Brian Carroll, Executive Director of Applied Research, MECLABS, has stated that a central problem for many B2B marketers lies in their data.  A marketer often has a list of contacts that may not be as valid as it should be.  “Everything connects to your data,” Carroll said. “Your data represents relationships, and that’s the hub.”  In other words, effective and valid data increases the potential of optimizing lead generation.

Carroll touched on this issue at the MarketingSherpa B2B Summit 2011 in San Francisco this week. He described how seven of the most common problems that B2B marketers face trace back to poor data.  I have listed these below:

Problem #1: Sales capabilities

Many marketers, Carroll noted, struggle with a feeling that some salespeople are incapable of converting the leads they generate. They wish they could give all their leads to a few select salespeople and avoid the others.

However, one of the most common reasons a salesperson cannot close a sale is that they do not have enough data about the lead, Carroll said. They cannot optimize where they spend time and energy because there is no data to direct them.

This problem can be alleviated when data has been qualified and verified prior to passing it along to the salespeople.  The potential for any member of the sales force to convert the lead should be equal when this is the case.

Challenge #2: Relevant content

“The challenge is how we progress people from early interest to purchase intent. Content is one of the ways of doing that,” Carroll said.

This is a common challenge for marketers, even though most understand that content is an extremely effective tool.  Additional research and examination may be necessary in order to uncover what is relevant content and subsequently further validate the lead.

Challenge #3: Technology

Carroll asked the Summit audience, “How many of you have problems with people updating your CRM?” Many attendees raised their hands, and the point was clear. Your CRM cannot be effective until the problems surrounding its data — which many times have nothing to do with a technology or platform — are solved.

OnTarget Partners has solved this problem by allowing limited administrative access to our CRM.  This way we can avoid many instances of “dirty data.”  Only valid, effective data is loaded into the database which optimizes each individual marketing campaign we manage.

Challenge #4: Internal processes

According to Adam T. Sutton, a senior reporter for MarketingSherpa, “Too many marketers have not sat down with their sales team to hammer out a specific definition for a sales-ready lead. “

The VP of Delivery Operations for OnTarget Partners, Scott Bratcher, has found it imperative to meet with our clients when kicking off a campaign so as to avoid this challenge.  That way he knows and understands from the very beginning of the campaign which leads we need to research, prospect, and nurture. This results in higher percentages of optimized lead generation and conversions.  Once again, an important component is producing valid data early in the process.

Challenge #5: Lead capturing

Capturing leads is probably one of the most important pieces of your company’s website.  Data can be used to determine which landing pages are weak, as well as sufficiently analyze from where your better leads are originating.

-Jennifer

Jennifer Hanford is Director of Social Media for OnTarget Partners.  She can be reached at jhanford@OnTargetPartners.com.

Q1 Award Winner Tim Hixson

Occasionally, we get out of the office here at OnTarget.

Q2 Award Winner Craig McDonald

We like to spend time together in different settings to create better teamwork and friendships.

Q3 Award Winners Jennifer Hanford and Michael Gruehn

Similar to other companies, we discuss success strategies and stories.

We talk about where we have failed and why.  We just try to get better…as a team.

Part of our process in these meetings is also to recognize the great work, via a top performer award, of our Associates on a quarterly and annual basis.

So, without further ado, I give you the OnTarget award winners for 2011.

We look forward to a tight race for the annual “OnTarget Associate of the Year for 2011″!

-Ed Trachier

Ed Trachier is Founder and CEO of OnTarget Partners, and can be reached at 214-618-4960, or via email at trachier@ontargetpartners.com

A question that is commonly asked in B to B marketing goes something like “how many opportunities do I need to pursue in order to close a certain amount of business”?  A marketing pipeline can provide the answer to this question.

Pipelines are typically defined in stages:

1. 1.       How many leads have you identified
2. 2.       How many leads are you pursuing
3. 3.       How many leads are you bidding
4. 4.       How many leads did you win

1)       Creating a pipeline begins with identifying the leads you should be tracking.  A lead is anyone who may become a buyer for the solution your company is providing.  Lead generation can be a lengthy process depending on how they are obtained.  Inbound leads may be easier to go after since they are responding directly to your company’s website links or advertisements.  Outbound leads require more effort and involve calling (cold and warm), following up, and asking for referrals.

2)      The next step in the pipeline is to determine how many leads you will pursue in order to meet the goals that have been set by your company.  A lead that is qualified becomes an opportunity.  As the number of qualified leads/opportunities increases, so does the possibility of converting those leads into clients.

3)      The next step is to identify the opportunities that have a likelihood of closing as a win.  These are the opportunities where such criteria as pricing, closing date, and solution specifications have been agreed upon by both parties.  Perhaps a contract has even been prepared and reviewed.

4)      The final step in the pipeline process is the close – win or lose.  Either way, you are ready to start again fresh.

OnTarget Partners provides services to help companies with their Lead Generation goals including custom prospecting and campaign management.  Our CEO, Ed Trachier, is very knowledgeable in helping companies achieve their lead generation goals.  Find out how we can help you, too.

http://www.ontargetpartners.com/freeconsultation.html

-Jennifer

Jennifer Hanford is Social Media Coordinator for OnTarget Partners.  She can be reached at jhanford@ontargetpartners.com.

