One of the biggest issues surrounding lead management is the hand off – that moment when marketing knows a lead is ready for sales to work its magic and confidently turns it over. Understanding exactly when that should happen is a challenging, yet critical part of a good lead management strategy.
Many B2B companies rely heavily on outreach from their sales teams, making it crucial for marketing to provide them with leads who are primed for the next step. Done correctly, this transition leads effectively to the end of the sales funnel.
If you’re unsure that you’re handing leads to sales at the right moment, chances are you’re not. Here’s how to streamline your process and make it better:
Together with your sales team – or with your aligned “new sales team” – develop a precise set of criteria addressing the process your company’s leads go through. Form a set of checkpoints that determine exactly when a lead is ready for a sales call.
With such an overwhelming amount of data available, it’s hard to decide what really matters. Assess whether leads are sales-ready by rating their level of engagement, their behavior on your website, the content that engages them and their company and employment level. For example, a C-level executive within your industry who views your product pages ranks much higher than a student perusing your case studies.
A clearly defined lead management strategy will take your process to the next level. Once you’ve put a system in place to identify sales-ready leads, stick to it. Your sales force will know when to call, and as a marketer, you’ll know when to deliver sales-based content. The hand off between marketing and sales will be more efficient than ever before, and you’ll have results to prove it.
Image via (cc) Ben Stanfield
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