If you’re like most people in sales that I know right now, sales budgets are front of mind for the year ahead. Often the most common way to get new sales is from leads, so guess what?
“We need more leads.”
So Marketing leans in and they run campaigns.
They fill the top of the funnel, and they deliver more than enough leads.
And then Sales says…
“Yeah, but the leads are no good.”
Let me be firm, if not blunt here:
Most of the time this isn’t a lead quality problem, it’s a qualification discipline problem.
Leads aren’t supposed to be ready-to-buy deals. They’re supposed to be conversations which lead to conversions to sales opportunities.
If Sales hasn’t clearly defined:
- What “good” actually means i.e. a suitable profitable sales opportunity
- How quickly leads are followed up i.e. an SLA of 30 mins or 4 hours
- What questions qualify in v’s out i.e. fit ICP (ideal customer profile)
- What feedback loops exist with Marketing i.e. daily lead review stand-up
…then blaming lead quality is just noise.
The uncomfortable truth?
Many salespeople want certainty, not leads. They want late-stage opportunities delivered on a platter. 😊
That’s not selling. That’s order-taking. Yuck! There is no value in this for the client or the salesperson to be honest!
High-performing sales teams:
- Convert “messy” leads into insight and learnings – take the good, discuss the bad with marketing
- Disqualify fast (and proudly) – determine the prospects needs, budget, authority, and timing
- Give Marketing constructive feedback, which helps to build better leads for next time
- Own the gap between interest and intent – is this prospect just looking for 3 quotes and already has their preferred supplier
If Sales keeps saying “the leads are no good,” here’s the real question:
What are you doing with the leads you already have?
Because before you ask for more leads…Prove you deserve them.
#salesplanning #salesandmarketingalignment #salescollaboration
