How to Solve Common Lead Generation Problems

Lead generation problems come in many forms. Regardless of degree, a failed lead generation always comes down to frustration. This may even lead to a misunderstanding between your company’s marketing and advertising departments.

Which is why telemarketers are occasionally tempted to do sales regeneration the traditional way. So they end up doing the tedious cycle of prospecting and cold calling. Little do they know that these are time-consuming and low-yielding attempts.

Back to basics
If your company is faced with this dilemma, it must be your telemarketing and lead generation teams need to reconsider how it understands leads in the first place.

1. Get down to the bottom. Know the cause of the low results. Don’t take anything for granted. Cover the possible causes and sources of leads that haven’t led to sales.

Some common reasons why leads don’t yield results are:

• Your business lead generation team has no working definition of a qualified lead
• Possible leads may not have been nurtured
• There’s no clear line between marketing and sales team
• Your sales team doesn’t close the loop

2. Follow expert opinion. Insiders agree that close to 80% of lead generation efforts go to waste. This is because the sales department doesn’t follow up on the leads. The leads then become “sitting leads”—meaning nobody processes it. Your sales team should define and work on these leads by scouring the facts on the database according to who needs the product or service right now or in the future.

3. Processing the leads. It must be clear that generating a lead isn’t the same as selling. Train your sales team to be very good at both. In lead generation the customer may not buy right away, but for a sales lead he should be on the purchasing stage.

Lead stage
On the lead stage your customers are on the lookout for information. Their motives may be unclear yet. They can’t go on to the buying stage unless your lead generation team helps them make an informed decision. Provide them vital information about your product and service. Experts call it “nurturing.”

Buying Stage
On the buying stage people are set to buy. More than that, they want to take advantage of a solution to certain issues. They have a fairly clear idea about the price, and they have an idea about how far they can go with it. They want their issues reduced, but they want to see results. They want to bargain with the price, too.

4. Treat each customer appropriately. Don’t assume all customers are ready to buy and bombard them with sales pitch. Most times customers plan to purchase in the future, and only a handful may be ready to actually get into the details at the moment. What your lead generation team can do is draw in the right prospects. Separate those who want to talk with the sales team from those who want to buy in the future.

How to create information offers to generate leads

Your lead and sales generation program leapfrogs when your telemarketing team does these:

• Offering information that is attractive to your product and service niche,
• Offering information in return for contact information,
• Following up that information and sorting the ready from the not ready yet,
• Putting in place a nurturing program

Different niches respond to different sorts of lead generation campaigns. But nurturing seems to be the most preferred because it leads to results and lasting relationships. For one thing, everybody wants to be cared for.