Talented Marketers Deliver Highly Qualified Leads To The Sales Force

Suspects May Benefit from Your Product But Aren't Ready To Spend Money

A suspect's organization meets your target size, industry and location. They casually peruse various forms of content in a deductive or inductive fashion and perform solo research until willing to speak with you. If you publish high-quality, relevant content, they will remember your company when they're ready to become your prospect. Establish mindshare by asking if you can provide educational information to help with their research. Marketing, contact center and sales reps who conduct preliminary research about the contact and their company will build credibility, earn the right to proceed and set the stage for lead nurturing.

Suspect Sources

1.Inquiries received from various lead sources.

2.Marketing and contact center reps approach members of a targeted list.

3.Field sales reps approach contacts from targeted accounts.

Prospects Recognize A Problem or Opportunity and Need for Change

Prospects will describe their situation, how critical the issue is, and how soon they need to solve it. They have an appropriate role as a decision team member. Prospects will consistently engage with you and respond to CTAs such as downloads and click-thru’s and will return your calls and emails. They may even follow you on social media. They provide information in exchange for your ideas and reciprocate by reviewing and commenting on them. They reveal their buying process. If it’s a meaningful request to talk to others, they will introduce you. By sharing private information about themselves and their business they show confidence in your early relationship and a real interest in discussing how you can add value. They opt in to receive timely, relevant and concise content. This will enhance your credibility. Drip market educational content for early stage prospects and promotional content for later stage prospects. Some prospects will need to be recycled to the suspect stage.

A Marketing Qualified Lead Must Pass Important Tests

An MQL has expressed a well-informed interest in your product or service, a sense of urgency, a budget that meets your expectations and helps you to understand how they will evaluate the results of solving their problem or opportunity. If they describe their needs for quality, timeliness and their perception of value, you will have insight that you can pass along to the sales team that will help them to co-author a win/win proposal. Some MQLs need to be recycled to the prospect stage.

A sales-ready lead is interested in participating in a sales interview with a sales rep. It's now time for the sales rep to convert this SQL to a sales opportunity in their Sales Funnel . Some SQLs need to be recycled to the marketing funnel.