Lead Liaison

How to Qualify Opportunities with Lead Scoring

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Lead ScoreAll businesses need leads, but one of the primary problems is the pressure to generate qualified leads and route the right ones to sales. Perhaps your inbound marketing strategy has helped generate a database full of leads, through varying campaigns. You have a bevy of potential customers interested in your products or services, but are they ready to make a purchase?

It is certainly obvious that not all of your new leads are a the same stage in the buying process. Some will need convincing to move over to the next level. The best way to meet these leads with relevant and appropriate messaging is through lead scoring. This is a technique of segmentation to ensure you send a message that truly interests each lead.

Don’t qualify leads manually

You can’t judge new leads based on a gut method or hit-and-miss. Otherwise, sales and marketing would be quite frustrated. Not to mention, this method is highly unreliable. The reason why manual processes are set up for failure is because humans eventually make mistakes.

If you’re sorting through a large list of mixed-quality leads, you can quickly feel exhausted and demotivated. Soon, you find yourself making snap judgements as you run out of time. What happens is you risk overlooking many leads that might have made a purchase if someone was there to give the lead attention.

In addition, manual lead qualification usually accounts for leads that may be ready to buy in a few months. If a salesperson gets the impression that a lead is disinterested, they might throw that lead a way. Yet, if the lead was nurtured for a few months, they might end up making a large purchase.

Start with marketing automation

In order to quickly and efficiently process leads, you need to deploy marketing automation. This way, you can scale campaigns through a lead scoring model. Moreover, you can integrate your campaigns with your inbound efforts. Marketing automation helps to eliminate human error. You can also use marketing automation to qualify leads based on their online behavior. Of course, it is important to develop a successful lead scoring model.

Think of how you attract leads

What does the marketing department do to attract leads? Online advertising? Social media? Webinars? Blogs? All of the above and more? How can you tell when a lead is ready to purchase? Have they visited your pricing page more than once and watched an in-depth demo? Now think of a lead who is in the researching stage; perhaps they’ve downloaded a webinar two weeks ago.

On a scale of 1-100, how would you score each of those leads? Which lead would you spend the most time with? What types of messaging would you send each lead? This is the basis of lead scoring. You assign a number to a lead based on the types of actions they have taken in terms of buying from your company. A lead that has watched a webinar, downloaded an eBook and looked at your pricing page might be sales ready.

On the other hand, a lead that has opened an email and browsed your site may be ready in a few months if nurtured properly. Your marketing automation tool can assign a score based on prospects’ behaviors and assign numbers based on the parameters you set. Then, leads can be automatically routed to sales when they are close to making a purchase.

Setting up your lead scoring system

You want to formulate your company’s scoring system by having marketing and sales work together. When you set up a scoring system, it would be similar to adding rules. You can also add as many parameters as you like. In fact, the more rules you set up, the smarter your automation system will be. The objective is to set rules that specify a behavior and award a positive or negative number. When a lead takes this specific action, he or she is awarded points or they are deducted. Some rules might include:

  • Email clickthrough
  • Facebook ad clicks
  • Price page visit
  • Downloaded eBook
  • Viewed webinar
  • Twitter clicks
  • LinkedIn click
  • Blog click
  • Phone call
  • Requested information

Then what?

Once leads are rated, targeted marketing techniques can be applied. Also, each lead can be cultivated more accurately. A lead with a lower score might feel overwhelmed if you schedule a one-hour online demo. In contrast, a sales-ready lead would appreciate an in-depth online demo. Yet, you won’t know their level of interest without lead scoring.

Learn as you go

Lead scoring and nurturing takes time and practice to nail down. Although, keep in mind that the wrong message at the wrong time can ruin what could have been a successful conversion. You don’t want your sales team contacting leads who have not shown much interest in your product.

Instead of selling to them right away, nurture leads by educating and leading them through your conversion funnel. Sales should only be involved when their score says they are ready. Sometimes, a lead may disappear for a few months then suddenly pop back in at a different stage. Lead scoring can help you keep a handle on how inclined they have been to buy over the past few months.

Interested in gearing up for Lead Scoring? Request a personalized demonstration, and we’ll show you that capability of our software, plus so much more!

