5 Steps To A Winning Lead Generation Blueprint

16 May

A few months back I received a compelling direct mail from a company wanting me to attend a webinar. It was sent in a US Priority Mail box and contained a 16-ounce Coke, a bag of popcorn, and an invite to attend an online event. Better yet, this mailer was followed up with multiple reminders and, when I didn’t attend the event, a “we missed you” mailer. MASTERFULLY EXECUTED! VERY CREATIVE. WASTE OF MONEY!

Why? As we all know, it is very hard to break through the noise. And, this campaign seemed to have done that very thing. Unfortunately, it was wasted because I was not a qualified prospect. They likely got my name from a list that indicated, by carefully chosen selections, that I was a good SUSPECT for their effort. Yet, in reality, I was not a qualified PROSPECT, worthy of such an expensive mailer. Though the campaign got my attention (and it did), a LOT of money was spent on prospects that were not candidates for their products. Imagine how many more impressions they could have afforded if they had limited the effort to better qualified prospects.

That is where the power of A Lead Generation Blueprint comes in.

Not to be confused with A Marketing Roadmap, which outlines your company’s marketing strategy (including market research, target market, brand positioning, product/service definition/messaging, competitive landscape, and 12-month marketing approach and budget), A Lead Generation Blueprint focuses on only ONE of the significant roles of the Marketing Plan-Lead Generation.

And, there are five critical steps to a winning Lead Generation Blueprint:

  • Strategize. First, your Lead Generation Blueprint strategy must include three key elements-VARIETY, FREQUENCY, and CONSISTENCY. Evaluate your lead generation plan to be sure you’re touching the exact same group of people, in a variety of different mediums (at least 3), at a frequency that will make an impact, with consistent messaging. These three elements are essential to reaching and converting your target market in the most cost-effective way.

  • Focus. As you decide which vehicles to implement, keep a tightly defined target market top of mind. Select activities that touch and speak directly with your most qualified prospects. In a world where we are constrained by limited budgets and plagued by over stimulation, we succeed by spending the majority of our resources in a targeted, focused way. I know-DUH! But have you historically followed this advice? Or, are you like many-aiming and firing in the general direction? Most of us can simply not afford to reach our ENTIRE target market at the frequency required to build the momentum we seek. The true magic in target marketing comes from defining your market to be large enough to meet your goals, yet small enough you can afford to reach them effectively.

  • Qualify. That brings me to a very important aspect of a winning blueprint-the need to qualify your prospects before you even register them into your lead generation engine. It seems obvious, but as we see from the example in the introduction, a lot of very talented marketers don’t build this step into their plan. For most, lead qualification and generation happen at the same time. BIG mistake. Use a Lead Qualification Checklist to define what makes a qualified lead for your organization (be specific) and use it as your first line of engagement to ensure you concentrate most of your efforts on the best prospects.

  • Measure. Once you’ve decided on your strategy, focus, and qualification process, be sure to include the Return on Investment (ROI) you expect (how many impressions does your campaign generate, how many qualified leads are expected, what is your conversion to proposal then sale, etc.). I recommend projecting ROI with both aggressive and conservative estimates and tracking your actuals as your plan goes into implementation. This requires a disciplined tracking of “How Did You Hear About Us” at every level of execution-landing pages, customer service, sales inquiries, etc.

  • Integrate. The final, and possibly most powerful, step to a winning Lead Generation Blueprint includes charting the different integration points between this plan and your sales team’s activities. Create a workflow in your blueprint that illustrates the integration points throughout the plan where your sales force needs to be plugged in. By formalizing this process and sharing it with the sales team, you will guarantee their participation and support.

    • There are many different options for generating leads, and it’s very easy to get swept up in the excitement of all the possibilities. By formally documenting your lead generation activities in A Lead Generation Blueprint, using the 5 steps above, you will be able to deliver the results sought after by all sales and marketing executives and business leaders-qualified leads, even with limited budgets!

    Go-To-Market Strategies is a resource center for sales and marketing professionals and business leaders. Our tools, templates, and services help companies achieve big aspirations with limited budgets. More articles and resources available at http://www.gtms-inc.com

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    16 May 2008 at 5:54 pm
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