BMA Atl Recap: Dan McDade on B2B Marketing & Sales Leads

Dan McDade, president and CEO of PointClear spoke at the BMA Atlanta luncheon on March 10 at Maggiano’s. The author of The Truth About Leads addressed the group of B2B marketers (ironically half sales, half marketing) about his philosophy for achieving marketing and sales alignment. He began by sharing some reasons the two entities may not be in sync:

• Lack of standard lead definition
• Failure of sales and marketing to accept accountability for influencing each step in the buying cycle
• Focus on quantity instead of quality
• Lack of integration between sales and marketing technologies
• Lack of serious, formal discussion between sales and marketing
• Failure to measure what matters
• Silo approach — failure to pass leads back and forth

After a spirited discussion about qualifying better leads, Dan asked the group to consider some vital steps toward alignment and closing more leads:

1. Agree on market definition.
2. Agree on offer.
3. Agree on definition of lead.
4. Agree on expected metrics  (MQL => SAL => SQL => Close).
5. Define required reporting and frequency.
6. Give your sales force fewer, more highly qualified leads.
7. Effectively nurture longer-term leads.
8. Design your touch cycle using multi-touch, multimedia, multi-cycle processes to multiply results.
9. Construct offers that take into account:
   • The three conditions of need
   • The ultimate benefits
   • The personal reasons why people buy things
10. Set realistic actions and timeframes. You cannot solve a sales shortfall when you have a six-month sales cycle and you’re in Q4.

BMA Atlanta — Dan McDade — March 10 Wrap-up from Business Marketing Association — on Vimeo.

Dan McDade of PointClear gives his three tips to help bridge the gap between sales and marketing. Check out his book, The Truth About Leads, on Amazon. Join us at BMA Atlanta! More info at bmaatlanta.org.