We often hear the expression that the most important words in real estate are location, location, and location.  At OnTarget Partners we have decided that 3 of our most important words are qualified, qualified, and qualified – especially in regards to the leads we generate.  We take B2B lead qualification very seriously and understand that generating quality leads ultimately results in subsequent and successful business for our clients.  Qualified leads comprise one of the most critical factors in successful B2B campaigns.  Lead quantity is important as well since a campaign certainly needs a steady supply of high-quality leads in order to be effective.

So, what makes a lead more than just a lead?  Our process begins with thorough and intensive research at OnTarget Partners.  We determine which contacts should be targeted, based on the type of marketing campaign.  We analyze contacts for each prospective company in which our client has interest.  Our research analysts can then determine who should be the key decision-maker and buyer for our clients’ solutions.  We will then take it a step further by also analyzing other contacts within their organization who may be influential to the main decision makers.

The B2B lead qualification process then continues with verifying and testing.  Contacts are confirmed in regards to their employment status, titles, phone numbers and email addresses.  Only after a contact has been analyzed and completely verified will it be added to a campaign.  When the campaign is completely filled with an adequate number of qualified targets, our opportunity developers are then prepared to hit the phones with their robust lists of data.

Would you like to learn more about our custom research and prospecting services?  Our CEO, Ed Trachier, is very knowledgeable in helping companies achieve their lead generation goals.  Find out how we can help you, too,  here.

Jennifer Hanford is Social Media Coordinator for OnTarget and can be reached at jhanford@ontargetpartners.com.

<This blog was originally posted on 8/25/11 on JennSpot, the personal blog of Jennifer Hanford.>

I first heard about Steve Jobs‘ resignation from Apple last night through Mashable.com.  Although it wasn’t surprising news, I still felt a little sad to hear that he was stepping down permanently from the company he poured his life and soul into.  To some Steve Jobs is a true role model and someone to look up to.  Many of us in the business world have worked hard or are still working hard to follow in his footsteps.

I read a great blog post today called “Stop Comparing Yourself with Steve Jobs”  by Dan Pollatta:  http://blogs.hbr.org/pallotta/2010/09/stop-comparing-yourself-with-s.html.  Mr. Pollatta discusses the differences between admiring someone and comparing yourself to the Uber-successful.  He says, and I quote, “One is smart, the other debilitating.”  Guess which is which?

Many of us admire men and women who are successful in business, especially when they have come into their successes through ethical and realistic means.  It is important to remember that these people are…well, people.  On the flip side it is also easy to fall into the comparison trap where we make these people out to be larger than life — superheroes rather than the hard-working individuals they really are.  There is a fine line between working hard to build your own personal success and working hard to the point of burnout.  The burnout to which I refer is the one that will inevitably come from taking on goals that belong to someone else, not you.

So, here’s to Steve Jobs — I personally hope you find happiness in all your future endeavors.  I have no doubt you will have success no matter what you do.  For the rest of us, we’ll just have to keep our eyes open for our next role model and possible superhero because there will never be another one quite like Steve Jobs.

Epilogue:

Steve Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011, at the age of 56.  The world has benefitted from his creativity and innovations in more ways than we could possibly know.  He will be thoroughly missed — even though his company, products and legacy will continue on forever.

Jennifer Hanford is Social Media Coordinator for OnTarget Partners.  She can be reached at jhanford@ontargetpartners.com.

There is a lot of speculation on how to measure social media ROI (Return On Investment) or whether such a thing even exists.  I have been involved in several chats on Twitter recently where the debate of ROI in B2B Social Media continues on and on.  Some of the participants recommend that ROE (Return on Engagement) is a possible way to measure social media in their marketing efforts.  I thought this was a fascinating theory and probably one that should not be underestimated.  Engaging with clients should be considered among the most important elements in B2B marketing.  Engagement can be easily measured among the more common platforms of social media – LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.   

B2B companies are having success with social media, probably because the most important element of any marketing – people – are once again at the core of their efforts.  A study that was published in B2B Magazine in April, 2011, showed that 93% of all B2B marketers are actively involved in some form of social media marketing.  LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter were the most preferred platforms.  You can click this link to read the original article by Adam Holden-Bache http://socialmediab2b.com/2011/04/93-of-b2b-marketers-use-social-media-marketing/.

OnTarget Partners is a group of dedicated people who assist B2B companies of all sizes.  We realize that lead generation and revenue creation will always remain very important in the B2B marketing world.  We are, however, quickly catching on to the fact that social media is playing a more considerable role than ever in the B2B marketing world.  Just as our clients are learning how to improve the content in their blogs and leverage social media to maximize their potential leads, we are aiming to do the same.  We at OnTarget Partners are also becoming more aware that it all comes down to people – only people can “Connect,” “Friend,” and/or “Follow.”  Not only are B2B marketers learning that real people are behind this – but that it is important that they are being perceived as people as well.  People want to be treated like, well…people.  Even B2B clients prefer a human touch.  So it goes in social media…where everyone can either be a potential client… or knows a potential client…or knows someone who knows a potential client…infinitum.

OnTarget Partners would like to invite you to learn more about us and how we help our clients.  You can visit our website at www.ontargetpartners.com.  We’re real people – just like you.

You can get to know us by:

Connecting with us on LinkedIn

Following us on Twitter

Liking us on Facebook

Watching us on YouTube

I hope you will take the time to do so…

Jennifer Hanford is Social Media Coordinator for OnTarget Partners.  She can be reached at jhanford@ontargetpartners.com.