SALES: “I need qualified leads from marketing!”

MARKETING: “I wish sales would close the leads we send them!”

I’ve seen this way too often, and I call this “Circular Finger-Pointing.” What’s the solution? Marketing & Sales must be aligned. Here are 3 solutions to streamline the lead generation process.

Solution 1: Marketing & Sales Alignment

Sales and Marketing MUST be on the same page. I have seen so many companies that have a marketing department, but they fail to ask the sales team’s input on how marketing can improve sales leads. Often times, the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.

• Companies with aligned sales and marketing generated 208% more revenue from marketing [Source: MarketingProfs]
• Alignment of sales and marketing impacts revenue growth up to 3 times [Source: Bulldog Solutions]
• When sales and marketing teams are in sync, companies became 67% better at closing deals [Source: Marketo]

Marketing Sales Alignment

If you alleviate the prospecting time for sales, they will have more time in front of your customers and follow your sales process which will create more closing opportunities.

Solution 2: Create a Lead-nurturing Program

The old school cold call approach dictates that outside sales should generate the interest. Today, generating interest should start from the company. Consider these statistics:

• Companies that excel at lead nurturing have 9% more sales reps making quota. [Source: CSO Insights]
• Nurtured leads produce, on average, a 20% increase in sales opportunities versus non-nurtured leads. [Source: DemandGen Report]
• Nurtured leads make 47% larger purchases than non-nurtured leads. [Source: The Annuitas Group]
• Only 30% of CMOs have a clear process or program to make marketing and sales alignment a priority [Source: CMO Council]

Solution 3: Sales to Follow-up and Close

Trust your sales professionals to close. If you alleviate the prospecting time for sales, they will have more time in front of your customers and follow your sales process which will create more closing opportunities.

• 44% of sales pipeline comes from marketing, and sales average dials are down 20% year-over-year. [Source: Bridge Group Inc]
• If you follow up with web leads within 5 minutes, you’re 9 times more likely to convert them. [Source: InsideSales.com]
• 95% of buyers chose a solution provider that “Provided them with ample content to help navigate through each stage of the buying process” [Source: DemandGen Report]

So in conclusion, companies need to find new ways to reach customers. Marketing and Sales departments need to be aligned in order to create lead-nurturing programs. And trust your sales force to close the leads.