For development and growth businesses need to generate leads. Consumer base and sales development are impossible without leads. Leads are those businesses or people who are identified as possible clients. You can classify them as people who would possibly find value in using your brand.
B2B leads are of two types
- Marketing-qualified leads [MQL] – Leads estimated to become paying customers.
- Sales-qualified leads [SQL] – Leads ready for engagement with the sales team.
Look for reliable online B2B lead generation agencies like Improve & Grow that can help B2B models find and nurture leads successfully. Lead generation does not mean straight away selling.
Different elements are comprised in the lead generation process. The lead nurturing process includes the following someone after they are approached once. The lead qualification process determines if someone is suitable to do business with.
Who handles the B2B lead generation process?
B2B lead generation management is handled by the sales & marketing team. Both teams need to align closely for the efficiency of the lead generation process.
Sales
The sales team is categorized into two groups.
- SDRs or Sales Development Representatives – The group handles lead sourcing, engaging, and making appointments.
- BDMs or Business Development Managers – The group conducts demos, closes deals, and generates revenue.
The benefits of this approach are –
- SDRs create a solid pipeline for BDMs to take action.
- Each employee concentrates on their single responsibility and masters in their roles.
- Consistent hitting target increases the chances of the SDR to gain promotion to BDM.
Marketing
There are two marketers categories, whose work can overlap but the marketing approach differs.
- Demand generation marketers – The group studies the whole lead generation revenue progression. They aim to nurture leads by making them customers and finally a promoter of your business.
- Growth hackers – The group generates quick revenue growth with less expense. Their approach is more experimental and the activities undertaken are less scalable.
Both groups work distinctively but depend on data analysis and testing for a successful lead generation process.
How B2B lead generation process is conducted?
Several activities are incorporated in the form of B2B lead generation strategies.
Sales
B2B outbound process includes –
- Cold calling
- Outbound emails
- Social marketing
- Combination of all the above techniques
The SDRs use the above techniques to make appointments and BDMs perform the demo.
Marketing
Marketers leverage several techniques to leverage the generated leads.
- Content marketing – Publish valuable and relevant content in the form of blogs, webinars, eBooks, videos, and podcasts.
- Account-based marketing – Create a personalized marketing pitch suitable to specific leads or companies.
- Growth hacking – To create demand free tools, contests, and incentives are set up.
The technique to use will depend on where the potential customer is in the marketing funnel.
Lead generation is done correctly helps to establish consistent cash flow and steady ROI. Consistent cash flow means you are always translating, clicks and visitors into sales conversion and closed deals.
B2B lead generation is an activity for the sales & marketing teams, so ensure that they are in synch with appropriate technology.
