead management service companies and agencies (direct, brand, public relations and internet).”  

Nominees are judged on the candidate’s contributions to marketing, sales and sales lead management efforts.  Additional qualifications, such as board positions, book and article authorships, and speaking on behalf of the subject of sales lead management and marketing ROI, are taken into account.  This program is not based on popularity.  

The sponsors for this year’s program are HubSpot, PointClear,  Marketo and Event Technology.  HubSpot's Inbound Marketing Software gives you all the tools you need to make marketing that people will actually love - earning quality leads and loyal customers in return. PointClear is a prospect development company helping B2B companies fulfill their forecasts, not just their pipelines.  Marketo’s powerful yet easy-to-use marketing automation and sales effectiveness solutions transform how marketing and sales teams of all sizes work.   Event Technologies is a full-service provider of lead management solutions for trade show exhibitors.

"A good marketer,” Jeanne Hopkins of HubSpot said, “understands the sales process in their organization.  A great marketer knows how to generate, nurture and qualify the leads that feed the sales process, helping their company to achieve success.  The “20 Women to Watch in Sales Lead Management” Program recognizes the contributions of women who understand this process.”

 “PointClear is honored to sponsor SLMA’s 20 Women to Watch contest for the second consecutive year,” said PointClear President, Dan McDade.  These 20 women are truly best in class and we are proud that one of our own, Karla Blalock, was named to this elite group last year.”

Event Technology President Chris Tremblay said, “The 20 Women to Watch in Sales Lead Management program is truly a recognition of lifetime achievement for all of the women who are nominated.   We are delighted to be a sponsor for recognizing the best and the brightest.”

Nominations are typically for managers working for CRM software, marketing automation software, and other sales lead management firms, as well as  marketing management in B2B and B2C companies. Only SLMA members (membership is free) are invited to nominate women and from those nominations, twenty will be selected as the SLMA 20 Women to Watch in 2012.  

Nominate someone now. 

Lead Management in Five Words

Most marketing execs I meet are working with inbound lead flows in the hundreds or thousands.  Despite the fact that they really need to work on increasing that lead flow, they have a big focus on how to manage those inbound leads.  Many are amazed that here at HubSpot, a B2B software company, we generate upwards of 45,000 leads per month (and I mean net new conversions).  They always ask me how WE manage such massive lead flow?  What systems, tools and processes are in place to get the most value out of all that lead generation activity!?

First, let me remind you that when I started about 2 and a half years ago, we were generating closer to 10-15K per month ... just about doubling each year since then due to the unfailing efforts of a pretty stellar team, led by CMO Mike Volpe, that does everything from prolific blogging, to frequent educational webinars and ebooks. 

Signs that you have too many leads to handle:

Your sales team is complaining about quality more than they are about volume of leads.

Your prospects complain that your sales team is too aggressive.

Both symptoms of a marketing team sending all leads, regardless of quality or readiness to buy to the sales team.

It’s time to learn the Five Ss of Lead Management: Set, Scrub, Score, Segment & Synthesize

Top Ten B2B PR Tips for 2012

by Christel K. Hall, APR CBC

1 – Do remember that actions speak louder than words.  After the most recent Herman Cain and Penn State crisis communications news, need we say more?

2 – Do get into how mobile messaging can work in your business, if you aren’t already there.  It’s where technology will continue to move.

3 – Do maintain at least a semi-annual face-to-face with your top customers, even if you’re on email with them every day.

4 – Do use the search features of Twitter to find new, targeted prospects for your products and services…but don’t spam them.  Follow and get to know them, then look for the right opportunity to start a relevant conversation.

5 – Do join at least 1-3 targeted industry forums on Linked In.  It’s the top social network for B2B.

Is your marketing plan based on a sales lead forecast?

“Sales leads create sales in direct proportion to follow-up.” 

 James Obermayer - Sales Lead Management Association

Starting January 3rd, if you have a calendar business year, you should have a new marketing plan with  SWOT, Goals, Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics.  The plan must be based on a sales forecast by product.  It should state how many inquiries by product will be essential to make forecast and the sales quotas.   

Each tactic should clearly state how many raw inquiries and qualified leads you will create to make forecast (if the tactic is lead gen based).

Budgets should reflect two approaches: 

    1. A branding budget (no forecast of sales leads).

    2. A lead generation budget with a forecast for the number of inquires (by tactic) and the raw cost of an inquiry, qualified lead  and closed lead.    

The forecast should include a calendar with the number of inquiries you expect to generate by month with an increasing number of inquiries preceding the expected increases in sales by at least three months (the inquiry count should be an upward slope preceding the expected upward slope in sales).  

Eight Steps for successful creation of a marketing plan from the Sales Lead Management Association:

    1. Forecast Sales by product, by month and quarter.

    2. Forecast inquiries or qualified leads to achieve quota (quota is often different than a sales forecast).

    3.  Create a professional marketing plan: SWOT, Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Tactics (detailed lead generation forecast).

    3. Measure each lead generation tactic for quantity and cost: raw inquiries, qualified leads, closed leads (sales) and sales lead follow-up. 

    4. Repeat what works!

    5. Scrap what doesn’t result in sales unless there is a good branding strategy for the decision.

    6. Review the plan monthly.  

    7. Have the courage to change, delete and add tactics.

    8. Plan your work and work your plan.  Monthly plan reviews are mandatory.

Remember Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke said "No plan survives contact with the enemy.”   Your plan won't either in its entirety, but without a plan you have not given your  business any forethought; you are just responding emotionally to everyday demands with no thought of the future. 

