Consistent and smoothly functioning lead management poses major challenges for manufacturers and their sales partners. Media disruptions, slow processing and the disregard of potential customers' wishes can lead to problems. Be it in distribution, misunderstandings in communication or missed opportunities to generate successful conversions. If the leads are not processed into marketing qualified leads and contain incomplete and unclear information, there is a risk that external sales partners will not follow them up.
It is extremely important to filter out high-quality leads. If leads turn out to be a complete waste of time, partner companies will avoid the effort of following up on the generated leads in the future. The objective of manufacturers must be to continuously provide sales partners with well-structured, complete and high-quality leads.
Manufacturers and sales partners - regardless of whether they rely on cost-saving inbound marketing or resource-intensive outbound marketing to generate leads - have to deal with numerous problems. Disagreements between the marketing and sales departments are a classic example. Difficulties in lead management often revolve around the following points:
Leads are generated on various analog and digital channels. At the point of sale in stores, the website, social media platforms, recommendation programs in app form as well as customer service, and many more are sources for collecting contact data and wishes of potential customers.
Depending on the channel, the scope of the form, and the duration of the conversation with employees, the leads differ in their scope and the accuracy of the data.
If leads are collected as part of a competition, it may be difficult to filter out serious purchase intentions. Leads collected at B2B and B2C trade fairs and based on personal contacts between potential customers and employees contain precise information that can be used to start a successful sales pitch.
How far the path to a successful conversion is depends, among other things, on the complexity of the products and services offered, the speed of processing and the sales skills of the sales partners. Standardized data collection processes in lead management ensure a uniform database. It is the manufacturer's task to define standards and communicate these within their own company and sales network.
While leads used to be laboriously prepared by hand, digitalization makes the collection process easier. Through digital marketing measures - such as SEO and SEA activities and Social Media - a prospective customer is able to inquire about the product range, current offers and customization options anonymously and without time pressure.
The challenge for employees in marketing and customer service is to provide potential customers with a sufficient number of analog and digital touchpoints on all relevant channels in order to manage the customer journey automatically. If the first personal contact is made with the manufacturing company and a lead is generated, in the majority of cases there is a concrete intention to buy. On average, around 60 percent of the purchase process has already been successfully completed.
In order for sales partners to be able to react quickly, it is important to pass on all promising sales leads immediately in digital form and ensure that they are processed quickly. If there are delays - due to media disruptions, for example - there is a risk that a certain customer will react with disappointment. As a result, they may switch to the competition out of protest or frustration at poor lead management.
Creating a common database for consistent lead management solves many of the problems faced by manufacturers and sales partners. The scope of the shared data must cover the entire customer journey, including the individual touchpoints and a precise assessment by the manufacturer.
Building a modern lead management system requires an investment in suitable digital processes and tools.
In order to create functioning cross-company processes, marketing and sales or manufacturers and sales partners must jointly define central points. The generation of marketing qualified leads remains on the manufacturer side. Customized scoring and rating algorithms enable a precise assessment of the leads on both sides. The reward for the joint commitment is the opportunity to scale the generation of leads and conversions and thus generate measurably stronger growth.
Another advantage of a shared database is the feedback from sales partners on what has happened with the leads. If a marketing qualified lead or sales lead has decided to buy from the competition, action is required. The collaboration reveals weaknesses in marketing and sales processes. In addition, the lead can be used to sell further products and to follow up again after the end of the usage period or contract term. If the sales partner - with the support of the manufacturer - offers more attractive conditions and better service, there is a chance of a successful conversion in a renewed sales dialog.
Only if the data exchange between manufacturers and sales partners functions smoothly is it possible to measure the contributions of the manufacturer's marketing to sales success and uncover optimization potential. If the influence of marketing on the achievement of economic objectives in sales can be measured, the acceptance of the marketing department and its activities increases. The positive development of cooperation is the basis for growth and the establishment of successful inbound marketing with a solid base of existing customers.