3 Traits of Great B2B Lead Management

As growth rates stall or fall in the current economy, you’re likely looking to make the most of every potential customer. Now is the time to maximize what’s possible from every lead and account. In LeanData’s guide to lead management, we unpack exactly how B2B revenue teams are extracting value from revenue assets, and what great lead management looks like. Here are 3 common traits we’ve found:

1. Systems and teams are united

We think of lead management as an end-to-end process across Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success (all revenue-producing teams.) 

Gartner agrees:
“CRM lead management integrates business process and technology to close the loop between marketing and direct or indirect sales channels…”

The modern B2B funnel has more Sales and Marketing interactions, creating friction in the process when leads don’t arrive at the right person. This discipline is about uniting these teams to foster growth, so you can close more deals and drive more revenue, faster. 

Break down the silos between these teams, and unify their disconnected data systems. This is the key to managing leads across this GTM complexity, and the foundation of any lead management program. 

2. Technology is at the core

TOPO predicts the market for lead-to-account matching and lead routing technology to double this year.¹ Why? As all B2B firms affected by COVID-19 seek to do more with less during this period of economic uncertainty, lead management has emerged as a strategic priority.

Even for those verticals seeing growth during this time, businesses must create efficiency in order to scale. Those who can automate lead management see a 10% (or greater) increase in revenue in 6-9 months.² 

If there was a recipe for a great B2B lead management tech stack, it may look something like this:

1 part lead-to-account matching

1 part lead routing 

1 part account engagement analytics

1 part attribution 

Combine all ingredients with a robust CRM tool (no spreadsheets, please) and add automation to taste. Serve to your hungry sales team, and be sure to demonstrate revenue results to the board. 

3. Good lead management leads to fast, accurate actions

To truly drive a positive customer experience for buyers, every lead needs to be acted on, fast. 

Lead management is about finding the best answers to questions that arise along the purchase journey. The technology you choose should make these decisions instant and clear.

• Lead routing – where should a lead be sent to ensure the best next action? 

• Lead-to-account matching – what unseen relationships exist between leads, contacts, and accounts? 

• Account engagement analytics – how are key accounts interacting with marketing campaigns or sales activity? 

• Attribution – what’s working throughout sales and marketing? What’s not?

One company ensuring speed through lead management is Kaltura, whose lead routing is a one-minute process with LeanData. 

“We don’t lose sales momentum, we don’t lose leads, MQLs, and opportunities, and we don’t squander employee resources on manual lead management tasks.” – Roni Menashe, Marketing Operations Manager, Kaltura 

Read more of Kaltura’s story in our new guide. 

Lead management matters now

Growth today is about minimizing waste, maximizing efficiency, and taking advantage of every lead you can create. 

Download our new guide to managing leads to understand the elements of lead management that matter, including lead routing, lead-to-account matching, engagement, and attribution. In addition, read examples of customers making the most of their revenue assets through process and technology, and the insights of operations professionals who are planning for the road ahead.

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¹ TOPO MARKETING TECHNOLOGY REPORT 2019, TOPO SALES TECHNOLOGY REPORT 2019
² Strategic IC, 2017 (Source: https://www.hubspot.com/marketing-statistics)