Marketing AND Sales Develop New Business
Define & Find a Lead
Perspectives about new business development may differ between the sales team and marketing group. Those differing points of view add value and insight when shared and discussed. If not discussed and resolved, expect tension, dissention and disaster for long term sales growth.
Aberdeen group, a Boston technology research firm reported that strong collaboration between the two functions of sales and marketing resulted in higher sales effectiveness. This was especially true where there were structured processes and systems in place to support this collaboration.
In addition, research from the AberdeenGroup, uncovered “The number one issue for most CEO's and Marketers is lead generation - getting more leads to their sales team." The number one desire for sales people however, is MORE selling time with “sales ready” opportunities.
Lead Qualification Process
At what rung of the “purchasing ladder” or buying cycle the prospect rests often determines which marketing strategies will be most effective. How do you keep long term leads properly nurtured; not lost to your competitor’s pipeline?
Regardless of whether sales and marketing reside within separate silos or within one individual, you must create a universal system of rating or scoring a leads. What are the needs, budget, buying process and timing of your prospect? Often the buying cycle does not proceed on a linear progression of steps.
The lead generation process must create an ongoing dialogue among the prospect, sales and marketing staff. User defined fields within your BWise database allow you to add information on lead cycle stages and qualification levels.
Warning: Once you use BWise, you won’t want to target the local market without it.