The plop of the lure hitting the water is a satisfying sound. As is often said, “A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work.” However, that bad day of fishing can get very frustrating as the day drags on and there’s nothing on the stringer. When that happens it doesn’t take an Oxford scholar to figure out that something has to change in order to get different results.
Just because you show up with a rod and tackle box doesn’t mean you’ll catch fish unless you packed the right kind of tackle, know when and where to fish and know what to do once you get a hit on the line. If you just keep throwing the same bait in the same spot over and over and expect the fish to jump on your stringer, you aren’t being very smart, yet ironically, that is exactly what a lot of dumb B2B lead generators will suggest you do.
So how do you play it smart in that dumb world? Having the right bait in the tackle box is the first step. Make sure that the leads you invest in are Qualified Leads.
Four Things you should expect in a Qualified Lead:
Budget:
Are there fish in this stream?
Translation: Are there funds for this project?
Authority:
Are the fish able to bite?
Translation: Is this person an influencer or decision-maker?
Need:
Is this the right bait?
Translation: Does your solution solve the prospect’s problem?
Timeframe:
Is this the right time to fish?
Translation: Does the timeframe to purchase match your requirements?
Finding out What Fish are Biting
There aren’t too many fishermen that are dumb enough to expect to catch a fish on the first cast. In fact, industry studies have shown that conversion of a cold prospect to a fully qualified sales-ready lead can take an average of around twelve touches.
Does your lead generation service provide you with contacts that have been continually nurtured with relevant content messages that assure you of providing your sales force with truly qualified leads?
Talk to the Best Fishermen
It may seem obvious to some, but the best way to find out what the fish are biting is to ask a fisherman who has a stringer full of fish. Often there is a communication disconnect between sales and marketing that leads to a lack of understanding as to exactly what a qualified lead consists of for your specific business. Good sales people know that the time they waste talking to unqualified prospects is time they could be spending setting the hook and loading the stringer with customers, if only all of the front end work is done properly for them.
Does your lead generation service provider offer an interactive approach with your sales team to continually improve the quality of the leads they provide?
By talking to these successful “fishermen” the smart lead generation provider can develop a process tailored to your sales team’s best anglers. When the confidence level that your sales team has in your lead generation goes up, it reinforces that positive sales attitude and strengthens the momentum needed to keep them closing more sales.
Trade in the Dunce Cap for the Fishing Hat Full of Lures
Are you going to make the same dumb mistake over and over again expecting different results or get smart about improving your sales numbers? To learn more about how to set your sales team up to net more of the right kind of fish…
