To really do well with Internet leads you have to do a number of things right. You need to have the right personal, the right lead management process, the right leads, proper tracking and analytics, the right re-marketing campaigns, and slew of other things. With this is mind do you really need to know exactly where the leads are coming from?
As a lead buyer I wanted to know how the leads were being generated, where they were being generated and how many times they were being sold. Today, lead buyers are expressing the same concerns within their conversations about transparency. This is the same discussion that I mentioned last week and it has been going on for years and years. After I wrote last weeks post I sent a quick note to friend Bill Rice:
Before I show you what Bill’s response was let me share a little history with you. I started this blog a little over 3 years ago and the first person who noticed and acknowledged the blog was Bill Rice. He was one of the first lead gen bloggers and CEO’s to really understand the power of social media. He still remains on the leading edge of lead generation, lead management and social media. Lets put it this way, he has been around the block a few times when it comes to lead management.
With that said, here was his response to my post last week.
lol, and I still get a chuckle when I read this tweet, but isn’t he right? When it comes down to it, isn’t it all about lead management and ROI? Is the transparency discussion just a red herring to poor lead management? Aside from knowing how your brand is being represented, does it really matter how your leads are being generated?
I don’t want to sit here and ask a ton of rhetorical questions, but really. When it comes down to being profitable with online leads and all the things that need to be done right to show just the smallest profits margins, shouldn’t we being having more passionate discussions about lead scoring, pricing, and analytics rather then transparency?
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Thanks for the reference. You caught me right after working with a client…frustrations can run high with sales people (I count myself in that crowd) sometimes.
We work a lot with B2B clients selling high price points, with amazingly capable and sophisticated lead nurturing programs. A lot more sophistication and quality control goes into these leads than the average mortgage, education, or debt lead. To be fair they can afford it, based on ROI. And you still get the lead quality canard from sales.
Focus on the sales process–hone it to precision, measure it. Then bad leads and marketing practices will stick out like sore thumbs. Then your decision is simple: cut it or pay less.
Until then you will be frustrated with marketing and they will be frustrated with sales.
For what it’s worth, I feel that the key in transparency is for the lead-buyer to see what the experience of the lead was like before they landed in your inbox. This can help in framing the first call, organizing the first email, etc. Something as simple as surfing around on the web page(s) from which the leads were harvested can be plenty.
What other topics are left when it comes to internet leads/online lead generation? After three years I think you’ve hit on everything that matters to generation and conversion. The internet lead business needs a Tiger Woods story just to provide new entertainment. Keep the gossip alive. Good to hear from you Bill.
We have covered a lot here in 3 years and believe me I struggle with repetition and duplication of topics, but these topics still persist in the industry and are far from resolved, so I guess they will continue to be raised.
And believe me, I do love the industry gossip and so do the readers!
Got anything for me Noel?
Tiger Woods is playing in the Masters and was dressed up in Nike outfits the other day!
@John
I do believe there is value in knowing how a lead was generated, however I wonder if some buyers have gotten a little carried away and our overlooking things they can have direct affect on.