Author Bio

Katrina Manning is a content marketing specialist who has penned thousands of articles on business, tech, lifestyle and digital marketing for a wide variety of global B2B clients. She mostly writes for Leadpath.com  and she is also the author of three books and is currently working on her fourth. In her free time, she enjoys fundraising for charitable causes, playing with her cat and baking.

Lead Liaison

Tools of the Trade: Screencast-O-Matic

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In the busy world we live in, we all have our secrets to being more productive and more organized. Technology lends itself to creating more solutions. Lead Liaison is one of those solutions, and we have clients all over the globe that agree! But we didn’t get here by using outdated resources. Here at Lead Liaison, we’ve got several “tools of the trade” that help us be the best that we can be. In this series, we will talk about some of the tools that we use to be more effective in our day. In today’s post, we’ll talk about Screencast-O-Matic.

Screencast-O-Matic 1

What is Screencast-O-Matic?

Screencast-O-Matic is a simple screen recorder for Windows and Mac. It allows users to easily record, upload, and share recordings strait from their desktop or laptop. Screencast-O-Matic can be used for video tutorials, support-related videos, and more. This tool is used by businesses, educators, and gamers. Their free version allows up to 15 minutes of recording, which is plenty of time for a quick “how-to” video. Their Pro version offers longer recording limits, the ability to record your computer audio (in addition to your audio input), and editing tools.

Features

Screencast-O-Matic is really easy to operate. It’s got a simple interface that isn’t cluttered with excessive features. Once you’ve downloaded it to your computer, hit “Record” to record your screen, webcam, or both. The application collects audio, as well. While recording, you can draw on your screen, zoom, and add objects (like an arrow). Once you are finished recording, you will be prompted to rename it, make it searchable to others, and upload/save it.

The final recording can be uploaded to Screencast-O-Matic.com, YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive, Dropbox, or just saved as a video file on your computer. If you choose to upload your recording to Screencast-O-Matic.com, you are provided a link. When someone else clicks that link, an internet browser tab containing only that video opens on their computer.

How Do We Use It?

Here at Lead Liaison, we use this tool a LOT. I’m not even on the Support Team, and I use it at least once a day. I’m not very good at explaining things, or giving direction, so I rely on Screencast-O-Matic to communicate simple instructions that would otherwise be botched in translation. Being a company that specializes in SaaS, we are often asked to help a customer (sometimes across the world) complete a task in our software. Rather than type out the step-by-step instructions, or schedule a GoToMeeting when both parties are available, I am able to record a short video instead. It takes less time on my part, translates better for our customer, and is more convenient for everyone.

Cost

The company offers a free version that has a few limitations, but it’s worth a try. There is an option to upgrade. Their Pro version is $15/year or $29/3 years (that’s one year free!). The Pro version is so reasonably priced that any business would be amiss not to add this to their toolbox.

 

Lead Liaison

Data is More Secure Than Ever with Lead Liaison’s Participation in the Privacy Shield

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Lead LiaisonAllen, TX – Sales and marketing software firm, Lead Liaison, solidifies inclusion in EU-U.S. and Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Frameworks to increase data security for international clients.

The Privacy Shield Framework complies with European Union and Swiss data protection requirements when transferring personal data in and out of the United States. In order to comply, US-based organizations must certify themselves with the Department of Commerce, as well as publicly commit to comply with the Privacy Shield Program’s requirements. Once this public commitment has been made, it becomes enforceable under US law, under Section 5 of the FTC Act.

The Department of Commerce released this Fact Sheet, which covers the protections provided and how the program works.

This is important for Lead Liaison’s international clients because the Privacy Shield replaces the European Union’s Safe Harbor Decision, which asserted that the US provide adequate privacy protections to meet EU’s standards. This accomplishment demonstrates that Lead Liaison cares greatly about their clients, and that their clients’ privacy is a high priority.

Lead Liaison’s business in Europe is growing at an all-time high. It was a necessary step to help protect European customers and further increase their confidence in Lead Liaison’s ability to manage their important sales and marketing data.

