Is Lead Management the Missing Link?

LeanData recently released a report that found 80 percent of companies are not happy with their current lead management strategy. The study consisted of 527 sales and marketing professionals. So that number means something. And let me say that again, 80 percent of companies are struggling with the way they handle their leads.

ABM, ABE, ABS, ABSD, ABWhatever have been the hot topics in the last couple of years. Could something as basic as lead management be the missing link to a topic that everyone has been talking about, but no one has figured out?

Actually, that’s not quite true. Some companies have automated their lead management strategy and have seen remarkable results.  

Bluewolf instantly saw a 40 percent increase in meetings and 20 percent increase in sales rep productivity. (Learn more by reading the case study (here.)

Datadog found that automating their lead flow saved 10 hours of manual work per week. That is equal to an entire week of work each month. Imagine what a rep can do if given back one week of work instead of being bogged down with the tedious task of manually assigning  leads. Datadog also found that it now has a true understanding of which leads belong to existing accounts and which leads are net new. That has resulted in improved data quality and more accurate campaign reporting.

LeanData’s report also found that 57 percent of the companies surveyed admitted that poor lead management led to a less than ideal experience for their customers. In other words, the right people in their organization weren’t always reaching out to prospects with the best information at the right time, Another 38 percent of respondents said they wish they had the ability to connect leads to accounts in Salesforce.

These are hard numbers and are real stories.

Lead management is not sexy. It’s not the shiny new toy. But it is core for business success. Every study out there says “the faster you respond to a lead, the higher the conversions.” Higher conversion equals more meetings. More meetings equal more pipeline. More pipeline equals more revenue.

Lead management equals focus. Focusing on the right lead management strategy equates to instant results. This has been proven. Allowing the right people in sales and marketing to have the right conversation, at the right time is fundamental to the success of any organization.