Lead Generation Best Practices and Resources

A Guest Perspective from Thor Johnson

First, the Why, then the What.

B2B sales teams, large or small, are expensive, perhaps the most expensive single resource a company has. Let’s make that selling team as productive as possible, and while we’re at it, let’s point them in the right direction. Lead Generation, often expanded to Demand Generation, drives a continuous stream of high-quality leads to the sales team. Sales people can do a bit less cold calling, a bit less prospect development, and spend more time creating revenue. Your company also wants its expensive selling force to focus on the right audience, the customers the company is designed for. Quality leads are prospects ready to for productive sales calls. Moreover, they’re from your target market. So when marketing creates leads from the company’s best possible customers, it makes the selling team more effective at closing the business you want.

OK, so What is Lead Generation?

The Lead Generation process creates qualified lead flow for sales. Demand Generation includes lead flow, but also creates customer interest in your products and services, as well as assists the sales team in moving prospects through the sales pipeline. Effective Lead Generation means knowing what your customers really need long before they see or talk to a salesperson, and understanding what your sales people are looking for in a qualified prospect or lead. That knowledge takes work, is hard to come by, and needs constant refreshing. Marry that insight with excellent interactive campaigns and good processes developed with your sales team. Support it with technology. Measure and adapt, and you can create a meaningful – and predictable – increase in company revenue.

And Why should I care about Generation?

Companies who want to scale need strong Lead Generation. When marketing activity drives sales, revenue follows immediately and your company grows. Without active, successful lead flow, your sales team sits at parity with their competitors, slugging it out manually to compete for new prospects. Good Lead Generation gives them an advantage. That sales advantage also puts your marketing programs on the Revenue side of your company’s Income Statement, and brings visibility to you and your team. Showing results gives you more impact. You focus sales and your company grows.

Thor Johnson is a pioneer and experienced practitioner in the B2B Demand Generation industry, has led successful product companies and interactive agencies as CMO and as President.  Thor currently runs Team Thor Marketing, a B2B Demand Generation consultancy focusing on the strategies, organization, processes and technology needed for success