Jen Worsham, Director of Client Relations, said this about the compliance, “We understand that Europe is a fast-growing market for our company and respect that EU businesses must adhere to strict standards. We are working together to manage data in the safest manner possible.”

Lead Liaison has updated their Privacy Policy, found at http://www.leadliaison.com/about/privacy-policy/, to reflect participation in the Privacy Shield Frameworks.

About the Privacy Shield Agreement Model

The EU-U.S. and Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Frameworks were designed by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the European Commission and Swiss Administration to provide companies on both sides of the Atlantic with a mechanism to comply with data protection requirements when transferring personal data from the European Union and Switzerland to the United States in support of transatlantic commerce.

About Lead Liaison
Lead Liaison provides cloud-based sales and marketing automation solutions that helps businesses accelerate revenue by attracting, converting, closing and retaining more prospects. Filling a void in the small pool of marketing automation providers that focus on marketing-centric functionality, Lead Liaison gives equal focus to sales providing sophisticated visitor tracking and additional website engagement tools to boost sales effectiveness. Lead Liaison blends ease-of-use, a flexible business model, deep external integration, marketing across social, web, mobile, email and offline channels and powerful functionality, all specifically tailored for mid-sized businesses, into a single platform, called Revenue Generation Software®. Lead Liaison is headquartered in Allen, Texas, near Dallas. For more information, visit http://www.leadliaison.com or call 1-800-89-LEADS (895-3237).

Lead Liaison

How to Get Through the Gatekeeper & Raise Brand Awareness Using Marketing Automation

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envelope-1803662_1920Sometimes the easiest way to not only get through the gatekeeper, but to get your prospect’s attention is to deliver the “WOW” factor. See, most gatekeepers see the same emails. They get the same phone calls. You are just one of many, and most are boring.

If you were in their position, what would happen if you received something super personal? Well, I can tell you that almost every FedEx package is opened. Likewise, hand-written notes also receive special attention. They show the recipient that the sender has taken a specific interest and investment in making a contact. When Lead Liaison added the ability to send hand-written notes, many of our clients began to report instant success in reaching audiences that previously ignored them. Success rates went through the roof where competitive environments existed.

Think about it: “Thank you” emails have become so ubiquitous that many people have stopped sending them all together. However, a physical note sits on a desk for hours…days…even weeks! It makes a physical impression, and raises brand awareness, which leads to the one thing you need most in your sale: trust. They’re thinking, “Hey, it’s a real person that cares about my business!”

Unfortunately, legacy Marketing Automation platforms think in solely digital terms and have become email dinosaurs. If you are not already thinking outside of email with your automation strategy, I would highly encourage you to look at an advanced system like Lead Liaison in order to grow some ideas on how you can improve your sell-through rates.

Read more about Lead Liaison’s Handwritten Letter feature here. Request a personal, one-on-one demonstration of this feature and many others here.

Ryan Schefke

Make Sure Your Marketing Agency Has Options

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Marketing Agencies Need OptionsI work for Lead Liaison as a solutions specialist. I travel with our sales team on occasion to conduct trainings and have deeper level discussions with clients. On one of my trips, something caught my eye. I’m not quite an HVAC expert, but I’m familiar with the big name brands that are out there after owning a few homes and having HVAC units in my own house. You learn a lot when you have to foot those thousand dollar bills to repair air conditioners ;-). As I entered a parking lot after my meeting, I noticed two large commercial HVAC units, from two different and respectable brands, Trane and York.

In my mind, I liken this to a marketing agency – don’t ask me why I thought of this! HubSpot is a software platform that marketing agencies often buy. It’s a good brand name, and companies are buying it just because of the name. The reality is, just like the HVAC units, that not one size fits all. That there’s room for more than one solution, as each serves it’s purpose. With the AC units, the York might have cost less, had more functionality in a certain area, had better support – every situation is unique, but in this case, there’s a reason they didn’t buy a second Trane and put the two together. Of course I’m a bit biased here, but marketing agencies can benefit from having both solutions to present to their clients. After all, it’s what is best for the client that matters.

There are many differences between HubSpot and Lead Liaison. Feature set, price, support, approach, and more. The experience is totally different with each. Public company vs. private company. I certainly would never bash HubSpot, they’re creating great excitement and buzz in the marketplace. We fully believe in our platform and it’s ability to help agencies and clients. We win many of our deals vs. HubSpot, but also know our benefit and fit in the market.

