Manage your lead generation process to maximize your results.

Sales Leads = potential clients and opportunities brought to us through marketing

1. Outbound versus inbound marketing – the difference in the leads
   1. Outbound = you go to customers – traditional marketing like print ads, trade shows, cold calls, etc.
   2. Inbound = customers come to you – word of mouth, referrals, search, content marketing
   3. The main difference is the state of the audience – in outbound marketing you reach many people but only  a select group are looking for your services, the inbound audience is looking for your services which makes them better leads
2. Determining the value of a lead
   1. Not all leads are of equal value
      1. Outbound – 1,000 people see your ad only 5 are in the market
      2. Inbound – 10 people see your content and all are in the market for your services
   2. A quick look at the math
      1. Spend $1,000 on ads and get 25 leads, 5 are real and you win 1 project – that project cost you $1,000
      2. Spend the same $1,000 on referrals and get 5 leads that are real and you win 3 projects – those projects cost you $333 each
3. Focus on what delivers the best leads
   1. Review both you inbound and outbound efforts to determine that value that each channel delivers
   2. Rank them in order and focus on the channels that bring you the bet leads
      1. This will vary based on your business – maybe BidClerk brings you the best leads or maybe referrals do
   3. Continue to track and refine your efforts focusing on the top performers – remember the 80/20 rule