Friday, August 12, 2011

Intelligent Lead Management Strategies


A mutual effort between sales and marketing  is the most important in lead management , as these two departments determine the success of a business to a large extent. As we know, leads are crucial links to any prospective sale. Converting these leads to sales and enforcing a stable lead management process is what ensures success in a business.

Combining the Chalk and Cheese
A business could suffer enormously, if there is a difference with the sales and marketing teams. To make progressive headway businesses should understand the need for marketing and sales alignment, and make optimum use of lead management capabilities. The process may not  be  an easy one, though some best practices in lead management can help enhance productivity and quicken the sales cycle.
It is vital to focus on retention and nurturing of leads with the help of a process that integrates sales and marketing efforts. Marketing automation software can facilitate such a process by providing favorable lead management solutions that help marketing teams to nurture leads during the early stages and make them qualified enough for the sales team to pursue further.
Lead Management Benefits
  1. Keeping a tab on each lead –Helps in keeping the sales team clued in on the leads that have been contacted. This way the leads are more systematized, and multiple contacts with prospective customers can be avoided.. .
  2. Concentrate on SalesLead management eliminates time-wasting tactics such as cold calling, and provides a good opportunity for your sales team to concentrate efforts on sales-ready leads.
  3. Lead Segmentation – Lead management can be helpful in categorizing leads as per their locations, occupations, business etc. This in turn helps you to identify their needs and sell accordingly. Also, with the help of lead scoring you can choose leads that you wish to pursue and those that you want to nurture.
  4. Predictability & Analytical Advantage – Data gathered through lead management can be used as reference for future enhancement, and for ensuring complete customer satisfaction.
  5. Collaboration & Team Work – Lead management allows each team member to see their individual progress as well as that of others. This gives them a chance to correct their mistakes and enhance their efforts.
  6. Personal Touch – Lead nurturing and other lead management techniques give a personal touch to your relationship with prospects, and help in developing a strong bond, which is not possible through cold calling.
  7. Flexibility & Versatility– Every business has different needs and lead management programs can be customized according to the requirements of your business.
  8. Comprehensive Information– Lead management can help you gain valuable information about your leads, and can give you a fairly good idea on which are the best channels to approach them and what messages would be most appropriate for them.
Managing leads effectively is most vital and cannot be stressed enough. A strategic leads management is perhaps the best solution in today’s competitive market environment.
Hence, by following lead nurturing best practices and employing marketing automation solutions, your sales and marketing teams can work in unison towards the common business goal, and achieve the desired results.


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