As an agency, don’t put all of your eggs into one basket. Make sure you can offer your clients different options. Let them make the decision, but highlight to them the differences between the two offerings. Find the best fit for their company based on their needs. Don’t force a solution down their throat because you make the most money off of it or want to maintain your partnership status. Have options, don’t think selfishly, think about the buyer and what’s best for them – don’t close the door on anything.

If you’re an agency and want to hear more about how we work with agencies and what options you have to complement your current offerings, we’re ready to talk. A qualified partner representative would love to hear from you! Request a demonstration today. 

Lead Liaison

Lead Liaison’s OneFocus™ CRM Becomes Even More Effectual with the Addition of Task Manager

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Lead LiaisonAllen, TX – Lead Liaison announced this week that they have added a powerful new feature, a Task Manager, to their already impressive OneFocus™ CRM that has taken the industry by storm. This additional feature changes the game for salespeople everywhere by managing tasks like phone calls, follow-ups, lunch meetings, and more within the CRM. This feature was highly anticipated by current and prospective users of Lead Liaison’s CRM, which debuted earlier this Spring.

The task manager is located within the Sales area of Lead Liaison. Salespeople will be able to see all tasks in the system, which are color-coded. Tasks that are overdue are red, tasks due on the current day are green, and tasks in the future are grey. Sorting tasks is incredibly easy. Options include sorting by when the task is due or type of task (i.e. phone call, email, etc.). Tasks can be viewed by priority, as well.

Sales managers can view all tasks available in the system in order to monitor overall performance, as well as drill down into an individual’s task queue.

Clicking on the task allows the user to view notes, due dates, and the Prospect’s timeline associated with the task. Salespeople can see the last interaction with a Prospect and create new tasks from the current task screen. The Task Manager also includes an information card, providing all details for the Deal and Prospect associated with the task.

Salespeople and sales managers can access everything they need within one platform without ever having to leave the task window, saving sales managers and salespeople an incredible amount of time. And, it’s not just limited to sales. Tasks can be added by administrators, marketers, and more. Everyone can have access to the same Task Manager, in order to work together.

“The Task Manager is something our clients have been eagerly awaiting,” says Jen Worsham, Lead Liaison’s Director of Client Relations. “Our clients plan on using it to organize and keep track of the sometimes overwhelming amount of tasks that their sales teams have. In addition to sales tasks, clients also plan on using it for administrative and marketing tasks to keep everyone on the same page. We’re removing barriers that otherwise thwarted productivity. Now, entire teams can work within one platform, with one focus: driving revenue.”

OneFocus™ CRM is a part of Lead Liaison’s suite of marketing and sales solutions designed to help businesses drive revenue and increase performance. The CRM, also known as The Free CRM™,  complements Lead Liaison’s marketing automation platform, Lead Management Automation (LMA)™.  To learn more about OneFocus™ CRM and the Task Manager, visit this link or request a demonstration today.

About Lead Liaison
Lead Liaison provides cloud-based sales and marketing automation solutions that helps businesses accelerate revenue by attracting, converting, closing and retaining more prospects. Filling a void in the small pool of marketing automation providers that focus on marketing-centric functionality, Lead Liaison gives equal focus to sales providing sophisticated visitor tracking and additional website engagement tools to boost sales effectiveness. Lead Liaison blends ease-of-use, a flexible business model, deep external integration, marketing across social, web, mobile, email and offline channels and powerful functionality, all specifically tailored for mid-sized businesses, into a single platform, called Revenue Generation Software®. Lead Liaison is headquartered in Allen, Texas, near Dallas. For more information, visit http://www.leadliaison.com or call 1-800-89-LEADS (895-3237).

 

Lead Liaison

3 Sales Tools I Wish I Had When I Was in B2B Sales

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salespersonLadies and gentlemen, account executives, and sales reps everywhere, I salute you. I have tried my hand in business to business sales and could just never get a rhythm down. They warned me going in that it’s hard to get your foot in the door these days – boy were they right!

