Archive for February, 2010

Can Sales & Marketing In B2B Organizations Gain From Each Other's Insight?

The Sales and Marketing disconnect is a reason of concern for most B2B companies. These two divisions which need to compliment each other’s effort often end up being at logger heads, with each under estimating the efforts of the other.
This disconnect between Sales and Marketing can be attributed to several factors – the most significant being, in most set-ups these teams work in isolation. Marketing’s job is to generate demand for the company’s solution, drive prospects down the sales funnel, and the Sales team’s job is to convert these prospects into sales. Both the teams work individually passing on the baton once their individual tasks are completed.
Finding a common platform, which enables these two teams to collaborate in real time can help bridge this gap between marketing and sales within an Organization. Initiating processes which help these teams share more with each other can ensure increased productivity and higher conversions for the Organization.

But the sharing will happen only when both see some advantage in making that extra effort, below we discuss ways which will help these teams to become more efficient, just by sharing some basic feedback.


7 Must-dos When Generating Leads Through Email Marketing

According to Direct Marketing Association, ’2007 Response Rate Trends Report – Email produced the highest response rates (4.09%) for those companies whose primary objective was to generate leads.

In its ’2009 Response Rate Report’ – DMA states, Thirty-five percent of marketing budgets were allocated to direct mail and response rates were higher than in previous years, perhaps as a result of better list management and more sophisticated targeting.

These figures clearly indicate that email marketing continues to be an integral part of any B2B marketing plan. Needless to say that the increase in number of spammers using this medium to clog the inboxes of users and with the social media emerging as the preferred channel of communication and building customer relationships – emails are slowly losing their sheen as a lead generation tool.

But if used wisely, this marketing channel still has a lot of potential to create awareness and generate leads for any B2B Company.

Below is a list of seven must-dos for generating quality leads through emails campaigns..


Lead Scores – Your Data Minefield!

Two very important aspects of lead scoring that is often overlooked by most who use this process, is its role in defining the lead nurturing process and developing a more customized lead screening system.


10 Easy Tips To Nurture That ‘Lead’

Way back in 2006 Brian Carroll, CEO of InTouch and author of Lead Generation for the Complex Sale had found in a research that 95% of prospects on your website are not yet ready to talk with a sales rep, they are probably on the site to research your solution. Of these only 70% actually buy a product from you or your competitor.

The scenario is not very different even today. Many of the leads your marketing automation tool identifies may actually be dumped into trash or labeled useless by your sales team because the lead is not sale ready. In truth many of these leads could be turned into future sales if nurtured properly.

If I were to define Lead nurturing I would say its the art of building long term relationships with people who might at some point need and purchase your services. It is the art of adding that personal human touch to the entire lead management cycle.

It also requires a plan.


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