If you have been in sales for any length of time and someone says “A-B-C…Always Be Closing”, you more than likely conjure up visions of Alec Baldwin’s memorable speech from Glengarry Glen Ross. Corporate has sent down a trainer to “motivate” the real estate office in a very unorthodox manner. His motivation speech unapologetically questions their manhood and threatens their very livelihood.
Blake: You got leads. Mitch and Murray paid good money. Get their names to sell them. You can’t close the leads you’re given, you can’t close sh-t, you are sh-t, hit the bricks pal and beat it, ‘cause you are going out.
Shelly: The leads are weak.
Blake: “The leads are weak.” The ****ing leads are weak? You’re weak.
At the end of his speech he holds up a stack of new leads wrapped in a golden ribbon and tells the agents; “These are the new leads. These are the Glengarry leads. And to you they’re gold. And you don’t get them. Why? Because to give them to you is just throwing them away. They’re for closers.” Any business development professional will tell you that a lead, an inbound opportunity, a warm, hot or qualified lead is in fact GOLD.
Lead Generation Ecosystem
There is a finely tuned ecosystem that every organization should have in place to generate marketing qualified leads (MQLs) that will generate Attention, Interest, Desire and Action (AIDA). This ecosystem includes:
· Email Marketing (Cold and Current Customers/Prospects)
· Social Media & Marketing Automation
· Corporate Communications
· Tailored Messaging (Case Studies,White Papers, Specific Service offerings, etc.)
Like any delicate ecosystem if any of these are ignored, not addressed or never implemented the results are typically weak leads or no leads at all. The Leads Are Weak.
Valuable Assets
I was recently asked to read a B2B sales process and methodology book called “The Smart Sales Method” and in chapter 4 the authors discuss smart prospecting. One very important point that is made in this chapter is this; “It now has to be a top CEO responsibility to build and hold one of the companies’ most valuable assets: a validated and complete corporate sales and marketing database.” Having an organized and data cleansed list of prospects and customers is critical now and for the future of your company.
All too often the dialog between the business development manager and sales management is an endless circle of inaction. The sales team asks for direction or suggestions on what customers or markets that management wants them to target, and the response back is that they need to provide that information back to management. Where there is no vision the people perish. Quoting again from “The Smart Sales Method”;“Poor and ineffective sales management lets the salesperson decide whom to call…and lets the salesperson do what they want with the information. Whichever company representative is assigned to a prospect database, getting the database right first and foremost is a major company responsibility.”
If lead generation is viewed to be so mission critical then why do so many companies not have a plan or a strategy? Maybe it has to do with not knowing where to start, maybe knowing how to implement it or manage it on an ongoing basis is just not your forte. Generating truly qualified leads is a time-consuming, arduous task that requires a thoughtful strategy and diligent execution. In a fast-paced and constantly changing business environment, this just doesn't happen which leads to inconsistent sales results. While most companies have competent sales professionals who can close sales, they don't create enough qualified leads to grow their business.
That is where Lead Rover can be your virtual marketing and lead generation partner. LeadRover can develop customized messaging, email automation, prospect list data cleansing and human loop review by a subject matter expert that knows your industry and product offering. LeadRover helps you consistently generate qualified leads so that you sales time spends less ineffective times prospecting and more time talking to qualified customers. Accelerated Tangible Growth has partnered with LeadRover to assist our clients with this vital resource. If you need a partner to take the pain out of prospecting, validate contacts and cold outreach, contact us today to learn more. Visit their website and tell us something about yourself to get your free leads.