In a market saturated with other office equipment suppliers, I could never quite read exactly how interested my prospects were. I’d knock on doors, get cards (or speak to someone if God was smiling on me that day), log them in the CRM, and then call or email back every few days. When I was super lucky I’d hit just the right person at the right time. Not so lucky I got their voicemail. Really unlucky and I was promptly informed I was literally worse than a murderer to these people. 

It was a numbers game, management would say. Well, that’s not a game I’m great at. I love interaction and nurture, not chasing unqualified leads for months before they finally let me down. But you know, I’ve learned a few things here at Lead Liaison. Things that might have made my short sales career much longer, and much more profitable.  

Here are a few of the sales tools I’ve recently discovered that could have made the difference. 

Send and Track™

I remember sitting in my sales manager’s office trying to figure out how to get a better response. I had a solid cold email template, but I struggled knowing when to make the next touch. I usually didn’t even know if my emails were being read, and I didn’t have any real way of knowing. (Pro tip: don’t use read receipts… well, unless you like getting profanity-laced responses).

“It would be so much easier if I knew when they had at least opened the content I sent them,” I’d say. 

Apparently, I could have known exactly that. Lead Liaison’s Send and Track plugins for Google Mail and Outlook add a tracking code to the links within a tracked email. The first time I tested it, I was pleasantly surprised by a chirping from Chrome and a pop up saying my recipient had opened the email. I logged in to our platform, checked the sales emails report, and saw that they had also clicked one of the links. 

To think, if I could go back in time and use this while I was a sales rep, I could know exactly who to focus on based on interest. I wouldn’t be hounding people just trying to ignore me; I’d be responding to people who actually responded to my communication attempts!

Visitor Tracking

Back then I would have been happy enough knowing which emails were effective, but this would have blown my mind. Imagine knowing the people and companies who are actively checking out your website. For a sales person, this is a huge starting point. What’s that? This person has been to the website 5 times and keeps looking at OCR solutions? Well, time to put on my OCR Expert Hat™ and give them a visit!

But it gets better. Lead Liaison’s ProspectVision™ doesn’t just through a cookie in the user’s browser and tell you what pages they went to. No, we’re able to see what content a visitor downloads, if they watch a video (and how much of that video). With every step, ProspectVision™ builds a more and more detailed profile. It comes down to learning what the prospect wants to know so you can make a real connection with them. You don’t have to spend all month wearing down a gatekeeper to get little bits of info on what this company might want. You get to see it all first hand.

Buying Signals

Now we’re talking leads. And I don’t mean a list of businesses in your area marketing has identified as target clients. I mean honest-to-goodness warm leads. Based on website activity, email response, and interaction with content on your website, we create a score for qualified leads. Once they hit a certain threshold, you get a buying signal.

Think about that for a moment. You’re probably a very busy person with a huge funnel to keep up with. It can be hard to really put together a roadmap of someone’s interest, especially when they prefer to research on their own. But now, without having to breathe down their necks, you know when they’ve exhibited purchasing behavior. That kind of insight would have been life changing for me.

If you’re new to the industry, information is power. If you’re already a sales superstar, you already know that. I won’t say cold calling is dead, but wouldn’t you prefer a warm lead to knocking on a door? I know I would have. And hey, with marketing automation as powerful as it is today, the early adopters are the long-term winners.

Request a demo of these tools and more!

 

Lead Liaison

Why Blogging Should Be a Key Part of Your Marketing Plan

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BloggingDid you know that 70 percent of the links that people click on online are organic?

In other words, 7 out of 10 internet users ignore paid ads and click on natural links, like blog posts and articles, instead.

While there are many ways to attract organic traffic, blogging is the best option. Companies that run blogs have 434 percent more indexed pages than companies that don’t blog. That means they have 434 percent more chances to get those organic clicks.

With amazing stats like that, you probably think that blogging is hard to do. In reality, it isn’t just effective. It’s also incredibly easy.

Easy Content Creation with Blogging

Blogging has never been easier than it is right now. Software like WordPress allows companies to create and manage their blogs for free. The simple interface is easy to use, and you can even customize the design without any technical knowledge. These simple tools have leveled the playing field and made it easy for everyone to blog.

