Sales & Marketing Management - July/August 2008 - (Page 10)

SALES STRATEGY organization. Having the principal or the president act as part-time lead generator will only lead to less-than-parttime success. If you put a program together to generate leads, you need to make certain there are no breaks in the action, because the lead generation “game” is just as much of an aperture marketing game as it is a positioning, process Before any prospecting is done, it’s necessary to develop a brand story— a communications strategy focusing on your “reasons to believe.” and skill-set game. Maintaining consistency of reachout is critical. Today, your prospects might be satisfied with their existing service. But tomorrow, they may have an issue that their current partner or law firm or accountant isn’t doing such a good job of fixing. That’s when you need to be there the most. the qualifiers are, and stands up to deliver them. You can screen for prospect size (e.g., revenue, number of employees and so forth), type or location. When the list is cleaned before it’s used, you can qualify for things like decision-maker status, or insights relative to the nature of the business. And when the work really begins and you start prospecting, you can dial it down to a more granular level and glean information on virtually any dimension—as long as the prospect is willing to share it, of course. One step any organization should take is to conduct an open assessment after the first meetings, with the purpose of ensuring what’s being delivered is on par with expectations. If it isn’t, clearly define the deficiencies and put the plan in place to correct it so you maximize the productivity of the program. 3. Be relevant. The last thing you want to do is simply pound on doors in the hopes of one opening up; doing so makes you look less than strategic. You don’t come off like a good potential partner, and you don’t look like you understand your prospect’s business. Being relevant takes time and focus—the kind of focus a well-organized, strategic group can bring to the effort. Before any call is made into any prospect, the new business manager should be conducting news searches on the prospect, checking the Web site for press releases and scouring the category’s e-publications for a nugget of an insight they can bring to the table. This way, you exhibit empathy and understanding when you do connect. Better still, you’ll be better able to “bridge” the prospect’s situation back to challenges you yourself have solved for your own clients. Prospects appreciate this; they like to be heard, not to be told. 5. Be a value-added partner. The best longterm partner is one who goes beyond the task at hand, bringing new thinking, new processes and new ways of doing things to the table for the client. While hackneyed and overused, it rings true when done properly. In the end, if you can be a real value-added partner, your clients will be more forgiving when things aren’t going just right. More importantly, they’ll be more likely to keep you on board longer. The same holds true when you reach out to your [THE PULSE] SOURCE: RSR/MANHATTAN ASSOCIATES INC. SURVEY 4. Be particular. The problem with many prospecting efforts is they are more about numbers than the quality of the engagement. As the manager of a lead generator, you need to establish clear and measurable qualifying criteria upfront. There are different points at which qualification can occur: when the list is built, when the list is cleaned and when the prospecting begins. The key is making sure your person or your firm has a clear handle on what 10 SALES &MARKETING MANAGEMENT JULY/AUGUST 2008 prospects. Not only is it important to reach out with relevancy, it is critical to show that you understand your prospect’s situation. Show that you want to help the prospect by sharing news, ideas and suggestions to help their business. As you can infer from the above points, there’s a lot that needs to be considered if you’re going to build an effective lead generation program internally. It’s not as simple as picking up the phone and dialing for dollars! But rest assured: Once properly implemented, it will yield significant results. www.salesandmarketing.com www.salesandmarketingmanagement.com 35 PERCENTAGE OF RETAILERS WITH PLANS IN PLACE TO CAPTURE STIMULUS CHECK-INSPIRED CONSUMER SPENDING. http://www.salesandmarketingmanagement.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sales & Marketing Management - July/August 2008

Sales & Marketing Management - July/August 2008 Contents Editor's Letter Brian Tracy University Smart Sales Sales Strategy Smart Marketing Marketing Strategy Smart Management Management Strategy The Mother Lode of All Market Data Returns Embracing the Future Training Technology Incentives/Motivation Don't Become a Target Abroad Book Excerpt On the Road The Way I See It

Sales & Marketing Management - July/August 2008

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