Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Lead Generation Troubleshooting – Fixing A Clogged Pipeline


lead generation, business to business leads, telemarketing
No marketer wants to face having to deal with a clogged pipeline. If your sales pipeline is clogged, then you are not going to be able to effectively handle all your B2B leads and sales are not going to flow freely through your pipeline. Such a problem could stem from how you are doing lead generation and could thus affect your close rate and marketing performance.

Just like when you are at home, you do not want to be dealing with a clogged pipe. The water doesn't go down and harmful microorganisms could start growing in the rancid water that's stuck underneath your sink. As a marketer, you need to be quick on your feet and remedy your problems with lead generation. If you don't act fast, you risk putting all of your company's efforts at risk and you may even start losing those much wanted sales.

If you've come to find some tips on how to deal with such a problem then you have come to the right place. Here's what you want to know and came to find out about lead generation to help you deal with an annoying pipeline problem!


Tip 1: Practice proper lead segmentation.


A clogged pipeline could stem from a problem such as having too many leads to work with. Although you are quite capable of handling all your sales leads, the problem may be that you do not know how to deal with each and every one of your prospects. Some of the prospects you approach may each show a different level of interest and thus may not move along the pipeline as fast as you though they would.

As such, it is important to practice proper lead segmentation to ensure that you know how to deal with each and every prospect you cross paths with. Segment your leads according to how you acquire them; segment your leads according to the level of interest they show in your products and services; segment your leads according to which market they belong to. Segmentation criteria is up to you but once you start segmenting your business to business leads, just like water, you will find that things will flow better.

Tip 2: Learn how to effectively score leads.


Companies that know how to properly score their business to business leads find that they see an increase in sales and better conversion rates. Why is this? That's because companies that know how to do lead scoring will know how to deal with their prospects in a much better way.

Of course, leads that have a higher score will be the ones who show a higher level of interest in your brand and thus can be marketed to on a much higher level. Leads with a low score, however, you will find them to be less responsive to your attempts or maybe even not at all interested in what you offer. Effective lead scoring can make the process of dealing with leads much easier and thus keep your pipeline clog-free and business flowing freely.

Tip 3: Learn effective lead generation methods for your business.


At the start, you may be thinking that you need to round up as many B2B leads as you can. However, as you progress, you will realize that your leads may not be as of high a quality as you think. This problem can stem from not using the right lead generation methods. For example, telemarketing is effective for B2B companies but not as effective when used to market to consumer households. Email marketing influences consumers to make an offline purchase most of time time, however sees different results when done for B2B marketing.

Results always vary with the different lead generation methods so it is important that you know the most effective method to generate leads for your business. Once you know which lead generation method works best, you will get even better leads and your pipeline will be less cluttered with leads you can and cannot work with.

Leaky and clogged pipes are a bother to the general consumer. The same thing bothers marketers when they can't handle their leads properly or when they start losing them. If you suffer from such a problem, get it fixed now to keep your company from falling below the red line!

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