Creating your blog is one thing, though. Running it effectively is another. Follow some tips so you can get the most out of blogging.

Tips for Blogging

First and foremost, you need to write blogs that people want to read. Use your social media channels to pick your followers’ brains. Find out what they want to read about and then write about those topics.

You can also repurpose some content for your blog. Take an e-book that you’ve written and break it up into blog posts, or turn an interesting press release into a blog. This will make it easier for you to keep coming up with new content.

Next, you need to remain consistent with your blogging. If you post once a week, post on the same day. Don’t miss a week or people will think your blog is dead.

You also need to use keywords in your blog posts. That way, people will find you. Use the AdWords Keyword Planner or another tool to find your keywords. Also, don’t go with simple keywords. Use long-tail keywords so you reach your target market.

Finally, use social media to promote your blog posts. Share your posts across all of your social media channels and write a short snippet of what each post is about. This is a great way to get more traffic.

Now, you finally are ready to start blogging. Download the software and fine-tune the design. Then, write your first post and introduce your new blog to the world. It won’t be long before you reap the benefits of blogging.

Interested in tracking the activity that your blog receives, and having the ability to continue to nurture those potential clients in new and inventive ways? Request a demonstration of our marketing automation software from one of our experts!

 

Lead Liaison

Social Media and Brand Awareness

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Social MediaThere isn’t just one key to success for a company, no matter the size. Success is usually a product of persistence, best practices, and even a little (or a lot of) luck. One very important key to success is creating brand awareness. We’ve talked about brand awareness several times on the Lead Liaison blog, but today we’ll be talking about the relationship between social media and brand awareness.

An Argument for Social Media for B2B Companies

I’m sure I don’t need to go into why brand awareness is essential for any company, especially a small-to-medium sized company. When another business has a need that pertains to your line of work, you want that company to think of you immediately. Brand awareness is the result of nurturing and education, both of which can be done via social media in small, easy-to-consume spoonfulls.

Why should B2B companies use social media to promote brand awareness? Example: in my off time, I occasionally (okay – more than occasionally) scroll social media. Even though I’m not “on the clock”, I’m still thinking about to-do lists, and I am aware of what I am consuming. I’ve usually got an even clearer head because I’m in more of a relaxed state of mind. When I see advertisements for tools that I could use at work, it doesn’t make me cringe. It makes me think. During the workday, I’m so busy with tasks and emails that I rarely stop what I’m doing to assess the situation and see if I could be doing anything better or more efficiently. That’s not good – but it’s fact.

What Should Be Different About a B2B Company’s Social Media Efforts?

As with most B2B marketing, it’s more about education than hard selling. Remember, the goal with your social media is brand awareness – not immediate sales. You want to help businesses learn to trust your company’s name as a resource. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be the first company that comes to mind when their need comes to fruition. Because of this, your social media marketing should not focus on selling, but rather on education. Share best practices, tips & tricks, or links to informative articles (yours or others’).

Where Should You Focus?

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are some of the most active social media sites. However, LinkedIn Groups can be extremely effective for B2B social media marketing, as well as a YouTube channel. As an introvert, I much prefer to skim YouTube videos about a software that I’m interested in purchasing, rather than speak to a salesperson on the phone.

But, it’s not necessarily where you focus your social media efforts. It’s more about how you communicate. A recent study from The MarketingProfs, The State of Social Media Marketing, shows that B2C and B2B social media marketers are mostly using the same social media approach, in terms of which platforms they utilize. The differences instead lie in how social media is used, not which social media are used.

In social media, small companies can act like big ones. Sure, there are paid advertising options for most social media sites. However, the reach is essentially the same, depending on the amount of followers a company has. Because of this, we see that social media activity does not vary much between large and small companies.

Social Media for Brand Awareness

The message is simple. B2B companies should use social media to help educate and nurture members of the marketplace. If done properly, that brand awareness will lead to increased trust, which leads to increased sales. This is a modern strategy for communicating with your potential clients, and it’s time to get on board!

Interested in how Lead Liaison helps you manage your social media presence? Contact a representative today for a free demonstration!

