Those Aren't Sales-Ready Leads!

While reading the latest issues of Selling Power & Business 2.0, I came across several advertisements touting the quality and value of the leads they sell to their clients.  (The offenders are list brokers) These ads make their data sound like the magic bullet that we've all been searching for all of our lives.  And the companies within this list/magic bullet may be but not without some effort to nurture them into sales ready leads.

And courtesy of the 2008 NFL Super Bowl commercials, we were treated to the cartoon commercial where the company's worst salesperson is told to "double his sales or else", he turns to SalesGenie.com and downloads 100 free sales leads and suddenly becomes the Salesman of the Year for his company.  Overnight. Sure. For those of us that are actually engaged in the day to day realities of the new selling environment, we know better. 

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN BEWARE:  THESE ARE NOT SALES-READY LEADS.  THESE ARE, AT BEST, SUSPECTS.  Handing this list of "LEADS" over to your sales force is ALMOST synonymous with throwing the yellow book at them while instructing them to start dialing for dollars.  An unbelievable waste of precious marketing dollars. 

These advertisers are offering lists of companies that may, or may not, match your company's ideal customer profile.  This makes them suspects.  And if you've done your work in identifying the ideal customer profile, the list that closely matches this profile will contain good suspects.  The data is worth the purchase but just make sure you qualify them first before you turn them over to your sales force.

With that established, here's why they are NOT "LEADS":

• These companies may not be aware of your company.
• These companies may not even be aware that your company's products/services/solutions exist.  Or what would differentiate them from your competitors' solutions. 
• These companies have not raised their hands, have not asked for more information, have not requested an appointment from your sales force.
• These companies may not have a need for your product/service/solution.
• These companies may not be actively in the buying process for the product/service/solution that your company sells.
• The names associated with the companies on this list may not even be the decision makers or influencers or even a member of the committee responsible for purchase of your product/service/solution.

If the companies on that list have not been qualified to possess the following attributes, they are NOT leads - YET.

• Does the company have the budget dollars for your product/service/solution?
• Have you identified the executives that have the authority to make or significantly influence the decision to buy?
• Is there a need for your product/service/solution?
• Have you determined where the prospective customer is in their buying process?
• Are they ready to buy now (next 30, 60, 90 days)? (sales ready)

If the target companies possess all of these attributes, they are considered sales ready leads. 

'Nuff said.  You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming. 

Comments

[Sharon]

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Sharon

http://www.autoloans101.info