11 Tips To Optimize Multi-channel Marketing Campaigns. Tip 3: Define Your “Sales-Ready” Lead Criteria

Posted by By

bant_plus_image_3

For B2B firms, base the criteria on what the sales team needs. Detailed background information on both the prospect and the selling opportunity helps drive more productive lead-to-sales results. You can sync scoring to this later.

We’ve surveyed sales and here is what they are generally looking for in a lead. Warning: it’s not a simple white paper download.

  • Digital information from web form submissions or event forms should be tele-validated on a lead development follow up call.
  • Contact information: some leads give false info or they omit things, so ask them.
  • Web and content activity: confirm the content was received and ask if it helped. Offer any other related content that will further help. Treat them with personal kindness and they will tell all.
  • Market segment or customer category: make sure this is accurate, as it’s often not.
  • BANT + details on the prospect and the opportunity. You’ve earned the right to ask them the challenging qualification questions. Do it.
  • Prospect’s needs/pain points they are addressing?
  • Opportunity size questions?
  • Timeframe?
  • Access to funding (or is a business case needed)?
  • Willingness to move forward and engage with sales?
  • Appointment set and confirmation sent

These are NOT cast in stone. Create your own by asking your sales team what profile information they need to justify a sales campaign.

You’ll need a multi-touch process to develop the prospect and their profile. Throughout this process of building a sales-ready lead, several significant advancements occur:

  • Respect and a peer-to-peer relationship with your prospects will develop as you exchange information of value with them.
  • A competitive advantage will emerge for your brand as a leader who is doing their homework in order to align the right resources at the right time. You want to shape their requirements in your company’s favor for the inside track.
  • You will uncover details about your prospect and the opportunity that B2B buyers will not disclose online.

This process will usually take multiple touches. In fact, it typically takes 7 to 13 touches to generate a sales-ready lead. To learn more, download our whitepaper, “Why it Takes 7 to 13+ Touches to Generate a Qualified B2B Sales Lead.”