The Importance and Process of Updating Lead Status
Sales and marketing. A match made in heaven.
Of course, like any relationship, the relationship between marketing and sales requires hard work and good communication. One of the most important areas of contact between these departments is lead status feedback from the sales team.
What is “lead status?” Lead status is simply an abstract way to describe your team’s relationship with a lead. Updating lead status involves assigning a category such as “open,” “attempting contact,” “disqualified,” or “sales qualified.”
When sales professionals devote time and energy to updating a lead’s status, everybody wins. Maintaining a current and accurate database helps the sales team identify areas of strengths and opportunities for continued training.
From a marketing perspective, the insight gathered from lead status data is invaluable. In a marketing department’s mission to generate relevant leads, continuous improvement is imperative. This data informs the direction of marketing messaging, and drives a constant process of perfecting lead scoring techniques (you can learn more about lead scoring with this helpful infographic).
So how can you make this alignment happen?
The first step is making sure that marketing and sales departments are united behind a shared vision and set of goals. A holistic definition of success is the foundation for first-class alignment. Make sure marketers are aware of any monthly or quarterly expectations for sales professionals; likewise, sales professionals should be aware of the marketing team’s long-term brand-building aspirations. A common definition of qualified leads is essential.
Of course, mutual awareness isn’t quite enough. Develop a formalized communication process to create a constant stream of information between sales and marketing. Make sure the process of updating a lead’s status is quick, simple, and intuitive; don’t make your sales team jump through hoops to provide feedback. Finally, make sure you choose the right technology for this process. The best systems will minimize the amount of “busy work” required to keep lead statuses up-to-date.
Ultimately, it’s about keeping your team happy, your sales funnel full, and your brand strong. If you’re looking to improve your sales and marketing process, NuGrowth Solutions can help. To find out how, contact the NuGrowth team at 800-966-3051 or fill out a contact form and we will be in touch.
Author: Danny Kear
Danny writes infographics, emails, and other content for NuGrowth Digital clients. He applies his background in marketing and communications to craft content that illuminates the quality and value of the client’s brand.
