In today’s fast-paced market, the need to track where each lead comes from is more critical than ever. A good producer and agency owner want to know what resources are bringing in the type of prospect that the agency is looking for so they can invest more time and energy in the areas that are working.

No matter how your prospects come to your agency, tracking and maintaining this information is good business practice and has many benefits. Here are few best practices to consider when developing a lead management process for your agency:

1. Gain commitment from both marketing and sales leaders to visibly support the lead generator program.
   1. This includes establishing program objectives, metrics, timeline and a commitment to implement a closed-loop lead tracking system.
2. Clearly define the objectives of the campaign.
   1. Quantify the optimal number of qualified leads for each sales rep or region.
   2. Define the desired number of registrations and attendees for webinars and other events.
3. Establish and document the sales process.
   1. Clearly-define the lead qualification criteria. Gain Sales buyoff on the definition of the lead: hot, warm or cold.
   2. Map the flow of leads through the sales cycle. How will hot leads be handled? How will warm leads be nurtured? Where and when will the handoff to Sales occur?
   3. Train your callers on the process. Begin early to seek their feedback and suggestions on the process.
4. Provide incentives for Sales feedback.
   1. Use time-based campaigns and spiffs to increase participation among the callers and sales reps. Make the campaign fun and forge some healthy competition to boost results.
   2. Incorporate lead source and lead status into the weekly forecast. Sales reps must update their forecast and this will increase campaign visibility and results to sales leaders.
5. Assign an owner to actively manage the campaign, including disseminating leads and tracking results.
   1. If you are in a start-up with limited resources, consider hiring an outside resource on a consulting basis.
6. Have a good CRM system to track leads and metrics.
   1. Be sure to use a CRM system that is easy to navigate and accessible by all sales reps.
   2. A good CRM system allows sales to concentrate on bringing in new – and retaining existing – business, not wasting time on entering data.

Learning how to effectively manage your leads is the beginning to a successful growth strategy. The most efficient way to track if your sales team is by following these best practices as well as through the utilization of an effective CRM. A good CRM system makes the sales process easier and makes tracking your marketing and sales structure easier. Effective lead management will bring revenue into your agency by creating a never-ending stream of customer contact.

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