And lastly, remember, "A high percentage of sales leads followed-up by you will buy from you, what isn’t followed-up buys from your competitor."

 

 

Carlos Hidalgo on defining lead generation and lead management!

Laura Carlson in her blog Software Advice was really taken by Carlos Hidalgo (three times elected to SLMA's 50 most Influential list in 09,10 & 11) CEO of the Annunitas Group and Executive Director of the Marketing Automation Institiute, in his video entitled, "What's the Difference Between Demand Generation and Lead Management."

Don't take this too lightly as many people still don't understand the differences and similarities. Pass it along to junior marketers as well as senior management.

Sales Lead Management Association Announces Winners of the 2011 “50 Most Influential People in Sales Lead Management” Election

James W. Obermayer, executive director of the Sales Lead Management Association, announced the results of the voting for the Most Influential People in Sales Lead Management in 2011.   7,113 votes were cast (22% more than the 2010 election) for 79 nominees by 4,656 people (each voter could choose up to three nominees).  

Nominees came from many diverse disciplines including CRM Software and Marketing Automation Software to telemarketing qualification companies and publishing. Obermayer said, "People who win are recognized by their peers as multi-dimensional sales and marketing experts.  They have given unselfishly of their time as speakers, teachers, and writers on the deep multi-dimensional topic of sales lead management.” 

Susan Campanale, VP of Marketing for the SLMA said, ”These people are recognized by their peers as power players in the pursuit of ROI for marketing lead generation.”The list of the Most Influential People in Sales Lead Management in 2011 follows in the order of most votes received.  

The recipients are:

Laura McGuire - Saligent dba SmartTracks www.smarttracks.com    

Jeff Pedowitz - The Pedowitz Group www.pedowitzgroup.com    

 Steve Woods - Eloqua www.eloqua.com  

 Jill Konrath - Jill Konrath www.jillkonrath.com  

 Joe Payne - Eloqua www.eloqua.com    

Alex Shootman - Eloqua www.eloqua.com      

Maria Pergolino - Marketo www.marketo.com     

Jeanne Hopkins - HubSpot www.HubSpot.com      

Mac McIntosh - Mac McIntosh Inc.  www.sales-lead-experts.com     

Debbie Qaqish - The Pedowitz Group www.pedowitzgroup.com     

Phil Fernandez - Marketo www.marketo.com     

Dan McDade - PointClear www.pointclear.com     

Even Siri may have a hard time with this request!

When salespeople are polled and asked what they need most, the answer is always the same:  qualified leads.     Qualified leads doesn't just mean answers to need, desire, budget and authority.  A qualified lead means they are in the market to buy.  If you can deliver that as a marketer, everything else will be handled by a professional salesperson.

 

To see more cartoons from our Humor Relations Department, all provided by CartoonLink, go to the SLMA site.

If you're not a member of the Sales Lead Management Association, join now.  Join SLMA

The marketing and sales cartoon is sponsored by PRowrite.  

Focused on responsive, results-oriented public relations consulting, writing, and editing, PRowrite Public Relations serves business marketers in a variety of industries, including:

 High Technology

• Healthcare
• Manufacturing
• Industrial
• Real Estate
• Business & professional services

 Call PRowrite 775-267-9232  Ask for Christel Hall. 

 

Why do some people have to pee on an electric fence before they learn?

Will Rogers said, “There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading, the few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.”

So I ask, why do marketers, in spite of irrefutable evidence have to learn in the most painful way that there is a predictable return on investment for lead generation programs?

Some marketers run marketing programs without an attempt at an ROI and get burned when management wakes up and asks for them to prove the return on investment. And yet there is a plethora of information on how to prove the ROI.

Click here and see what SIlverpop has to say in their white paper entitled: Show How Marketing Makes Money: A 5-Step Plan for Proving ROI.

Not enough proof for you? Try reading “Ways to Prove the ROI for Sales Inquiries” from Go-To-Market Strategies. 

Want something about social media? Try these case studies: “10 case studies that prove the ROI of Social Media” from Lauren Fisher of Simply Zesty.

Voting is Open for the ‘50 Most Influential People in Sales Lead Management’ View the list here!

The Sales Lead Management Association (SLMA), announced that it has opened its virtual voting booth to determine the 50 most influential people in the field of sales lead management for 2011. This is the third year for this election.

Vote Now!

SLMA co-founder Susan Campanale said, “Members and non-members may vote for nominees and the results will be published on December 5th, 2011. Voters may cast votes for up to three nominees; duplicates are not allowed. The voting booth closes November 30th.

Ardath Albee - Marketing Interactions

Lisa Arthur - Aprimo

Trish Bertuzzi - The Bridge Group

Karla Blalock - PointClear

Michael A. Brown - Business to Business by Phone / BtoBEngage

Direct Marketing’s Quiet yet Powerful Resurgence

Good news! The direct marketing precepts we learned, practiced, and have made good money at over the years not only endure, they are proving their worth once again, despite the tough economy. Examples:

“Inbound marketing” = direct response marketing. Approach the right audience with the right message, make a good offer, issue a definitive call to action, provoke the prospect’s response … Houston, we have a lead!