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Add You - Where Are Your Leads Coming From?
Forming methods of ceramics are sometimes classified as wet or dry. Dry forming refers to pressing operations from dry or perhaps damp powders. Wet forming includes slip casting and plastic forming methods. For a review of industrial forming methods see Ceramics: Industrial Processing and Testing by John T. Jones and M. F. Berard, Iowa State University Press.Dry pressing requires that a shape be dimensionally stable after firing. That will occur if the pressing operations are in control and the firing is specified. If a pressed part is oversize after firing, it can be
My recommendation to this company -- and something I’d urge you to consider if you haven’t already -- was to develop a much broader lead source classification system. I recommended they develop methods and rules for classifying leads. Rules and definitions that made sense to everyone (including the accounting department), and provided marketing the information the
For many Americans, an important component of the American Dream is the possibility of hard work turning into financial fortune. The career exploits of such self made magnates like Andrew Carnegie, Lee Iaccoca and Donald Trump are examples for many.The idea of being self-employed appeals to many people who want the possibility of unlimited income, a flexible schedule and perhaps the opportunity to work from home. If you’re one of these people, having the proper training, especially in a growth industry, is very important. Consider these ten courses of study, if you want to b
That’s why I’m surprised when I come across companies selling complex products or services that fail to accurately track their lead sources -- arguably one of the most important pieces in the performance metrics puzzle.
Every lead has a “source” -- something that drove that individual to contact your company. Whether it is a clear, obvious reason -- or a combination of reasons (campaign that led to a Webinar…that led to a white paper…that led to an inquiry) -- if you fail to properly classify the inquiry’s source, you will invariably end up with flawed data. And flawed data can lead to poor marketing decisions.
Of course, many organizations have their campaign information and web request form data automatically fed into their CRM system. But the lion’s share of the leads may still be coming in via incoming calls, direct mail, and outbound telesales -- and that’s where many of the “lead coding” problems occur.
**Are You Properly Tracking Lead Sources?**
I know of a very successful technology company that still clings to an inadequate, overly simplistic lead source tracking system. As leads come in, their inside sales folks are forced to code them with one of only four “source” descriptions:
1. Telesales Outbound
2. Account Executive Outbound
3. Web Lead
4. Customer Referral
The problem with these limited definitions is obvious: There’s no way to account for leads generated through direct mail, email campaigns, trade shows, advertising, press coverage, webinars, or any of the many other marketing vehicles this company employs.
Secondly, this approach mixes the reason a prospective customer made an inquiry (“customer referral,” for example) with the vehicle the lead used to contact the vendor (the vendor’s website). Not a good idea.
When I asked them why they limit their “source” categories to these four, they explained it had something to do with their financial reporting -- not with gathering marketing intelligence (I’m not kidding!). Bottom line: marketing is making budgeting decisions every year based on very limited and misguided information.
My recommendation to this company -- and something I’d urge you to consider if you haven’t already -- was to develop a much broader lead source classification system. I recommended they develop methods and rules for classifying leads. Rules and definitions that made sense to everyone (including the accounting department), and provided marketing the information they
Sophisticated job seekers know and understand that sometime during the interview and hiring process you will be asked to supply references. With this in mind, here are five concepts to focus on in developing your reference list.1. References should be RELEVANT: The worst references are personal in nature. Do not provide your Uncle Charlie, your best friend or any other relatives or acquaintances. Provide references that have worked with you, worked for you, or have directly supervised you. References should be able to explain your specific job duties and responsibilities, ac
Of course, many organizations have their campaign information and web request form data automatically fed into their CRM system. But the lion’s share of the leads may still be coming in via incoming calls, direct mail, and outbound telesales -- and that’s where many of the “lead coding” problems occur.
**Are You Properly Tracking Lead Sources?**
I know of a very successful technology company that still clings to an inadequate, overly simplistic lead source tracking system. As leads come in, their inside sales folks are forced to code them with one of only four “source” descriptions:
1. Telesales Outbound
2. Account Executive Outbound
3. Web Lead
4. Customer Referral
The problem with these limited definitions is obvious: There’s no way to account for leads generated through direct mail, email campaigns, trade shows, advertising, press coverage, webinars, or any of the many other marketing vehicles this company employs.
Secondly, this approach mixes the reason a prospective customer made an inquiry (“customer referral,” for example) with the vehicle the lead used to contact the vendor (the vendor’s website). Not a good idea.
When I asked them why they limit their “source” categories to these four, they explained it had something to do with their financial reporting -- not with gathering marketing intelligence (I’m not kidding!). Bottom line: marketing is making budgeting decisions every year based on very limited and misguided information.
