Lead Generation: What Is It worth?

Our business environment has changedto close because the customer has already
dramatically. Companies must now be disciplineddecided to buy.Use your lead generation to put
and market-driven if they want to stay alive.your sales initiatives to good use. Use the sales
They must do more - much more - than createfunction to be the service providers in your
a buzz, or have a well-known brand. Just read thecompany, regardless of what you are selling.
papers: the stock and balance sheets of brandCreate the trust that you want to be recognized
names have plummeted faster, in some cases,for and spoken about in your business sector. At
than the unknown companies.As a result the salesthis point in history, that's as good as it
discipline is moving into a new-found call to actiongets.OUTSOURCINGMany companies are
for lead generation. If you don't take thisoutsourcing their lead generation even while their
opportunity to redefine what sales can be, it willsales continue to plummet: the current thinking
remain just another format for finding a way togoes, "If WE can't get it right the way we're
get your product pitches heard. It's time todoing it, let's let someone else do it for us. Not
recognize that sales is not a one-off event: it is aonly that, we can get the outsourcers to give us
process that needs to be mapped out andhot leads and save our sales folks the trouble of
integrated thoroughly - from product creation, towarming up the cold ones."Don't get me wrong. I
supporting a buyer's discovery of how yourtruly believe in outsourcing. You're not capable of
product fits into their business initiatives orbeing - nor do you want to be - experts in every
personal agendas, to supporting the manufacturingfield. Let each of us be expert in one or two
of the product, the shipping, follow-up, andfields, and hire each other to do what we each do
service. The longer you hold on to the belief thatbest when expertise is lacking.But I've seen some
sales is a tactical activity rather than a strategicproblems using outsourced lead generation
one, you're going to be at the mercy of marketcompanies as a vehicle to improve sales. Many
forces. Not to mention see our products becomecompanies don't realize the amount of specificity
a commodity.Indeed, it's time to speak to yourthat is necessary to make sure they get it
customers and prospects, and help themright.Before engaging an outsourced lead
determine whether there are opportunities to helpgeneration company, you need to know exactly
them (and their customers) meet goals andwhat you want going in and teach the lead
objectives; you must also speak to your owngeneration folks how to approach your customers
internal support folks to help them understandin a way that will support a purchase, not a pitch.
that while you're bringing in leads, they mustAs it is now, by just giving them product
establish distribution, r&d, help desk and serviceinformation to be pushed and shared, you are not
initiatives that serve the product creation andsetting appropriate parameters for the
support.If you don't, and continue to use sales andoutsourced providers and thereby losing a
lead generation as a push to promote productwonderful opportunity to turn your businesses
data rather than1. become business partners witharound.Some companies outsource their
your customers,2. help your customers makemarketing and sales before fully understanding the
complex decisions out of morepotential buyer's profile; the step of market
complex buying environments,3. create loyalvalidation is often overlooked, starting with your
customers,4. use your sales folks as brandofferings getting produced and developed using
ambassadors,5. increase revenue,6. put yourthe age-old belief that if you can create it you
customers into the feedback loop to enhancecan create the market for it. Customer demand is
youroften guessed at, at best, and there's no
support and product creation,you're going to endunderstanding why customers will expend capital
up in the same place you started.Using the Buyingon one item vs. another.One of the problems
Facilitation Method I've introduced in my bookcompanies are facing is that they are not visioning
Selling with Integrity, you can actually use thisthe lead generation process as part of a whole:
opportunity to become true business partnerstheir campaigns are fragmented, with
with all of your prospects. Even if it's retail sales -telemarketing, direct mail, on-line ad campaigns,
or software or financial services or large ticketadvertising all being done in a fractured fashion.
solutions - you can become business partners withRarely do companies or the outsourced vendors
your prospects and thus brand yourselves in ascreate the entire process in a coherent, strategic
opposed to your competition.I recently went tomanner. They are thinking tactically rather than
make a small (very small - $15) purchase at astrategically when they design a lead generation
counter at Nordstrom's. They didn't have theprogram.STRATEGIC RATHER THAN TACTICAL
product in. She asked me my criteria: was it theTHINKINGBritton Manasco, a market strategist
product? The time frame? The store? For me itwhose company, the Market Intelligence Group,
was the time element. The woman behind theprovides market assessment and growth
counter actually WALKED me to a competingstrategy consulting, believes companies aren't
store to make sure I'd get what I wanted! Nowclear on their strategies. They say:1. here are my
THAT'S branding. She got my criteria and madegoals;
sure I got my needs met. I suspect if the2. how do I meet them.They buy a list, and hand
competing store wouldn't have carried the itemit to telemarketers and in-house sales folks, but
she would have done SOMETHING to get methere isn't any strategy for ensuring each channel
what I wanted NOW.In this time of slow business(phone, print, email, mail) gets handled with a
and a skittish economy, it's your job to createsimilar integrated approach that all happens in
trust and brand loyalty through each and everyparallel.Again, you go back to the faulty idea of
client interaction. While seeking and contactingproduct information: you assume that when folks
leads, use this opportunity to become a businesssee how wonderful your product offering is they
partner with your client. Instead of telling themwill know just how and when and why to buy it.
about your offering - even if it's clear to both ofIt's just not true: people buy when their criteria
you that they need it - take the time to go downare aligned, when they know HOW to change,
the Buying Decision Funnel and assist them inwhen everyone involved gives their ok - or at
discovering all of the issues that need to be linedleast has their needs and fears addressed (Intel
up in their unique, internal systems, for them tohas this decision-making strategy for folks who
make their best decision.What has kept themdon't agree with a decision. It's called Disagree and
where they are (i.e. without handling the problemCommit. They vocalize their disagreement so
or need)? What has been tried in order to fix it -everyone hears and understands it, and then they
and failed?What is going on with the people, thecommit to supporting the team. But they've been
politics, the partnerships, within the company thatheard.).So when you truly believe it's about helping
makes it difficult for them to change?Or addfolks decide how to buy, rather than selling a
something new into the mix?Or spend money?Orproduct, you enroll your outsourcing partner with
possibly create chaos?What has gone on arounda list of criteria around how they must support
the problem area in their history that makesyour client in relationship with the other initiatives
them want to hang on and not consideryou have put in place, so it's a congruent whole.
change?They won't have ready answers, but withThis not only adds value to your partner or
the facilitative questions, they will be able to get acustomer, but it gives your company a brand. A
much more complete picture, and may be willingbrand, after all, is a coherent story line and a
to note congruences to make new decisions.Asrelationship with your customers and employees.
you know if you've been reading theseIt must be used with telemarketers and with
newsletters for a while, it's never about yoursenior vp's, with help desk folks and assistants,
product: it's always about the buying criteria ofand the CEO.We all need to be serving our clients
your prospect, how they need to address theirnow. Each company, each customer, each team
'problem space' and stay congruent with theiror family is an aggregate of human beings. Let's
values and history and initiatives. You can helpuse our products as an excuse to go out there
them in discovering that which is difficult for themand serve as many of them as we can.In fact,
to see, and in the process become a trustedit's really the only game in town.sharon drew
advisor and support.As a result of using thismorgen is the author of NYTimes Best seller
process, you could even use a front-line leadSelling with Integrity. She speaks, teaches and
generation team to 'warm the client up' and handconsults globally around her new sales model,
over to the sales rep the hot lead - knowing thatBuying Facilitation. 512-457-0246 Morgen
by the time the sales rep gets the lead it's readyFacilitations, Inc.