SpeedToLead

routing, alerts, virtual assistants, and technology can really assist

It all starts with measurement. Capturing the timestamp of when a prospect first raises their hand to when the first connection happens gives you a baseline to improve upon over time.

Start measuring this! So many people don't even measure this stat. One of the best pieces of advice I got is "go through your own marketing funnel" and you'll start to be able to spot inefficiencies.

well the most obvious being allowing prequalified prospects filling out your form to be able to book right away, at their own convenience, for a time that works for them. But I'm bias!

in a word SIMPLIFY. Simplify forms, use smart routing to available AEs/SDRs, and make sure you're using the correct tools.

Run virtual events and know when a prospect is engaging with content and then send a notification to the sales person or resource to engage in the moment #holygrail

use more self-serving messaging in your marketing funnel. Showcase case studies, big wins, and advertise complimentary audits (if able to do so) to acquire conversions higher in the funnel.

@douglaskarr Alerting is key. Email alerts are great, Slack or messaging alerts are even better :)

To echo @JasonKlumpp, it's critical to understand your starting point. Get your score, then improve upon it.

@JasonKlumpp right on and real time notifications is key

@mjtuso EXACTLY it's mind blowing that this isn't a metric people are even considering...how long it takes for an engaged prospect who came through a paid marketing channel to talk to a rep?

Not if you prime the prospect on what action you'll be taking next.

Honestly, I used to think so... but consumers and businesses are pretty impatient and see response time as a company characteristic. If you're slow, sometimes they think your company is slow to respond to requests overall

It's about expectations. If the prospect knows — okay, this is going to go down fast — then speed is your friend. The risk of weirding out a prospect is there, but it's low.

I don't think there is anything wrong with being "too fast" if you set the proper context for why you're calling/emailing

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how long would you wait for your food after ordering it at a restaurant?

So, let's just think about this stat: Responding within the first minute increases lead conversions by 391%.

and this one: "50% of leads go with the vendor that responds first."

Want more? 😁 "After 5 minutes, the odds of qualifying a lead drop by 80%."

Can't resist another one... "Calling within 5 minutes is 21x more effective than calling after 30 minutes."

Okay, I'll rest my case. 😂

They should just call it the "5 min rule" ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

@JasonKlumpp Agreed!

@danielthrelfall the 10 year old data is even super compelling, it has been this way for a while, but we have such a long way to go in terms of education

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https://www.crowdchat.net/s/4639v

@mjtuso Right. Harvard's age-old study still holds true. https://hbr.org/2011/03/the-short-life-of-online-s...

"Speed of Sound" - Coldplay

Paradise by the Dashboard Light... Meatloaf

one way or another - Blondie

I'm Ready. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glD1M418bC0

“Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepson

Let me love you - Mario

Final Countdown - Europe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O1ZhHts8MI

I've built 5 SDR teams and the answer is it depends, but generally no. I've always preferred routing to AEs and keeping SDR focused on generating revenue through outbound. Greater ROI, greater skillset, better customer experience. Exceptions are for very complex sales.

SDRs are critical in any sales/marketing organization for inbound opportunities. Generally, SDRs have more availability to jump on initial calls and go through the questionnaires and then route the lead to the right AE. In downtime SDRs can prospect for new opps.

this is a question that many companies ask which is what is the sales ops for the SDRs

I can't imagine asking a strategic AE or ENT AE focusing on closing business to respond to dozen of leads a week... Inbound SDRs are an invaluable resource if your company receives any sort of marketing driven engagement. ROI on these hires are generally 5x!

I've seen the use of virtual assistants who understand how to prequalify leads work very well so your talented SDRs can stick to selling instead of qualifying. I've also seen some technology do a good job of this as well, like chats or minimal forms.

@mjtuso @Visiture_Search Good points. While SDRs aren't absolutely necessary to drive meetings, there's an economic advantage to utilizing them. Generally, SDRs can be hired at a lower cost/experience, but still bring high value to the org.

@furrier great to see you, virtually, sir! Loving @crowdchat

target accounts should go directly to an AE, they deserve a white glove experience and accelerated to pipeline.

@AmandaReality YES! You can potentially lose a hot lead if they don't get the right treatment.

@AmandaReality do you feel the same way if it’s an intern at a target account?

@ImperialGaines good point I should specify, target accounts and personas. I think there is a way to pull that data before allowing them to book right?

@AmandaReality theres always a way! But yeah I’ve seen some people send VPs and C-levels right to AE’s and then less qualified personas to SDR’s, which I tend to like.

a new one in the post-COVID world is #mqm - marketing qualified meetings. @ravichalaka recently wrote about it here: https://martech.zone/mql-vs-mqm-virtual-meetings/

average time to close. I think this one is important to look at not only to get more deals through the funnel but to make AEs more efficient.

Conversion rates to opps and Closed Won. Number of follow ups per lead. Time to first demo. CAC. Navigation path optimization. Ideal web form questions. Bounce rate. Revenue! Get very granular with your understanding here!

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qualification after the first connection and use that data for retargeting. Reevaluate all paid channels if you're getting a ton of disqualified or just generally crap leads.

I'm seeing with virtual events that there is a repeat pattern of visits to sessions from the same person post live event so that is a signal of interest

Connect rate: % of prospects you're able to connect with. Opp rate: % of connections that turn into opportunities (by rep helps for coaching). Opp to qualified opp to measure efficiency between SDR and Sales

the value of the close, time to close, and lifetime value of the customer are all essential. You can rush small deals that hurt your company, or work great ones that really make a huge impact.

My background is in marketing, so this answer stems from that experience — conversion rate optimization. A prospect's first touch is usually from ads, organic, etc. So analyze the heck out of your conversion rates, onsite activity, channel CTRs, etc.