For several of our clients, June 1 is the end of their third quarter, closing in on the final chapter of their fiscal year. Together we review the metrics for past programs to determine necessary tweaks that would positively impact the end of the year, but also to identify what we need to focus on for their next fiscal year.

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In this Web 3.0 marketing world, with all the latest lead generation and qualification technologies, I’m often asked if b2b telemarketing is still relevant. My answer is an enthusiastic, “Yes!” In fact, telemarketing continues to play a vital role in our client’s lead management programs, with proven success. And according to Marketing Sherpa’s 2011 B2B Benchmark report, 86% of marketers are maintaining or growing their telemarketing investment.

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The simple fact is that prospects aren’t always ready to buy when you are ready to sell.  On average, a prospect will not purchase a good or service until they have been exposed to a marketing message multiple times. This is the basis behind nurturing. Nurturing can take a relatively cold lead and turn it into a warm / hot lead simply by providing relevant information over a period of time to prospects who initially raised their hands. With effective nurturing, companies can convert up to 30 percent more leads if they follow these important tips:

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The term “sales-ready” is heard frequently in the B2B response management arena lately. Studies show that making a lead sales-ready will dramatically increase your overall close rate from the same flow of leads, and dramatically enhance the level of engagement and responsiveness from your sales force or channel partners. So, what makes a lead “sales-ready”?

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In the March issue of Harvard Business Review, you’ll find an interesting article called “The Short Life of Online Sales Leads.” It references some recent research into the length of time companies are taking to answer online queries from prospects. The research shows that 23% of companies NEVER respond to online requests at all.

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Read Beth Albright’s post on how to take care of your internal customers and why it’s so important.

Don’t miss out on your best brand advocate – your employees.

Marketing teams complain, “We generate so many leads for the sales team, but no one follows up on them!” Sales teams complain, “The leads we get from marketing aren’t good opportunities!”  We hear these complaints a lot as we work with new clients. There can be many reasons for the disconnect, but the first step to solving it is a commitment to better communication between the two teams.

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Developing sales reps into effective and productive new business-generation “machines” is an ongoing challenge. In my opinion, the key to good management is, first of all, having good data in order to make decisions.

Whether your sales team consists of direct reps, manufacturing reps or distributors, the following list includes the basic reports that should be available for you to review the activity and results of each and every team member:

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A lot of marketing time and money is spent generating leads. And these leads often go directly to the sales team for follow up. If the leads don’t immediately turn into sales, the complaints start flying. Marketing generally complains that the sales team doesn’t follow up quickly and effectively, and sales generally complains that the leads aren’t worth the effort. And management is left to wonder why this is so difficult to resolve.

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A colleague contacted me the other day and asked if I had observed any shift in the market of B2B companies moving from indirect to direct sales.

The short answer to his question is yes.

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