I have an admission that might be considered embarrassing and inappropriate to the uninitiated few. I have fervor for creating and deploying campaigns that generate leads. I have considered careers in other less stressful and less results-driven careers, but I have to be honest-I have a fervor and the only prescription is more cow bell – ah, I mean more leads.

When I tell my friends or acquaintances that I live-to-generate-qualified-leads, I get a blank-stare. The usual response is, “generate what?”

So I don’t do this for fame, but for the simple pleasure I receive of watching a sales pipeline grow.

So how do I feed-my-need to pack-the-pipeline?

Step 1 – Set Goals: Set goals based on business and program objectives

Step 2 -Verify KPIs: Meet with stake-holders, verify requirements and KPI’s

Step 3 – Prepare Plan: Design the demand generation go-to-market strategy, identify target segments/audiences, research/test/select reach methods, develop compelling offers, design effective and compelling call-to-action offers

Step 4 – Create Content: Mobilize key creative and content experts, develop and deliver creative and content

Step 5 – Design Follow-up: Design lead follow-up and qualification processes

Step 6 – Agree on follow-up: Meet with key stakeholders to verify the follow-up approach and commitments

Step 7 – Measure results: Measure and communicate results

However, presenting a solid lead generation program starts with a revenue FORECAST.

That is crazy thinking!

What self-respecting marketing person offers up a forecast? Apparently, this one.

Once you have a track record of lead generation results that includes deals closed you can show the following data:

The number of leads generated resulted in a number of leads converted to marketing qualified, which converted into a number of leads sales qualified, of which a percentage converted to opportunities. A percentage of those opportunities closed, with an average deal size of a $ amount.

Now calculate all of the marketing expenses to create, deploy and manage that campaign and subtract that number from the deals closed. Well now you have the data that allows you to show your ROI and then build forecast models for your lead generation programs.

Imagine how much easier it will be to rationalize your budget when you can forecast your results?

How powerful will you be when you can walk into the CFO’s office and present this statement for your programs: “This set of lead generation programs will generate 500,000 leads, which will convert to 20,000 deals, at an average deal size of $10K in Q4 for a total of $200M. With a profit margin of 60%, minus the cost, we’ll have an ROI of 58.9%.

Now you can get your CFO on your side when you start talking crazy. Pretty soon he/she will be asking for more cow bell…I mean more leads!

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