New Technologies Enable Continuous Sales Lead Generation

By Steve Vachss of PresenterNet

New Technologies Enable Continuous Sales Lead Generation

Numerous surveys of sales professionals indicate that a continuous flow of qualified sales leads is their most significant critical success factor.
Unfortunately sales people seldom get what they need. Marketing support often consists of programs that produce leads in high volumes, but with low quality. Other companies produce strong leads, but only in sporadic, low volumes. Occasionally companies use high-visibility, short-term programs that produce enough qualified leads, but program costs are prohibitively high and companies cannot sustain them.

The lead-generation environment has finally begun to change, however. Savvy organizations are learning to leverage non-intrusive technologies that provide far more effective ways for vendors to engage with new prospects.
A new approach developed by PresenterNet enables sales organizations to sustain very high quality leads continuously, while keeping costs well under control. By inviting pre-qualified prospects to participate actively in high-value Webinars, sales and marketing organizations attract audience members to answer onscreen questions, perform onscreen operations customizing their information, and focus presenters on their individual requests. With this information stored for sales follow-up, it results in a flow of active, self-selected prospects that have indicated their needs, and specifically requested follow-up discussions. Sales people then benefit from a sharply higher lead volume with higher lead quality. Management benefits from lower costs, and the ability to sustain lead generation as a continuous, optimized process.

Continuous Lead Generation also means that even the smallest sales operation can present lead-generation Webinars. Organizations can offer Webinars of any size, and at any intervals, without concern for economies of scale. The overall result is a far-reaching change in the sales world that benefits both vendors and buyers.

Webinars that Work Case studies show that successful lead generation requires more than simply delivering a few Webinars. While strong material and effective presentations are mandatory, the program must generate enough leads at an attractive costper- lead to be truly successful. To do so, it must meet many other criteria.

Successful Webinars need high-potential audiences. To meet this objective, vendors require an invitation process—usually by email—that targets a broad population of potential buyers. To attract the right audiences successfully, Webinar invitations must promote real value with subject matter that is easily recognized and understood.

Beyond invitations, success requires a registration process that is comfortable to audience members who might ultimately become sales prospects. During the actual event the material must maintain audience interest and provide new insights to attendees. Immediately after program delivery, the Webinar must have a strong follow-up process.

Attracting More Prospects to Register The use of interactive onscreen technology significantly changes the environment for registering prospects into high-value Webinars. Many potentially interested people refuse to attend traditional large-event Webinar programs that require extensive registration forms, in order to avoid follow-on sales contacts. These potential prospects prefer to initiate their own vendor interactions, and therefore resist unsolicited vendor follow-up by telephone or email. They seldom register for the typical large event, but respond enthusiastically to non-intrusive registration for interactive events. In Continuous Lead Generation programs, potential prospects register with virtually no pre-qualification information. They have no concern about attracting unwanted sales contacts, and are far more likely to register, since they retain control of vendor contact. If they decide to respond while attending the Webinar, the new onscreen interactive technology supports their requests and stores them for follow-up.
In this environment, otherwise reluctant attendees are far more likely to register, and each invitation mailing yields far more interested attendees.