Telemarketing Lead Generation Blog

Not Satisfied with Lead Generation Results? Seek to Change & Improve

Posted on Jul 28, 2011 by Sharon Dahlhaus, Account Executive

Earlier this month we celebrated the July 4th holiday and our country’s independence. To greatly simplify the revolution, many people were unsatisfied with the system in place and felt passionately about making a change. That type of courage and risk is admired in our nation. We call for change when things are not working.

Do you do the same thing in your business? Do you call for a change in process when the current one isn’t working? Do you move to a new strategy when you are not meeting goals?

When pipeline results from your lead generation and/or lead nurturing initiatives are not up to par, there may be many contributing factors. To improve, you must take the time to analyze the data and follow the processes from “cradle to grave”.

The first element to analyze is the quality of the leads. Do your leads match the definition of quality? Although there should be a quality process in place throughout any campaign, it’s also advisable to randomly select a group of leads to perform a deep-dive audit. Audio recordings of your teleprospecting calls are highly useful in auditing lead conversations to ensure they were appropriately qualified before sent to the Sales organization. As you perform your audit, quantify the percentage of leads deemed valid vs. invalid. Certainly, only a very small fraction (5% or less) of leads should be deemed invalid. If it’s higher, then you have identified an area for improvement

Next, you must investigate the sales follow-up process. Are protocols in place, which define appropriate sales follow-up techniques and actions? If so, are those protocols being followed diligently? Again, select a group of leads to audit from a sales follow-up perspective. Did your sales team document their follow-up steps within your CRM? If sales reps are not documenting their follow-up steps, or their steps do not meet the established protocol, then again, you have identified an area for improvement.

If you have determined that the quality is high, and the sales follow-up protocol is being followed, then deeper investigation is needed. This investigation may include these questions…

• Does the sales follow-up protocol need to be altered? As an example, we have found that one of our clients requires sales follow-up to occur within a defined number of days after receipt of a new lead. While on the surface, this sounds like a very good and aggressive protocol, analysis found that over 50% of the leads had requested a specific timeframe for sales follow-up that fell outside of the timeframe dictated by the protocol. Not following the prospect’s requested timeframe for follow-up could play a negative role in lead conversion rates.
• Does the definition of qualified lead need to be altered? You may find that while your leads match the current definition of quality, your definition needs to be changed. Talk with your sales team and gain their feedback. For instance: Are the accounts too small? Or do the leads present a business challenge that your products do not readily satisfy? Gaining feedback from your sales team will be invaluable in defining and redefining lead quality.

This type of scrutiny can be tough, but it is well worth it. In the end, your programs and your ROI will improve.

Tagged: teleprospecting, lead generation, targeted lead generation, lead nurturing, telemarketing lead generation

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