How to overcome the marketing-sales gap and how the latest technologies help you close more deals with minimal effort.

From a marketing perspective, we are looking for ways to close or alleviate the marketing-sales gap. The problem is that we are not making a distinction from a 1 O’clock lead (long term close lead and an 11 O’clock lead (the short term, quick close). A lead that closes tomorrow or one that closes in six months are both valid leads. Sales does make the distinction. They want the quick close leads and tend to abandon the long term close leads.

Studies have shown that 85% to 90% of your prospects do not close immediately. Many won’t close for 6th months or more. 95% of all sales reps stop contacting a prospect after the 3rd attempt to get the sales process moving forward. 75% of all sales are made after the 4th contact with the prospect.
Large companies with big budgets and long term strategies get this. They can afford to wait and often times do. This is one competitive advantage they use over their smaller rivals. They can collect and nurture leads for long periods of time.

Your average sales agent and sales team are under constant pressure to perform to make their monthly quota. What usually ends up happening is that the long term leads get dropped in favor of the low hanging fruit. These turtle leads get called infrequently if at all after a few weeks. The sales manager might send an email or two every other month. This haphazard approach to lead management typically leads to a situation where the sales agent warms up the buyer only to be closed by a third party.


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