Lead Generation is serious business!

I've had a few interesting conversations this week that really bother me and they have to do with marketers who really do not understand lead generation and what it can do for a COMPANY. This is clearly an educational and also a political issue but it does provide a platform for helping define who is going to be successful and who is not. Here are three things I've heard:

1. "It's just another thing to do - just like I have to do creative, branding, PR etc." They don't have a dedicated resource or resources for this initiative and they often do not see the big picture of how they are impacting revenue. Successful lead generation marketers treat lead generation as a MAJOR initiative and have dedicated resources at both the tactical and strategic level and can show the direct contribution to revenue. It is not "just another project."
2. "It costs too much!" Compared to what?? How about the $10K plus you spend every month on PR? Just because it is a budgeted item doesn't mean it produces more value than an effective lead generation program. Successful lead generation marketers, because they track through impact on revenue, can show great ROI from their total investment in lead generation programs.
3. "My job is to get leads to sales, after that I don't care." This common attitude is a recipe for failure. Study after study shows that having ongoing communication and active participation with sales in lead generation efforts leads to success. Those barriers have to come down for a program to be successful.

Enough complaining for the day but it does show we still have a long way to go to help companies and marketers fully embrace the power of marketing automation!