One of the most aggravating elements of lead generation programs is determining which sales person should get which lead. Smart companies set up rules-based automated lead distribution programs that enhance the work of their SFA (sales force automation) or CRM systems.
The hard part is setting up the rules in the first place. This requires a lot of what-if planning to identify key variables and criteria for decision-making. But once that’s done, leads flow smoothly and — most important — quickly to the right sales resource.
An example comes from Linda Tenenbaum, account executive at IMI, a database marketing firm in San Jose. One IMI client, a telecom equipment manufacturer, created lead-distribution decision rules based on three criteria:
- GOVERNMENT
Based on certain key words or government domain names, if the lead is identified as being from a federal or state government entity, it is sent directly to one of two dedicated reps who cover government accounts.
- KEY ACCOUNTS
Based on a reference table, if the lead comes from a list of key accounts, it goes directly to the call center for follow up. Once the lead has been qualified, it goes to the rep dedicated to the account.
- COMMENTS
Based on particular interest topics in the text, the lead will be handled by customer service. For example, if key words appear for products that are no longer supported by the company, an e-mail is generated with information about where to go to find out more about that product.
Ruth P. Stevens ([email protected]) consults on customer acquisition and retention, and teaches marketing to graduate students at Columbia Business School.
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