A lot of books and blog posts have been written on the importance of implementing a universal lead definition. Yet, it’s not evident to find a ‘how to’ build one.
Discuss and take the decision with the involvement of people from sales, marketing and management to come up with your specific universal lead definition. A good universal lead definition should consist of 5 levels. Example:
Level 1:
A response from an individual to a marketing campaign or someone who has taken proactive steps to demonstrate interest in your message or solution.
Level 2:
A meaningful interaction (phone or e-mail) with an individual meeting the requirements of a fully qualified company. Thus the company belonging to one of your market segments.
Level 3:
Level 2 + the individual demonstrates a specific need for, and interest in, your offering.
Level 4:
Level 3 + the individual is in the process of defining requirements for a solution such as you can offer.
Level 5:
Level 4 + the individual is a key-contact in the decision making process. Add Buying-Clock™ time past 6 o’clock for those people already using the Buying-Clock.
I deliberately did not mention a defined timeline for the purchase and budget availability in level 5 as these are part of long debates in companies when going thru the process of building a universal lead definition. There is no need for those 2 elements, in my point of view, as long as the key-contact admits a pain (problem) on KPI level. (i.e. VP marketing: too low ROI on marketing investments) This is the definition of 6 o’clock on the Buying-Clock. The mental buying phase should be the key driver in deciding next steps. Elements such a strategic account or not, size of the company and type of solution will determine whether or not it is time to have a meeting with a sales rep. This type of lead allows you to have a pro-active approach and influence the requirements before the market research phase is started. This is the moment when the key-contact has a budget available and will start contacting multiple vendors for comparison.
Good luck in your process of defining and implementing a universal lead definition. Remember to make sure that the lead definition is well communicated to all concerned.
It is interesting to analyze the difference in content/structure between a Universal Lead Definition in a Complex Sale environment and that same definition in a Competitive Selling environment.
The great difference lies in rentability characteristics which should be included in the ULD of a Competitive Selling environment. These are characteristics giving an answer to the question “What needs to be the minimal sales potential of a qualified lead (given the average conversion rate), in order for my sales team to achieve their sales targets?”. Or simplified: “if my sales team can’t sell for at least €1000, the lead shouldn’t be send to them in the first place.”
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