What is the Role of Lead Generation?

A business without a lead generation strategy is a sitting duck for revenue growth. It can also miss opportunities for collaboration with non-competing brands and organizations that share a target audience. A lead generator works in telemarketing and contacts prospective customers to sell products or services. They often work to meet sales quotas set by their employer or team.

Qualification

An important part of the lead generation process is qualifying your leads. This involves assessing whether they are likely to become customers by looking at the data you collect through your lead capture forms.

Qualifying your leads is essential to ensure that your sales development representatives (SDRs) are spending their working time smartly and not wasting it on fruitless tasks. To qualify a lead, you need to have a lead scoring framework in place that aligns with your ideal client profile (ICP).

For example, ANUM is one such lead qualification framework that focuses on the following criteria: -Audience – Identifying their pain points and needs

Nurturing

The lead generation process gives sales teams a list of consumers who meet their ideal customer profile (ICP). This allows them to save time on prospecting and increase revenue from conversions.

Some possible leads are ready to convert right away, while others need a longer-term nurturing process. Using different influencer marketing methods, companies can help nurture these leads to make them more qualified for sales.

Paid lead generation campaigns usually have more detailed capturing forms to ensure the leads are as qualified as possible. This also helps to increase the ROI of the campaign.

One of the most common ways to do this is by adding a CTA that directs website visitors to book a call or meeting with a sales representative. This can be done with tools like Calendly and Automizy. This example from VentureHarbour has a simple form with only 4 fields and 2 checkboxes. It is really easy for potential customers to fill in, making the conversion rate higher.

Closing

A lead generation process is a key part of the sales funnel for many businesses. It typically involves collecting a visitor's contact information (also known as a "lead") via a web form. This data allows businesses to follow up with qualified leads through email marketing campaigns, and then forward them to salespeople for closing the deal.

The best B2B lead generation strategies involve creating valuable content that helps customers solve problems or get better results. This can include videos, podcasts, whitepapers, and other types of informative material. For example, Duct Tape Marketing created a podcast interviewing an expert on a relevant topic, which gave their audience the opportunity to learn from someone else and grow their subscriber list.

Another great way to generate new leads is by hosting live, limited-time webinars. This type of content is effective because it creates a sense of urgency and gives potential subscribers a VIP feeling. This example from VentureHarbour has a clear headline and clearly describes what their webinar will cover. The form is also short, which makes it easier for visitors to sign up.

Follow-up

When a lead is found, it’s the lead generation specialist’s job to reach out and make contact. This requires interpersonal skills and a passion for marketing. Stay-at-home mums, students and people with another job often find themselves in this position but the right mix of dedication, enthusiasm and knowledge of sales can work wonders.

They also need to understand the buyer’s journey and what influences their decisions. For instance, they should know how buyers use products and services and what problems they’re facing. This helps them develop tailored solutions and create a dialogue with prospective customers.

A dependable lead generation process increases the credibility of marketing campaigns and helps sales teams meet revenue goals. It’s also a great way to show measurable returns on investment. Businesses that use a basic lead scoring system see 77% more return on their investments in leads. This is why it’s so important to focus on quality over quantity.