James Obermayer, founder of the Sales Lead Management Association, recently spoke with SLMA Radio program host Paul Roberts on how lack of a sales lead management process hampers company growth.

Following are highlights of the interview.

JO: If you've got 10 or 12 departments, and you've got 15 different software programs that this inquiry is going through, and you've got artificial intelligence spitting out results all along the way, someone has to figure out what that process is going to be and the piece that each process involves.

PR: If a company has not defined how inquiries will be handled and addressed, whatever you're spending on marketing is kind of a waste.

JO: A couple of months ago we had Michael Alexander, one of our advisers, on our blog, and he's the one who made the statement, "Those companies without a sales process aren't running a business. They're running a lottery." That's what it amounts to.

JO: So, the first thing [you've] got to [do is] define what a sales lead is.

PR: Today's takeaways whatever your definition [is] of "qualified," share it with everybody. 

Listen to the entire interview for more information on the importance of sales lead processes.