Generating ‘Dream Leads’ in B2B

Defining the perfect leads in business-to-business is has a lot in common with arranging the ideal blind date. Does she live up to to your company’s expectations? Does he have similar interests, or will the conversation fall flat? Is she even ‘available’ or ‘on the market’? Will there be any mutual sparks?

If marketing is to hand over the lead’s phone number (or email address) to the (inside) sales team, will the (inside) sales team actually ask follow-up and ask them for a date? Any lead needs to be a perfect match for your entire company i.e. not just the marketing team. Sometimes a lead who seems like a ‘perfect match’ to marketing is frowned upon by sales. Equally, sometimes a lead may seem to be ‘just meeting the company’s standards’, to then become a dream customer lasting a very long time.

Coming to a clear definition as to what a lead means therefore is essential to a successful lead generation strategy. Marketing-Sales alignment clearly benefits from clear definitions, syntax and the ‘same language’. The sales team will become more enthusiastic about marketing as a ‘business partner’ when it’s attractive, promising leads they receive from marketing. In enclosed (Marketo) infographic you can find more tips as to ‘How to Define the Lead of Your Company’s Dreams’.