Lead Generation

To generate revenue more predictably and profitably, when marketing, sales, and finance work together, close ratios rise and the cost of sales decrease.

Did you know that, on average, over 80% of the leads that marketing passes to sales are not followed up on in companies today? Or that marketing often underestimates the importance of sales force input — and that only 17% of B2B marketers queried were confident their CFOs understood the value of lead generation programs? Given the challenges of today’s B2B selling environment, with its expanding purchase cycles and multiple decision makers, this is no time for divergent departmental agendas. Protocol is uniquely positioned to provide end-to-end integrated lead generation solutions that keep marketing, sales, and finance aligned for the common good: more predictable and profitable revenue for your company.

There’s a reason why salespeople ignore the marketing department. Rather than receiving qualified, sales-ready leads — prospects who match pre-determined criteria and have been "prepared to be sold" with lead nurturing activities — they’re often given inquiries who have simply raised their hands for additional information. To bridge the gap, marketing and sales must first agree on the definition of a “qualified lead.” Then, marketing puts processes in place to hand over nothing but qualified leads.

With a salesperson’s time costing upwards of $3,800 an hour, it’s clear why enabling your sales force to focus on "golden moments" by providing only qualified sales-ready leads is critical. To that end, your salespeople must "close the loop" by updating marketing on the ever-changing nuances of your ideal customers and their buying processes — plus sharing what happened to the leads they were given.

Successful organizations use these learnings to continually optimize lead nurturing programs, increasing conversion rates while lowering costs.

Many financial executives view marketing as a cost center versus an asset that generates revenue. Many also believe salespeople get orders through persistence and luck rather than with marketing’s help. Yet by closing the feedback loop, you can finally demonstrate a true Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI) to your CFO — to prove marketing’s contribution to revenue generation and justify further investment.

Marketing can continue to support sales even after the lead has closed — by alerting existing customers to new products and services, identifying additional prospects within the company, and conducting other sales coverage activities to grow accounts. At the whopping cost of $3,800 an hour, do you really want your salespeople cold calling at any stage of the process?

Given the relationship between marketing, sales and finance at your company (or lack of one), what strategies and tactics will generate qualified, salesready leads for you? That’s just one of many questions our in-depth assessment will answer. We’ll conduct a comprehensive discovery session, create a diagnostic scorecard, and provide strategic recommendations and follow-up consulting — at no expense.