Customer Reviews

Lead Generation for the Complex Sale: Boost the Quality and Quantity of Leads to Increase Your ROI

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

As a VP of Sales & Marketing for a company with a complex sales process, I recognize the importance and difficulty of lead generation. Unfortunately, this book gives absolutely no quality information or insights into how to generate leads more efficiently. The tone of the book is academic - it strives to sound important but ends up in most instances saying nothing. Here's an excerpt from a section headed "Iterative Approach with Tactics": "By manipulating tactics to perform just a little bit better, it is hypothetically possible to double the response rate for a program without increasing spending. That said, the appropriate action is to optimize your tactics continuously and incrementally as performance dictates..." I think the author is saying that you can generate twice as many leads if you improve your lead generation program, especially if your current program isn't very good. In terms of content, the first 80+ pages pretty much make two points over and over: (1) that sales and marketing have to work together for successful lead generation, and (2) you need to define what a "lead" is. The other 120 pages of the book skim lightly over various methods of lead generation - none of the methods are new or imaginative; they are the same methods any marketing professional is already familiar with. If you are brand new to the idea of lead generation, this book will give you an overview, but if you're experienced and looking for new and imaginative insights, look elsewhere.

Here's the harsh reality: In complex B2B selling situations, the traditional lead generation model is broken.

The story is all too familiar. Marketing points the finger at sales. Sales blames marketing. And in the process, the problem continues to escalate. So what happens? Executive management gets involved. And they either start scrutinizing every marketing dollar -- or worse yet, cut the marketing budget. No one wins.

As Brian Carroll points out, the only way to break this destructive cycle is to take a more holistic approach to lead generation. An approach that starts with mutually defining (by both sales, marketing and other stakeholders) what makes a lead "sales-ready." Only then can a company develop and execute a truly effective, multi-modal approach to lead generation. And only then can a company start seeing exponentially better results without a commensurate increase in effort, complexity or budget.

I've been in both sides of the fence: sales and marketing. The problem with many books on this topic is that they tend to be out of touch with the full nature of the problem. They're either written by a marketer with little street-level sales experience, or a salesperson with a poor understanding of the marketing function. Or even worse, an academic who's never been out there -- taking a beating and feeling the pressure every day.

Not so with Lead Generation for the Complex Sale. Brian Carroll takes a balanced approach to a pressing problem. He breaks it down into actionable steps any B2B organization with a complex sale can profit from.

It's full of real-world, practical information that works. And it's written by a guy who eats his own medicine every day.

Buy this book. Better yet, read it and apply the ideas. The results will surprise you.

It's never been tougher for sellers to crack into corporate accounts. That's why this book is so important in today's marketplace. But implementing an effective lead generation program involves a whole lot more than hiring a telemarketing firm or sending out a bunch of direct mail pieces.

In this book, Brian Carroll provides clear guidelines to use in creating a universal lead definition and articulating a strong value proposition - essential steps that are often overlooked by eager marketers.

Then "Lead Generation for the Complex Sale" shows you multiple strategies your company can implement to position itself as a thought leader in your respected field. Many of the ideas presented aren't costly so they're easily implementable by even small firms. But their cumulative impact in the market entices prospective customers to contact your company when they're considering making a decision.

I work with sales organizations all the time and know how difficult it is for sellers to get their foot in the door. I am advising all my clients to get this book. It expands their concept of lead generation and shows them ways to get started almost immediately.

One last point: I've watched Brian Carroll implement all these strategies. InTouch, his company, has grown exponentially because of it. The proof is in the pudding.

For as long as I can remember, I have heard the assertion that "sales is a numbers game." For Brian Carroll, this means that the more qualified leads you have, the more you will sell and that is especially true of the complex sale. However, he acknowledges "unique demands" that limit the process of lead generation: fewer opportunities, commoditization is more difficult to overcome with differentiation (I'm not convinced of that, at least insofar as "big ticket" purchases are concerned), increased selling at the executive level, involving those who comprise the sphere of influence, less selling time (usually in combination with a longer sales cycle), and ROI. To these I would add that buyers are much more sophisticated in what has become a "customer-driven" sales environment. So the challenge is to initiate and then sustain lead generation for the complex sale. More specifically, Carroll, explains how to:

Build an ideal customer profile
Talk to your best customers
Build your personal prospecting engine
Develop a lead generation calendar
Act like a good financial manager
Define your goals for lead generation
Rigorously qualify
Be consistent
Develop a lead nurturing plan
Develop and maintain your own database

What Carroll provides in this book is a comprehensive, cohesive, and cost-effective program to initiate and then sustain lead generation for the complex sale. He has carefully organized his material as follows:

Part One: Fundamentals of lead Generation for the Complex Sale
Part Two: Lead Generation Tactics for the Complex Sale
Part Three: Lead Development for the Complex Sale

For me, some of the most valuable material is provided in Chapter Four as he explains why the ROI of lead generation depends on the quality of data: "There is an old expression that says if you have eight hours to cut down a tree, spend six hours sharpening your ax. So it goes with creating [and then maintaining] the marketing database for companies that specialize in the complex sale. The marketing database is crucial to any lead generation program. Experts agree that it can influence the program's success by a factor of 50 percent. Unfortunately it is still one of the most overlooked tools in many companies' lead generation strategies." Especially now when there is so much information readily available (at little or no cost), there is no excuse for not having all that needs to be known about relevant industries, client prospects, their competitors, key contacts at each prospect company (including those who comprise what Michael Boylan aptly characterizes as the "circle of influence"), the prospect company's history, and its current circumstances (e.g. nature and extent of operations, financials, what it sells and to whom).

