Lead Definition and Certification
I continue to find a key flashpoint between sales and marketing often occurs over the transition of leads to either an inside or outside sales resource for followup. Because the key constituencies don't agree upon the definition of what characteristics these “leads” need to possess before they are worthy of further pursuit, frustration soon follows. It is the responsibility of sales and marketing leadership to select characteristics of a lead that will be deemed either inside- or field-worthy; these definitions will be a key foundational element to reduce friction between the two functions.
In the companies I see this established, the marketing organization is able to “certify” their output, in effect guaranteeing the leads they are sending to sales meet the agreed-upon requirements. Sales can only reject a lead if it fails to meet one or more key criteria, and will have a mechanism (usually through an SFA tool) to notify marketing of the reason for rejection. In turn, when a lead is accepted, sales agrees it will act within a given time period (usually 48 business hours) to follow up; this type of arrangement drives accountability on both sides, and significantly reduces the chances that good leads fall will through the cracks.
