The sales departments of IT companies are under enormous pressure to make their figures and this leads them to overlook any opportunity that is unlikely to be translated into a short term sale. However, many marketing departments do not supply qualified leads as raw material, but only inquiries. The difference is important: an inquiry is someone who seeks information about our company or products, but that is not a lead. A lead is only when it has been qualified.

Research has shown that as much as 5 to15% of the inquiries turn into real sales. Whenever your sales people receive inquiries instead of sales leads, they will be wasting their time and your company’s valuable resources. In the meantime, your sales staff will grow distrustful of the so-called sales leads they are given.

The best way to solve these problems is to efficiently manage sales leads. Many studies have proven that making efforts to improve the quality of the sales leads that your sales department receives, results in higher closing ratios. The key here is to increase the quality of sales leads.

In whatever manner you choose to improve your sales leads, it is important to consider that the criteria needs to be agreed upon and accepted by all parties concerned. You must also include a definition of the product, the needs it satisfies, the customer who will buy it, the customer’s buying process, the sellers and the sales process.

Apply a clear criterion of what constitutes a good lead has key implications in terms of which of them are transferred for follow-up sales-ready leads and which will continue to be treated and developed by marketing through nurturing, and in general all activities of leads management.

Failing to improve your sales leads management, and not defining criteria that separates good leads from bad leads will bring mayhem to your company. Both your sales and marketing departments are likely to have frictions and misunderstandings. Your sellers will think sales leads are a waste of their time, and you will spend money in monitoring sale generation. Ultimately, your company will be unable to accomplish the goals it has set for itself.