Lead Liaison

Lead Liaison Reveals Its Secret Sauce for Managing Leads

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Lead LiaisonIt’s not every day that a company pulls back the curtain and unveils the processes that make them successful. But Lead Liaison is different. Lead Liaison is known for unlocking the vault on marketing automation and lead management solutions. The decision to divulge their secrets is reflective of the company’s overall passion to support sales and marketing teams, to help businesses grow, and to be transparent in their developments. Their Automated Lead Flow Management Process, including a sample Qualified Lead Flow, lays the foundation for an ultra-successful nurture track intended to be carried out using marketing automation systems like their own. The company uses processes like this to help fuel growth in the marketing automation industry, since the company has the luxury of “drinking their own champagne” (using their own software), to achieve their goals. Businesses can do the same with the same exact tools in their own respective industries.

Sales and marketing tactics have evolved from a dialogue to more of a monologue in recent years. Potential buyers or customers have access to more information and more reviews – right at their fingertips. It’s time for companies to respond in a more relevant and meaningful manner.

How Does the Qualified Lead Flow Work?

There are many ways that businesses get inbound leads to their websites: web forms (Contact Us forms, Request a Demonstration forms, Free Trial forms, Free Consultation forms, etc.), content downloads, and explainer videos to name a few. The key is for a company to identify the primary ways that it’s website captures inbound leads. Lead Liaison identified its primary channels for inbound leads coming from key forms and video conversions.

Once the lead or inquiry comes in, that person will be sent through the Qualified Lead Flow process. First, there is an automation in place to distribute the lead to a salesperson. For Lead Liaison, that process is round-robin, because that’s how their sales team is structured. For other companies using this Qualified Lead Flow, that lead distribution could be based on other methods of lead distribution, like geographical location, performance, or any myriad of attributes about the person making the inquiry. Once distributed, the Qualified Lead Flow sends an email to the lead, giving them the contact information of their account manager. This message uses the lead’s name, making it personal, and in the case of Lead Liaison, includes the salesperson’s contact information. The automation then pushes the lead’s information into Lead Liaison’s CRM, OneFocus™.

Depending on the primary interest of the lead, which is typically gathered from the original inquiry, a company can set up very specific nurturing. Lead Liaison has identified their key areas of interest to be partnerships, CRM, or it could even be an agency interested in private labeling. The nurture track contains 8-10 emails with educational content that focuses on the lead’s area of interest. Once the lead has completed their interest-specific nurture, they flow into a mainline nurture and are added to the Lead Liaison Subscribers List. If, at any point in time, the lead become a client, Lead Liaison’s tool automatically moves them out of the respective nurturing tracks and adds them into nurturing tailored to clients. It’s here that messaging can focus on up-sell, cross-sell, and other opportunities. These strategies are discussed more in Lead Liaison’s Marketing Automation Playbook.

Lead Liaison’s Qualified Lead Flow has been proven time and time again, producing leads that are educated, familiar with the brand, and that are ready to move forward with purchasing a license. Director of Marketing, Jennifer Worsham, shares her experience, “Since implementing this Qualified Lead Flow, we’ve seen an increase of 68% in conversions. It’s something that took a little time and effort to set up, but has proven to be time well spent. Now, this flow runs in the background without us having to touch it. It’s fantastic!”

To see the diagram of the entire flow, check out Lead Liaison’s Library of Resources. The Automated Lead Flow Management Process is located under Guides.

About Lead Liaison
Lead Liaison provides cloud-based sales and marketing automation solutions that helps businesses accelerate revenue by attracting, converting, closing and retaining more prospects. Filling a void in the small pool of marketing automation providers that focus on marketing-centric functionality, Lead Liaison gives equal focus to sales providing sophisticated visitor tracking and additional website engagement tools to boost sales effectiveness. Lead Liaison blends ease-of-use, a flexible business model, deep external integration, marketing across social, web, mobile, email and offline channels and powerful functionality, all specifically tailored for mid-sized businesses, into a single platform, called Revenue Generation Software®. Lead Liaison is headquartered in Allen, Texas, near Dallas. For more information, visit http://www.leadliaison.com or call 1-800-89-LEADS (895-3237).