Lead Generation: Qualifying Leads Through Surveys
Increasing lead generation success is a top priority for nearly half of marketers in the U.S
. The challenge, however, is to qualify them and know which leads are ready to convert to sales. This article will provide you with information about qualifying leads through surveys so that you can increase your ROI by delivering only sales-ready leads.
Spending too much time with people who cannot or will not buy is one of the top reasons sales people falter. That means improving your sales team's performance is as simple as having a steady source of good leads. Easier said than done, you might think. Or is it?
"Gauging the Cost of What's Lost" is a study that suggests companies may be good at generating large volumes of business leads, but most prospects fizzle because sales is focused solely on closing the most promising and qualified short-term opportunities. According to the study, 73 percent of respondents say their company has no process for re-qualifying business leads.
In today's economy, it is more important than ever to attract new business and move leads through a qualification process. By qualifying your leads through surveys, you can cut down on the resources you've been wasting while chasing bad leads, and instead, generate qualified leads that are ready to take the next step in your sales process.
You see, every lead is different. Some of them may have already completed their due diligence and are ready to jump in; others may simply be searching for information and need to be nurtured into a true lead. That is why the first step in creating a lead generation survey is to define it with questions that qualify leads in different categories (i.e. hot leads, cold leads, bad leads, etc.). This act will allow your most qualified leads to get flagged for immediate follow-up, while the lesser qualified leads can fall into lower priority sales funnels.
For many businesses, lead generation starts with simple information, such as name, email address, and phone number. Unfortunately for some, the survey stops there. With lead generation surveys, however, you can qualify your leads and get much more information for your sales team. In addition to obtaining basic contact information, you can start to qualify your leads with targeted questions that will help you define where they are in your sales process.
When designing your survey, it's best to keep your format very simple. Why? Well, the first reason is that most people shy away from completing a long questionnaire. If they are only asked a few questions on the page, your chances of receiving a complete survey are higher. A one-page questionnaire with a limited number of questions, really no more than 3 in addition to the basic contact information, is ideal. In some cases, there may be a need to collect more info and in this instance, a multi-phase approach should be used with a second survey deployed later in the process.
Remember to keep it simple - don't let your leads abandon your survey. Two or three simple questions on the first page will allow your prospects to identify themselves. Even if they choose not to complete the survey, they can be funneled into a "soft" marketing campaign (i.e. a monthly newsletter). Those prospects that choose to complete the entire questionnaire will identify themselves as higher priority leads as they provide more targeted information.
One last thing, it is highly recommended to include some type of offer that gives the prospect an incentive to complete the survey. This will give you an even greater chance of capturing leads and lead to greater results. While not all people who complete the survey will be the right prospects right now, you'll still get enough information for a soft lead - the offer is simply compensating them for the time that the sales person did not take to qualify them.
Surveys can be a powerful tool for qualifying leads if they're done well. Identify your lead categories and design a multi-page process to increase better qualified prospects. By doing this, your sales team will become more efficient and successful.
by: Ted Raymond
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