There is no point in outsourcing lead generation when you have no clue as to what you are doing it for! It is like making an order in a high-class French restaurant without actually knowing a word of French (heck, it can be a wonder that you managed to even make the order)!
First, a basic review. What does it mean to generate software leads? It means your software company is in need of new opportunities. Without those opportunities, your salespeople have no work. If you cannot sell, you cannot work either. And without work, there is no profit or pay. In the end, it is goodbye business and hello bankruptcy.
Then again, perhaps it is because you have yet to define what these opportunities are that your salespeople are not having any luck finding them. At this point, you need to take a step back and identify the basic markings of opportunity:
- A need ? You developed your software to fulfill a certain purpose. What is that purpose? What are the benefits of having that purpose fulfilled? What kind of businesses place the highest value on those benefits? Your salespeople are not the only ones called to start looking for unsatisfied needs. One of the perks of lead generation is that it helps identify basic ones so that sales teams will have more time to dig into the complex.
- A budget ? There is no point in identifying a need if your prospect would financially struggle just to meet it. You are looking for people who can afford your stuff and are happy about it. And yes, given how simple it can be, budget can be a detail covered by lead generation services.
- Time ? Business software can take a while to implement. Costs are just one half of what makes it such a big deal. From setting the client meeting to the end of the project, make sure your prospect has the time to devote themselves as much as you.
However, sometimes you will just stay stuck at identifying needs. You like what your software does and knows it can benefit. But beyond that, you are still a young company with not much expertise marketing and selling to the rest of the business world. Should you still outsource lead generation or just give up on it completely?
Here is the good news: Just because you lack does not mean you cannot learn while outsourcing at the same time. Lead generation companies are experts for many major reasons:
- Reason #1: They know your market ? They know how potential customers think and what message gets their attention.
- Reason #2: They employ the best means to reach them ? A message is no good unless relayed through the right channels.
- Reason #3: They have an eye for minor detail ? As demonstrated above, you need to cover minor details before dealing with the major ones.
One of the most common misconceptions about outsourcing is to leave absolutely everything to the provider. What you do not realize is that the provider is not exactly a mind reader. And even if they were, it is hard to read a mind that actually has no idea about what it wants. Establish that before outsourcing your lead generation and B2B appointment setting!
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