B2B Lead Generation – Avoiding The Pitfalls And Developing A Successful Process
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All B2B lead generation companies tend to follow the same fundamental process for taking their sales leads forward. We start with a large pool of prospects and then narrow them down through qualification, appointment setting, presentation, proposal, discussion, negotiation etc, eventually leading to a closed deal and a sale. It’s true that the business scenario has undergone a transformation during past two decades and the latest technologies and methodologies play a major role in today’s sales strategies. However, we cannot measure any real success without developing an efficient process for managing the sales funnel, which includes each and every step like lead generation, lead management and follow-up and deal closing. Small problems can often creep in making the various stages of the process inefficient and less productive. Developing a system for effective monitoring and ironing out these problems is, therefore, very critical for the success of any sales organization.
Danger of over-load on lead generation:
One very common mistake is overloading fresh data too quickly onto the telemarketing team. Pumping new business leads into your sales pipeline is of course important, as you need fresh opportunities on a regular basis to build up the sales pipeline. However, concentrating only on new leads and not doing enough about the existing ones is often the undoing of many B2B lead generation campaigns. Lead generation needs investing time, effort and money- so it’s a costly way of trying to improve your sales results- and you must understand it before it’s too late.
Overdependence on technology:
As mentioned earlier, the ever increasing use of new technology platforms has had a major impact on how companies approach their sales and marketing campaigns. But again the technology simply on its own can never be a replacement for a sound and efficient system. If you haven’t put in place systems to run your sales process smoothly, technology can only help to a limited extent. This is why taking the time to monitor and analysis results from all activities is crucial to enable the development of an efficient process.You can find out the origins of your problems using modern technology, but ironing out the problem has to be done through smart strategies and efficient management.
Keep focused on the bigger picture:
It’s true that closing a deal is the ultimate objective of any sales organization, however, if you are concentrating solely on deal closing ratios and neglecting other stages of the sales process, you will end up undermining the entire campaign. Measuring the success of each stage of the process is the only way of ensuring better sales results, and maintaining a steady flow of sales ready prospects. That is why a good lead generation company will always help the client to keep focused on the whole process, with the end result being a self sustaining and manageable sales pipeline.
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If you are interested in us at VSL running a campaign for you or you would just like some more information please contact us.
With over 50 years experience in B2B telemarketing services, VSL should be your first port of call for a managed telemarketing campaign.
For more information take a look at our Telemarketing page.
At VSL we have proven ourselves to be one of the best lead generation companies, through telemarketing campaigns designed to bring you maximum results.
For more information take a look at our Lead Generation Page
Do you need Business to Business (B2B) appointments setting? Then Virtual Sales Limited should be your first port of call for a managed appointment setting campaign.
For more information take a look at our Appointment Setting page
Tags: Appointment Setting, Lead generation, Telemarketing
Andy Dickens
Andy Dickens is a veteran of IT Sales, used to leading by example. He is the CEO of Virtual Sales Limited (VSL) who offer telesales, telemarketing, lead generation and appointment setting services to B2b businesses. He previously was Sales Director EMEA for Red Hat and before that ran sales at Visio before it was acquired by Microsoft.