Developing Prospects. Driving Revenue

The First Friday ReportTM

Dan McDade

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Recent Posts

Take 3 Minutes to Learn 3 Truths about Sales Lead Generation

Posted by Dan McDade Nov 1, 2013 9:45:00 AM

PowerMinute: 60 Second Learnings To Help You Sell More

    • Need up-to-the-minute info on the importance of lead definition?
    • Appreciate a reminder of the impact of the human voice in successful selling?
    • Want a quick tip to help boost marketing ROI—and sell more too?

 

 

 




For 60-second learnings on these and other hot sales lead management issues, tune to the newly introduced PowerMinute videos.

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Tags: Lead Generation, Sales Training, Increase Sales

Close 5X More Deals

Posted by Dan McDade Sep 13, 2013 9:50:00 AM

Building the Case for Marketing Optimization

Organizations that optimize sales and marketing achieve kickass results by doing just three things well.

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Tags: Marketing & Sales Alignment, Sales Process, Marketing Strategy

Building a Sales Team Takes More Than You Think

Posted by Dan McDade Aug 2, 2013 10:56:00 AM

Experience, Training and Pay are Only Half the Story 

Building a successful sales force is not as straightforward as many believe. Most sales executives will tell you it involves three fundamental steps: Hire the best-qualified candidates; train them; and compensate for results.

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Tags: Sales Process, Sales Training

Long-Term Leads Demand Attention Now

Posted by Dan McDade Jul 12, 2013 10:00:00 AM

Near-Term Opportunities are Important, But So is Keeping the Pipeline Full

Your sales team likes nothing better than getting leads with a high probability of closing soon. So much so that many reps often ignore every lead they don’t consider hot.

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Tags: Lead Generation, B2B Marketing, B2B Sales, Lead Management

Scoping Qualified Prospects for B2B Lead Generation: Shotgun or Laser?

Posted by Dan McDade Apr 5, 2013 1:00:00 AM

A shotgun blast impacts a widely affected and less targeted area, while a laser beam is precise and accurate to its aim. Both have their place in sales and marketing. Which style works best for qualified lead generation and provides a lower cost per lead?

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Tags: B2B Marketing, B2B Sales, Lead Qualification, Inbound Marketing

How to connect your B2B content to a prospect’s buying stage

Posted by Dan McDade Mar 1, 2013 1:00:00 AM

With many B2B buying cycles often extending several months, maintaining a consistent and relevant communication flow with pipeline prospects is essential toward meeting sales goals. Having relevant messages ready to address prospects’ questions and problems grows a pipeline and boosts lead nurturing. Whether your prospective buyer discovers your business solution through inbound search, an email campaign or shared during an outbound sales call, the varied messaging should provoke and educate the prospective buyer.

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Tags: Lead Generation, Marketing & Sales Alignment, Lead Nurturing

Why Sales Needs Fewer Leads

Posted by Dan McDade Feb 1, 2013 1:00:00 AM

Welcome to the February 2013 issue of the First Friday Report.

In sales and marketing we are all looking for ways to generate more leads. It's likely a daily discussion for most of us, but have you ever considered that your sales reps need fewer leads—or more accurately, fewer raw, unfiltered, unqualified leads. Sales reps need leads that have been carefully qualified, properly and consistently nurtured and appropriately developed increasing the likelihood of a completed sale.

We have a software client whose marketing representative proudly stated that they had driven 9,000 leads to sales the prior twelve months. The VP of Sales, however, expressed that he had received “zero leads.” So we ran some tests and found that inbound leads from one particular source were netting one qualified lead per 100 raw leads generated. What chance do you think there is that a busy sales rep would follow-up on 100 raw leads to generate one qualified lead? Your answer should be zero to none.

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Tags: Lead Generation, B2B Sales, Lead Qualification

Announcing the ALL NEW First Friday Report

Posted by Dan McDade Jan 11, 2013 1:00:00 AM

Welcome to the January 2013 issue of the First Friday Report.

With folks taking time off during the holiday season to enjoy family and  friends I decided to send this month's First Friday Report today—the Second Friday.

The First Friday Report started in the summer of 2010 as a curated list of resources and ideas to help you fill your sales pipeline. Since then, our issues have featured dozens of great resources—ranging from books to podcasts to infographics—about converting your prospects into substantial opportunities.

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Tags: B2B Telemarketing, Lead Generation, Database Marketing, Demand Generation