ViewPoint | The Truth About Lead Generation

Andy Rooney on Sales Leads

  

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James Obermayer, Executive Director and CEO of the Sales Lead Management Association and President of Sales Leakage Consulting is a regular guest blogger with ViewPoint.

Andy Rooney, probably the best known commentator of his time, who at 92 years passed too soon on November 4^th, said, “I've learned ... that opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.” How did Andy know so much about sales, marketing and sales leads?

I think what Andy meant for us is that if your salespeople don’t follow-up on a sales inquiry (not to mention qualified leads), the opportunity will default to your competitor who does follow-up. You lose a prospect, a customer and the sale and your competitor wins. Fortunately, follow-up activities can begin (and even sometimes end) with marketing automation programs. But the majority of the opportunities, especially in B2B still need a salesperson to show up to get the business.

Marketing spends intellectual capital and the company’s treasure to find prospects. Yet research says that 75-90% of the opportunities for the majority of companies are lost and we all know why. Marketing departments complain about no follow-up or feedback. They whine about salespeople and their habits and nevertheless marketing often fails to provide the leadership which requires a marketing automation program and a good relationship with sales and sales management.