How Leads Are Qualified
There are basic component parts to a lead generation program, and one or all of these items can cause your program to fail. To get a lead generation program working effectively all of these components must work together seamlessly. So how do you know when your lead generation program is broken? If you are not producing leads at all this is pretty hard to miss but if it’s not completely broken; things can get a little trickier. If your program needs just repairs then you may be producing leads but of suspect quality. Or you might be generating quality leads, but just at a trickle.
Let’s look at the top 5 reasons why lead generation programs fail and how to fix them;
1) The lead generator, you (or perhaps me) the person actively working to generate sales leads is, not surprisingly, a major factor in your generation efforts. Your style, professionalism, attitude, procedures, and even the tone of your voice can all affect lead generation. If you think you have a “people problem” that is crashing your program its time to listen in to conversations and or obtain an objective second opinion to make sure your program has the professional sound necessary. Make sure your lead generator doesn’t sound robotic, staged, overly enthusiastic, dull and or sleepy. You are looking for a natural sound that comes off like real one on one communication.
2) The contact list is another factor. In essence, your contact list is going to be filled with people who use the sort of products or services you are selling, so it is, in essence, all about not selling ice cubes to Eskimos. If your message is hitting the wrong crowd then you’re wasting your breath. The contact list can be complex. You may have the type of companies correct but they may be too big or small. You may have the right size companies but the SIC codes you chose are not performing well. Time to reboot.
3) The program script is your conversation with the sales prospect. It involves the content, marketing, lead qualification and your ability to pull all of these things together in a logical, short and very concise presentation. If you’re a great lead generator and your contact list is spot on, then chances are good that your words are missing the mark. It could be your delivery, the order of your presentation of key points…or maybe the words themselves just aren’t right. There is a loose connection somewhere, and your message just isn’t getting through.
4) No contact with decision maker – do you have the name of your decision-maker? This is a vital piece of information that can transform your program almost instantly, and all it takes is a little research on the front end. Dialing without a name will produce low contact rates; when you ask “who buys [insert your product here]?” you are telegraphing the gatekeeper that you are a salesperson and you do not have an existing relationship with the decision-maker. The gatekeeper, who is paid to be protective of his or her employer’s valuable time, is likely to shut you down right there.
5) Early termination of your phone call or getting shut down at the beginning of the script. This is the most common reason why lead generation programs crash. This is most likely to occur when you sound like you are staged, forced or reading a script. Take the time to learn your script and practice reciting it until it sounds natural and flows easily. This can also happen because your introduction (where you state who you are, what you do and why you are calling) is way too long. Early termination happens early because you have approx 12 sec in the beginning of your call where the decision-maker is deciding whether he or she is going to stay on the line. Think of your introduction as the headline of a news article or ad; you have about one breath’s worth of speech to engage your audience, or you’ve lost them.
In any of these scenarios, the problem could be with any (or even all) of the components we have identified. The trick is identifying the weak link (or links) in your program. Once you can do that, fixing the problem usually requires some trial and error. Replace or repair one part in question at a time and then do some experimentation.