Lead Generation

How to be the Best at Lead Generation? It Starts with Process

Sales leaders would never dream of operating a sales force without a sales process.  Yet sales organizations move forward with Lead Generation efforts without a documented lead management process.

It all starts with Lead Generation Process – Steps to Develop

A lead management process is required for repeatable best-in-class performance. The following is a high-level overview of the main steps involved in developing a process for your company:

Perform Discovery

1. Performance Review – Identify metrics that exist today, what can be tracked, and establish a baseline.
2. Content Assessment – Map existing content to the buying stages and perform gap analysis.
3. Sales team discovery – Understand the lead hand-off and criteria for qualification.
4. Identify the Buying Process – This typically includes anywhere from 2-5 stages depending on the complexity of the solution.
5. Understand the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) – Review account segmentation areas of focus and document characteristics of the target audience.

Design of Lead Generation Process (version 0.5)

1. Develop a common definition of a “lead” across the organization
2. Identify key stakeholders from sales, marketing, IT and finance to participate in a collaborative planning session.
3. For each step in the buying process, document the following:
   • Stage Definition – One sentence definition of the purpose of the phase.
   • Steps – List of steps in order of accomplishment that the representative should be doing to move the prospect forward.
     • • • What is the minimum level contact information received to be a considered an “Inquiry”?
         • Develop grading based on contact and firmographic data to measure the quality of the fit to your ICP.
         • Develop scoring based on activities and behaviour that show the level of interest.
         • Establish qualification criteria for a lead to be worthy of sales investment of time.
         • Design nurture campaign frameworks.
         • Identify qualification criteria and requirements for delivery to sales.
         • Establish requirements for feedback loop with sales.
   • Exit Criteria– Description of a specific action that indicates the buyer has moved to the next step in the buying process.
   • Job Aids – List of tools and resources The rep can use in this phase to help achieve the Exit Criteria.

Validation

1. Expert Panel – Assemble a cross-functional team to review and validate the steps (Update process to version 0.75).
2. Pilot – Closely monitor testing of the process with a sub-set of staff and make appropriate continuous improvement revisions (update process to version 1.0).

Lead Generation Key Take-away

The elements of success for standing up a Lead Generation representative involve the following key attributes:

• Lead Definition – Define what a “Lead” is for your company among both sales and marketing so the term is objective and not up for different interpretations.
• Lead Management Process – Define ownership of prospects and contacts at points of inquiry, within the CRM, standard operating procedures to support lead nurturing, qualifying requirements, and points of hand off to sales.

How a CRM is key to Lead Generation

A CRM system benefits an organisation through the visibility of its sales activities. This visibility is fundamental to managing lead generation, sales performance and control of the sales process. This visibility enables management to understand why, when, who and how opportunities are being won, stalled, or being lost.  If it cannot be monitored, it cannot be managed. The visibility offered within the CRM system also allows management to make educated business decisions based on hard data. A CRM system will enable structured data to be used to access performance. This assessment should indicate which sales person is out performing others.

At ProAptivity, we get it!

ProAptivity are an independent CRM’s solutions provider. We focus on the implementation, training, and support of highly customised CRM software solutions. Our CRM software supported by our sales training provide customers with the tools needed to deliver successful sales process management.

Fundamentally, we help organisations embed CRM best practice throughout their organisation. This helps organisations become more competitive, customer focused and ultimately more profitable.

If you need help in understanding why my business needs CRM, maybe some of our  eBooks could help! Alternatively visit Maximizer CRM for more information. Contact us today on 028 9099 6388 or via info@proaptivity.com. Contact us today for a free CRM consultation that will assess if your business is CRM ready.