B2B Marketing - Televerde

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B2B Marketing

• Increasing Revenue with Outsourced Lead Management

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B2B Marketing

• In B2B marketing, managers typically prefer to
  develop cost cutting strategies rather than come
  up with ways to increase revenues. Its somewhat
  easier to reduce expenses by eliminating
  processes, consolidating vendors or, in a worst
  case scenario, laying off staff. Just like your
  personal budget, businesses can always find areas
  to trim expenses.
• However, developing plans to increase revenue
  often takes more thought and analysis. Solutions
  usually become very involved and may require
  additional staffing resources. Other complex
  options surface too, including expensive market
  research, multiple concurrent lead generation
  campaigns, or creative sales promotions that may
  require reducing the fees for your products and
  services.
• What typically misses the short list of ideas in
  B2B marketing, unfortunately, is managing
  existing leads. Companies of all sizes can
  increase revenues substantially just by working
  the current sales pipeline.

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B2B Marketing
Lost Revenues from Weak Lead Management
Practices   B2B marketing requires a regular flow
of qualified leads to be successful. And, to
increase revenues, these qualified leads must be
expertly managed. Poor lead management practices
put millions of dollars in potential sales
revenues at risk.   But lost revenues arent
the only fallout from a sub-par lead management
program. B2B marketing efforts can suffer
because of the following
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B2B Marketing

• Less Than Desired Brand Awareness. If your
  programs arent producing a sufficient quantity
  of qualified leads, youre not improving your
  brand awareness. The more customers who use your
  product, the more your brand will be recognized.
  Plus, youll gain valuable feedback from the
  increased number of customers for future product
  development.
• Market Share. By securing more revenue from the
  increased number of converted leads, B2B
  marketing managers boost market share. The more
  customers a company serves, the greater the
  share-of-mind the company will enjoy in the
  marketplace. And, the increased share of mind
  can have a positive effect on overall market
  share.

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B2B Marketing

• Buyer Behavior. When new customers buy your
  products or services, you have an opportunity to
  learn why they made the purchase decision.
  Purchasing decisions can help B2B marketing
  managers communicate differentiating factors and
  position the product or service competitively.
• However, its not just the new sales that
  provide insight. Lost sales opportunities can
  provide crucial information. This feedback will
  help companies re-position products and develop
  sound sales objection strategies.

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B2B Marketing

• How to Recover Lost Revenue
•  
• The absolute best way to recover lost revenue is
  to improve the lead management process in a B2B
  marketing program. This project needs to involve
  both sales and marketing staff. Unfortunately,
  many companies are at a disadvantage to fully
  develop a strong lead management program.
  Reasons include the following

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B2B Marketing

• Because lead management is not a core competency
  of most B2B marketing organizations, chances are
  the associated processes are not fine-tuned or as
  disciplined as they should be.
• Lead nurturing may not be managed from a
  comprehensive standpoint. In other words,
  companies may stop nurturing leads after a
  marketing campaign ends. Without regular human
  contact to nurture leads, companies reduce their
  sales opportunities significantly.

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B2B Marketing

• Lead processes can be ineffective. For example,
  storing and tracking lead data may be lax. And
  the hand-off of leads to the sales team may not
  be as smooth as possible.
• Companies may not have the required staffing
  resources to successfully manage a lead program.
  Managing the complete lead management process is
  not something sales or marketing can do on its
  own.

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B2B Marketing

• Improving the Lead Management Process with
  Outsourcing
• Automation is a useful component of the lead
  management program. But, success doesnt start
  and stop there. Good lead management requires
  consistent tracking and regular contact with
  prospects.
• A solution for B2B marketing is to outsource
  part, or all, of the lead management program.
  Outsourcing can provide many benefits, including

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B2B Marketing

• Increased Customer Contact. Sales people should
  be focused on closing deals, not nurturing leads.
  An outsourcing company can manage the leads and
  send the most qualified, ready-to-buy leads to
  the sales team.
• Improved Sales and Marketing Relationships.
  Sales and marketing departments often experience
  some friction when it comes to lead management.
  Sales may believe leads generated by marketing
  are unqualified. Marketing typically assumes the
  sales team is not following up appropriately. An
  outsourced lead management solution can remove
  any animosity between the two departments.
• Better Qualified Leads and Sales Opportunities.
  An outsourcing company that specializes in lead
  management can increase the revenue opportunities
  for any company. The outsourcing decision with
  the right provider can deliver an attractive
  return on investment.

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B2B Marketing

• Rather than accept fewer qualified leads and
  therefore reduced revenue opportunities,
  companies can outsource lead management. With an
  outside firm working on your lead management
  around-the-clock, you can know youre getting the
  most qualified leads possible.
• And, what better way to grow your business than
  to just work your existing leads more
  successfully!

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About the Author

• Larry Fleischman is Director of Marketing for
  Televerde, a leading B2B provider of sales
  pipeline development solutions. For more
  information about B2B Marketing, visit
• http//www.televerde.com