Lead Scoring and B2B Enterprises in 2011
Gartner, a leading research firm, has found that, “By converting segmentation criteria into business rules how leads are rated, or scored, providers see an immediate boost in lead volume and lead quality.” Gartner research director Richard Fouts is of the opinion that “segmentation helps vendors form communities around customers with common interests, which is critical if providers want to take advantage of using social media to create buzz in their target verticals.” This is why an emphasis on lead scoring can never be underestimated. Lead scoring helps measure sales readiness aspects for potential prospects and assists sales and marketing automation teams across B2B enterprises in judging their prospects’ situations in the buying lifecycle.
A typical way to measure if a lead scoring technique is actually working for your enterprise is to firstly categorize the enterprise’s objectives and its potential customers. Leads can be of two broad types — a lead that is going to stay with you for the long haul or a short lead that may not last long if not nurtured properly. The short lead is a prospect who is interested in making decisions instantly. The long term lead is actually a prospect that could provide B2B enterprises with greater business, and therefore it is important to engage this prospect with care. A consistent lead generation software is essential for any lead technique to succeed. An optimized database can be of immense assistance in the progress of the lead management process.
When leads are managed effectively, they can ensure that the enterprise does not actually require a steady flow of new leads. The idea is to nurture old leads and ensure they are well looked after. B2B lead scoring techniques are increasingly being used by marketing teams across enterprises since they can now directly gauge the actual effectiveness of what is working with their potential clients and what fails to charm them. Furthermore, since they offer real-time updates, reaction times have also become faster. Automated lead scoring techniques employed by enterprises these days come with the additional focus on enhanced analysis of prospects. Therefore the onus is to analyze prospects and then chart out ways and means to build on such analysis to help nurture leads effectively.
Social media witnessed a boom last year, and this year will be no different. Social media will continue to play a significant role in B2B lead scoring methodologies and techniques. Enterprises would do good to pay heed to the changes that efficient lead scoring techniques can bring about to their sales enablement initiatives.