Lead Generation Tips: Keep it Interesting & Cut Ties Quickly
Matt Lopez
The day to day of sourcing companies and prospects to find the right contact can be difficult. Add in essentially stalking them to find the right email/call can become a grind for most people. There is the constant frustration of spending 25 minutes to find the right person. Then there is the guessing of their correct email, which usually leads to having it bounce, followed by the five variations of the email address bouncing as well…So maybe you try your luck with a phone call, and get shut down there, too.
Repeating this process day in and day out can be both frustrating and mind numbing. How do we shift this paradigm? How do you turn this laborious process into an amazing job while keeping your department and individuals motivated? Also, how can you identify when it’s not going to work?
Look at the Statistics
Lead generation without a focus on optimization is extremely wasteful and demoralizing. Adding the right tracking tools so your team and individuals can monitor and adjust best practices is critical to building a successful organization and keeping up spirits. The key metrics you must track are:
Open rate:This indicates how strong your subject line is
Clicks: this shows how compelling content is – do prospects want to know more?
Replies: This will tell us how our messaging is received. Whether its “I want to set up a meeting,” “I have no interest,” or “I’m not the right person,” we can learn and adjust accordingly our segments or messaging.
Success: We booked the meeting!
Having an organization that is set up to measure and focus on these numbers incentivizes everyone to focus on each step of the process and creates a feedback loop for your team. They are now focused on success metrics and the complete cycle instead of just the frustration of sourcing and rejection. There are fantastic companies that allow you to track these measures, including industry leader ToutApp.
Clearly define success
Many times people in lead generation roles get focused on using daily activities as benchmarks for success as opposed to working towards a clear desired outcome. The focus turns to hitting 100 calls a day rather than booking 2-3 meetings from those calls. This can be a dangerous trap. Reps think they are successfully doing their job but they are missing the bigger picture.
To avoid this, continue to focus on rewarding the outcome. If they are doing the activity but not setting meetings, look to analyze the output and coach on best practices. Unfortunately, many lead generation people will never get over this mindset, so know when you have to cut them loose. If their continued focus is on activity versus outcome, it may be time to find a new hire.
Typically we look at the world of lead generation as a necessary stepping-stone to sales. It helps junior professionals become more comfortable with the sales process. If you can consider these two points, you can not only motivate your top people, but also help to know when you need to cut ties as well.