Much has been written in the last few years about the dramatic shift in how technology buyers educate themselves about new solutions. Once very dependent on sales professionals for the majority of the education process, buyers are now using search techniques, email, blogs, video, webinars, and social media for this process.
However, according to B2B marketing research firm DemandGen Report, 77% of buyers do not follow a traditional buying path which means their online actions or digital behavior may not accurately indicate where they are in the buying process.
That’s a compelling reason to integrate human touch points into your lead-to-close process. In combination with marketing automation (and other multi-channel strategies), the live touch plays a key role in lead life cycle management, directly impacting marketing performance. The live touch makes significant contributions in the following areas:
- Prospect Qualification
- Relationship Development
- Collection of Business Intelligence
- Ensuring Optimal Email Coverage, and
- Enhancing Data Quality
Over the next few weeks, we will review each of these areas. Today, let’s look at how the collection of business intelligence impacts marketing performance.
Business Intelligence Collection
Collection of business intelligence and integration of that intelligence into the client’s MA or CRM tools is critical to the lead nurturing process. Information garnered through outbound calling and Internet research will enhance your messaging, content development, and touch calendar, guiding your lead nurturing scoring strategies.
The type of BI collected will vary by industry, the solution, and the target contact. Through outbound calling, marketers learn about competitive solutions in place, relevant contract expiration dates, the current IT environment and its limitations, and future plans, as well as identification and validation of decision-makers and influencers of the buying process.
Marketers can clarify their understanding of the specific business pains and needs their solution will address, providing the sales team with an in-depth profile of each actionable lead.
