Lead Generation and Qualification - Televerde

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Lead Generation and Qualification

• The Different Viewpoints of Sales and Marketing

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Lead Generation and Qualification

• When it comes to lead generation and
  qualification, marketing and sales departments
  sometimes see things differently. Although both
  want to close more business, increase sales
  revenue and grow market share, they dont
  necessarily always have the same goals. For
  example, marketing focuses on developing brand
  awareness over the long-term. Sales teams, on the
  other hand, concentrate on the prospects they can
  close in the near-term.
• The nature of sales complicates pursuing common
  objectives. With salespeople under constant
  pressure to meet quotas, they often forgo brand
  considerations for immediate revenue.
  Compensation based on closed sales and not brand
  contribution means salespeople will tend to take
  the quickest route to closing a deal.

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Lead Generation and Qualification
Further complicating lead generation and
qualification are diverse definitions of the
ideal customer. When salespeople pursue
unresponsive prospects generated by marketing,
they may start changing the message, product and
pricing. They try to make the prospects fit in
any way possible. The result is two departments
pursuing different target audiences.   Another
area of misconception between sales and marketing
is the volume of leads required to meet revenue
quotas. Marketers assume salespeople want more
leads so their efforts are focused on lead
qualification and putting more opportunities in
their pipeline. In actuality, salespeople want
more time to effectively sell to sales-ready
prospects.
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Lead Generation and Qualification

• Unique Backgrounds Create Gaps
• Marketing and sales professionals come from
  distinct disciplines. They have unique
  personalities, behaviors and backgrounds. These
  differences often put the two departments at odds
  with one another.
•  
• For example, marketers tend to be creative
  and/or analytical, spend more time in the office
  reading, analyzing, writing, and creating lead
  generation strategies and programs. Salespeople
  typically dont like to be in an office, writing,
  reading, analyzing. Instead, they like to be
  negotiating with prospects to close deals. Given
  these disparities, its not a surprise the two
  departments often knock heads when it comes to
  lead generation and qualification activities.

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Lead Generation and Qualification

• Marketing sometimes views sales as qualifying
  any lead with money regardless of brand
  alignment. In the B2B world, however, the focus
  needs to be on developing long-term relationships
  with the right type of clients that can grow into
  strategic, high-value relationships with future
  opportunities for revenue growth. This approach
  can be challenging for sales when they need to
  meet short-term sales forecasts.
•  
• To close the gap, sales and marketing must find
  common answers to two questions Who is the
  ideal target customer and what lead generation
  and qualification criteria should be used. But
  how should these two groups find commonality?

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Lead Generation and Qualification

• The first step to achieving successful lead
  generation and qualification is for each
  department to engage the other as peers. In
  other words, sales and marketing should work
  together to develop target buyer profiles. With
  a jointly-constructed profile, both departments
  can determine appropriate lead qualification
  criteria.

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Lead Generation and Qualification

• Another ideal solution to address the sales and
  marketing divide is to consider outsourcing all,
  or part, of your lead management program. An
  outsourcing provider injects an unbiased voice
  into the conversation. In an outsourcing model,
  the focus shifts appropriately to results instead
  of winning political battles.

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Lead Generation and Qualification

• Outsourcing companies can also help meet the
  needs of both marketing and sales in an objective
  fashion. Through better lead generation and
  qualification activities, outsourcers can
  generate opportunities that satisfy a
  salespersons short-term revenue focus, while at
  the same time aligning leads with long-term brand
  positioning.

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About the Author

• Larry Fleischman is Director of Marketing for
  Televerde, a leading B2B provider of sales
  pipeline development solutions. For more
  information about Lead Generation and
  Qualification, visit
• http//www.televerde.com/solutions/lead-qualifica
  tion/