My recommendation to this company -- and something I’d urge you to consider if you haven’t already -- was to develop a much broader lead source classification system. I recommended they develop methods and rules for classifying leads. Rules and definitions that made sense to everyone (including the accounting department), and provided marketing the information the
A command center, sometimes referred to as a war room, can be a competitive differentiator for a business, non-profit or other organization. The key elements for any command center are: centralized location, key personnel, time frames (project, crisis or on-going), mission definition, primary activities and finally, resources as related to organizational commitment. Each on of these points will be outlined below to better portray whether an organization does in fact need a command centerLocation. There are two schools of thought in this area. One is that the command cent
**Are You Properly Tracking Lead Sources?**
I know of a very successful technology company that still clings to an inadequate, overly simplistic lead source tracking system. As leads come in, their inside sales folks are forced to code them with one of only four “source” descriptions:
1. Telesales Outbound
2. Account Executive Outbound
3. Web Lead
4. Customer Referral
The problem with these limited definitions is obvious: There’s no way to account for leads generated through direct mail, email campaigns, trade shows, advertising, press coverage, webinars, or any of the many other marketing vehicles this company employs.
Secondly, this approach mixes the reason a prospective customer made an inquiry (“customer referral,” for example) with the vehicle the lead used to contact the vendor (the vendor’s website). Not a good idea.
When I asked them why they limit their “source” categories to these four, they explained it had something to do with their financial reporting -- not with gathering marketing intelligence (I’m not kidding!). Bottom line: marketing is making budgeting decisions every year based on very limited and misguided information.
My recommendation to this company -- and something I’d urge you to consider if you haven’t already -- was to develop a much broader lead source classification system. I recommended they develop methods and rules for classifying leads. Rules and definitions that made sense to everyone (including the accounting department), and provided marketing the information the
More than ever before, 2007 will demand of most companies the ability to achieve measurable results that are specific to profitability, growth, cost containment and operational effectiveness. Of course, none of this will be possible without leadership and organizational change.This challenge will become a common theme in 2007 that will go uncompromised by the potential market gymnastics that we are likely to face. Without a doubt, success in 2007 will be directly dependent upon both individual and team performance. More importantly however, is the driving force that creates
Secondly, this approach mixes the reason a prospective customer made an inquiry (“customer referral,” for example) with the vehicle the lead used to contact the vendor (the vendor’s website). Not a good idea.
When I asked them why they limit their “source” categories to these four, they explained it had something to do with their financial reporting -- not with gathering marketing intelligence (I’m not kidding!). Bottom line: marketing is making budgeting decisions every year based on very limited and misguided information.
My recommendation to this company -- and something I’d urge you to consider if you haven’t already -- was to develop a much broader lead source classification system. I recommended they develop methods and rules for classifying leads. Rules and definitions that made sense to everyone (including the accounting department), and provided marketing the information the
There is a lot on the internet about starting your own medical transcription business and that is a wonderful idea! But did you know you can work from home as an employee?Many people do not want to have to contact doctors and hospitals to obtain their own clients. This is why being an employee is so attractive. It is sometimes difficult to get your own clients if you live in smaller cities or rural areas. There usually isn't much employment at all in rural and smaller areas without commuting a good distance to find work.If you are an experienced transcriptionist a
My recommendation to this company -- and something I’d urge you to consider if you haven’t already -- was to develop a much broader lead source classification system. I recommended they develop methods and rules for classifying leads. Rules and definitions that made sense to everyone (including the accounting department), and provided marketing the information they need to make better decisions.
**4 Steps to Improving Source Tracking**
Here are some suggestions on how you can improve the tracking of your lead sources:
* Hold a meeting. Make sure to include at least one account executive or outside rep in the discussion, besides your telesales/inside sales team. They may help provide a different perspective on source definitions.
* Brainstorm a list of every possible lead source you can think of. Don’t judge any suggestion yet. At this point you’re simply trying to generate a thorough list of possible sources.
* Narrow the list down to a manageable number of categories. For example, if you typically exhibit at both, trade shows and conventions, you may decide to combine these categories into “trade exhibits”.
* Agree on the rules for classifying inquiries. Tracking lead sources is not always as clear-cut as it may appear. For example, a trade show could have generated a warm inquiry that never materialized. Yet, because of your lead nurturing program (email, telesales, and direct mail, for example), you were able to “revive” this prospect into a true opportunity 8 months later.
How would you classify it the second time around? You may decide to use the last vehicle that triggered the interest (direct mail, for example), or you may want to give full credit to the trade show that sparked the initial inquiry. Or maybe even split the credit between the two. The important thing is to get complete agreement from your team as to how leads will be classified, and to stick to your agreed-upon rules when classifying.
When you properly code incoming leads, you end up with more accurate data. That means you’ll have a better grasp of what’s working and what’s not, and will be in a position to make more effective marketing decisions.
© Copyright 2005, Ed Gandia. All Rights Reserved.
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