Managing Leads
ROI
Follow-up of Inquiries
and Leads
Marketing and Sales Leads
Inquiry Qualification
Quotas & Sales Management
Managing Leads
(return to
top of page)
“Properly managing
sales leads is the only true tool to measure marketing’s successful
contribution to sales”
Page ix
“The marketing
people are the unsung heroes of your company, but their biggest
mistake is creating wealth and not taking credit for it.”
Page 33
“Senior
management must cultivate a marketing department that has pride in
itself and is willing to prove it’s own worth with the same
aggressiveness as sales." Page
34
Return On Investment
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top of page)
“The Rule of 45 is the basic premise from which you can
measure the effectiveness of virtually all lead generation
programs. It is a steady, reliable benchmark number that, simply
stated, says that 45% of all inquirers will buy someone’s product.” Page
10
“The only way to get the total yield from your valid
inquiries is to follow up 100% of them.”
Page 14
“100% follow-up Rule: Corporations that have a 100% inquiry
follow-up policy will sell more that those that don’t.”
Page 15
“100% Accountability rule: Corporations that have a 100%
accountability policy for lead generation marketing expenditures
will spend their investors’ money on marketing tactics that can be
proven to find buyers.” Page
15
“Marketing managers must spend money on things that work and
let their competitors spend money on everything else.” Page
21
“It is a simple but inescapable fact that sales inquiries
decline in value month after month.”
Page 28
“As much as we are weary of the phase, “closing the loop,” it
still is the best description of what passes for accountability in
sales and marketing,” Page
164
“The goal of lead generation is simple: Get the greatest
response from your marketing efforts by offering the prospect the
ability to contact you in any manner they choose.” Page
135
“Senior management usually can’t believe that after all the
money being spent on CRM the inquiries still go without receiving
the information they requested (literature or PDF files), a call
from a salesperson, and a final resolution of the inquiry.
Unfortunately, this is a prime example of management once again
confusing a desired end result with the purchase of software.” Page
91
“Being able to see how many inquiries a region and
representatives are getting on average and comparing this to the
quotas and sales results is vital.” Page
69
“When sales are down and the finger pointing starts,
marketing management had better be able to fall back on the
numbers.” Page
56
“Management must understand that some items in marketing are
not measurable for a dollar return, and others are very measurable
down to the penny.” Page
58
"Senior management must cultivate a marketing department that
has pride in itself and is willing to prove it’s own worth with the
same aggressiveness as sales. " Page
34
“If you do not identify the potential buyers as quickly as
possible, engage, and track every one to the end of their buying
cycle, you lose the majority of the money invested in
lead-generation activities and subsequent sales, which is the reason
you are investing in marketing.” Page
29
Follow-up of Inquiries
and Leads
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top of page)
“The reason most salespeople don’t comply with follow-up
rules is that it is difficult to report to marketing on the
resolution of the inquiry.” Page
171
“I have personally experienced that if these low-grade
inquiries are followed up at the same rate as those with a high
grade, the buying percentage between them will not be significantly
different.” Page
47
“I contend that it is the salesperson’s job to turn weak and
only moderately interested or qualified buyers into true buyers;
this is what they do for a living, not just grabbing the low-hanging
fruit.” Page
52
“If inquiries are properly managed and accounted for and
every inquiry is followed up to its resolution, revenue will
increase within 90 to 180 days…” Page
33
“The decision to buy one product over another has more to do
with follow-up by salespeople than any other single variable. After
all, if you don’t show up, you can’t compete in the sales process.” Page
12
“Follow-up of the inquiry by finicky salespeople can make the
difference between presenting to only 10% to 25% of the available
buyers and presenting to 80% to 100% of the available buyers.” Page
12
“Of course, salespeople will say they have a sixth sense
about sales inquiries and that they only follow up on the real
buyers. If they were that good, they’d be at the
racetrack---betting on the ponies and winning a lot of money.
Nobody’s instincts are that good.” Page
13
“The only way to get the total yield from your valid
inquiries is to follow up 100% of them.”
Page 14
“100% follow-up Rule: Corporations that have a 100%
inquiry follow-up policy will sell more that those that don’t.” Page
15
“Marketing dollars must be accountable. Every marketing
dollar spent on lead generation must have the expectation of a
return on investment. “ Page
26
“Inquiries rot and die if they are not followed up.” Page
29
Marketing and Sales Leads
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top of page)
“It has been well established, one source of inquiries is not
enough for most companies.”
Page 188
“Marketers suspect that they should know the quotas for the
company’s sales channels, but the majority doesn’t.”
Page 175
“(Inquiry) leakage happens because most companies,
unfortunately, are not counting all of the inquiries they receive,
nor are they attributing the inquiries to their proper sources.” Page
134
“Without reports, you don’t know whether most of the efforts
of sales and marketing are making a contribution or are just a waste
of time and money. Reports reflect the ability of marketing to find
buyers and for sales to close the inquiries.” Page
67
“Everyone in the organization, especially marketing, must
understand the difference between a sales lead and an inquiry.”
Page 52
“The asset called sales inquiries is the most
uncomfortable investment the company makes each year because it is
the least predictable.” Page
28
“Inquiries have a shelf life, and from the moment they become
visible, it is a race to engage and convert suspects into prospects
and eventually into buyers at a greater rate than your
competitors.” Page
29
“When inquiries are ranked, either with a letter, number, or
temperature, it is vital to know what percentage of the inquiries
are A or Hot, etc.” Page
82
Inquiry Qualification
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top of page)
“Profiling is asking and getting the answers to questions
from prospects so that their potential can be assessed. Profiles
give the sales rep information about their inquiries needs before
calling on them.” Page
226
“Stop the sales lead leakage. Marketing must hunt down and
count every inquiry.” Page
149
“By letting people have a choice of response portals, the
total response always gets a lift.”
Page 139
“Most companies that gain control pf the portals of sales
lead entry into their company see a 10% to 30% increase in inquiries
and qualified leads that can be accurately counted and properly
attributed to campaigns. Sales Increase.” Page
134
“Leakage happens because most companies, unfortunately, are
not counting all of the inquiries they receive, nor are they
attributing the inquiries to their proper sources.” Page
134
“No one really intends to ignore a potential customer, but
without a system to capture every name at every potential point of
entry into the company, leakage just happens.” Page
134
“The way to
qualify unqualified inquirers (those who did not self-qualify and
about whom you know nothing excerpt product interest) is to call
them. Page
42
“If it weren’t for my long-held belief that most inquirers
lie about their intent, I could more easily buy into a strict policy
of filters to send only “sales-ready” leads to sales.”
Page 105
Quotas
& Sales Management
(return to
top of page)
“A sales manager
can simply make sales lead follow-up a condition of employment.” Page
232
“A sales lead management system helps (sales) managers make
quota.” Page
233
“It doesn’t make economic sense to send literature to a
competitor. Your company can spend thousands of dollars being nice
to someone who is trying to take your business away.” Page
156
“Being able to see how many inquiries a region and
representatives are getting on average and comparing this to the
quotas and sales results is vital.” Page
69
“Leakage happens because most companies, unfortunately, are
not counting all of the inquiries they receive, nor are they
attributing the inquiries to their proper sources.” Page
134
