Sales Lead Generation and Nurturing - It's Place in a Marketing Strategies

Selling How We Service

Most economic buyers subscribe to the notion that how you sell indicates how you will service. A recent study of business-to-business buyers shows that sales people who become "Trusted" advisors and understand the needs of economic buyers are 69% more likely to come away with a sale.

A typical complex business to businesses sale requires the following (this maybe how HA customers see things too):

* Your prospect must be familiar with you and your company, and with what you and your company do.

o This is usually (but not exclusively) the role of PR and/or Advertising/Promotion

* Your prospect must perceive you and your company to be experts in the field.

o This is usually (but not exclusively) the role of PR Positioning

* Your prospect must believe that you and your company understand his or her specific issues and can solve them.

o This is usually (but not exclusively) the role of collateral materials and/or websites/seminars

* Your prospect likes you and your company enough to want to work with you.

o This is usually (but not exclusively) the role of a Nurturing program

"Trust", therefore, becomes the central theme for this style/type of marketing.

A Lead-Generating/Nurturing Program - How it fits in the mix

Typically, a lead-generating/nurturing program uses meaningful items drawn from all areas: letters, emails, voicemails, case studies, success stories, articles, events, white papers and Webcasts, etc...and can be coordinated and managed independently of the sales force. Items may take the following forms:

* Third-party articles

* Bylined articles

* Case studies

* White papers

* Research reports

* Events

* Webinars

* Trade shows

* Live seminars

* Executive briefings

* Workshops

* Conferences

* Speaking engagements

* Collateral materials

* Web site content

* Blogs

* Personal letter templates

* Email templates

The method and frequency of a lead-nurturing program will depend