Time for a New Approach to Lead Generation

As lead generation is the genesis of all sales and most sales people say it is a real barrier to them selling more, a new approach is required.

Indeed, 9 out of 10 managers say their sales people are not meeting enough potential customers – making it the number one barrier to accelerating sales growth. Little wonder it keeps appearing in this blog (click on the labels panel to view more on the subject)!

Most sales people are still responsible for generating the majority of their sales leads, and once contacts and referrals run out, they struggle.

Our research shows that, in most companies, less than 20% of leads are generated by marketing activities, with surprisingly high levels of dependence on cold calling. Amazingly only a minority measure marketing in terms of leads generated.

Something as important as lead generation needs to be put on a firmer footing. It should not just be part of the reps job description, but an integral part of the entire organizations sales and marketing plans, structures, etc.

If something is so hard (as lead generation is for most reps) then there must be something wrong with the way it is being approached. Instead of leaving it to individual sales people and to cold calling; there needs to be a more planned, structured and systematic approach to lead generation.