Then in Chapter Five, Carroll shares his thoughts about another especially important subject, the value proposition, and its function within the complex sale's purchase process. In this context, I am again reminded of a conversation years ago during which someone suggested that there are three very basic questions anyone in marketing or sales must be prepared to answer. The first two usually pose no difficulties but the third one often does:

Who are you?
What do you do?
Why should I care?

Hence the importance of the value proposition. According to Carroll, an appropriate one "focuses on the contacts within your ideal customer profile. The potential customer has business issues that it needs - and wants - resolved. The potential customer must know the difference between opting for your solution and doing nothing. The potential customer must be convinced that you represent the best solution." (Jeff Thull calls it the "prime solution.") It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of carefully formulating and then effectively explaining an appropriate value proposition, especially when a complex sale is involved. Without one, the given lead generation process - however efficient and productive it may be - will simply increase the number of wasted opportunities.

Obviously, it would be a fool's errand to accumulate lots of ideas from only one source or, worse yet, from a wide range of sources and then attempt to apply each of them. There is much truth in the suggestion that a camel is a horse designed by a committee. That said....

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out thee books by Thull: Mastering the Complex Sale: How to Compete and Win When the Stakes are High! (2003), The Prime Solution: Close the Value Gap, Increase Margins, and Win the Complex Sale (2005), and Exceptional Selling: How the Best Connect and Win in High Stakes Sales (2006). Also these: Boylan's The Power to Get In: A Step-by-Step System to Get in Anyone's Door So You Have the Chance to... Make the Sale... Get the Job... Present Your Ideas (1996 and still relevant) and Accelerants: Twelve Strategies to Sell Faster, Close Deals Faster, and Grow Your Business Faster (2006), and, Anthony Parinello's Selling To VITO (The Very Important Top Officer) first published 1999 and also still relevant and Getting to VITO: 10 Steps to VITO's Office (2005).

Brian Carroll's new book, Lead Generation for the Complex Sale, is a must read if you are looking for ways to drive more and better quality leads for your sales team year round. I liked Brian's holistic approach which encompasses people, process and tool investments necesary for effective lead generation. And he even cites Elise Bauer, Pacifica Group partner, on the topic of thought leadership, a critical ingredient in delivering value in each customer communication.

I'll highlight three of Brian's contributions which I most appreciated:

* Universal lead definition - bring sales and marketing leaders together to agree on criteria for a "sales ready" lead then hold both accountable for execution.
* Multi-modal - build a portfolio of different approaches (e.g. email, web, phone calls, PR, events, direct mail, referrals, etc.) so you have a steady stream of actionable leads.
* Lead nurturing - engage prospects with relevant, timely, and enticing information from the first point of contact to contract. It's about conversations not campaigns.

If you take these three concepts (and more) that Brian talks about, you'll have a lead generation machine in place that will produce far better results from your sales and marketing efforts.

Sridhar Ramanathan
President, Pacifica Group
www.pacifica-group.com

I couldn't get into this book. This would probably be a good book for a management team or some over quantified bean counter but for the average producer it gets in the way of just producing.

I've read the book four times so far, but still keep finding new bits and bobs which I missed at the previous reading. I love the sections where you explain the whole continuum from the first contact to the signing of the purchase order. In my experience, many managers and executives confuse B2B (complex sales) with B2C (simple sales), and mistakenly expect B2B buyers to proceed in their funnels at B2C velocity. They try to apply the B2C sales model of âaeFind pain -> make it hurt -> overcome objections -> close, close, closeâ to B2B situations and in doing so they turn many buyers off.

But even after only four readings, I know I have to make space for this book on my little bookshelf next to my desk, that only contains the very few books I use on a daily basis. Lead Generation For The Complex Sale will be a very often used book. Great work Brian. You've opened a brand new keg of worms in many sales and marketing managers' minds.

Selling big-ticket and complex products is different than selling light bulbs or cat food. Brian has perfected a system that works extremely well when used to generate qualified leads for serious companies selling sophisticated products and services to other businesses. I took off a star because I believe he does not share my view that direct mail is a top-tier lead generation method, but other than that, I agree with almost all of his ideas and comments.

This text is the best book on this subject of generating leads I have ever read. At the heart of this book is increasing the value of the sales process for the customer. Once a salesperson (or company) becomes relevant and valuable in the eyes of the client, they will become credible.

The author lays out a process for creating an in-house lead generation system. The book shares business metrics, skills such as profiling and evaluating prospects, and creating truly relevant drip-nurturing campaigns that position yourself with the client. Salespeople can be dramatically helped by reading this book and taking the initiative to implement these process--as opposed to complaining why marketing or management is not already doing this for them.

I have reccomended this book countless times to others and will continue to do so.

I needed to know a lot about generating leads in a market that I wasn't familiar with. And I didn't have time to do lots of research. This book gave me just the important points I needed to know to develop a solid lead generation marketing plan. And it was very realistic about lead management, the relationship between sales and marketing, and lots of tips on how to make it better.