Sales

6 Questions to Ask Before Launching a Lead Qualification Team

June 13, 2012

Launching a lead qualification team can bear significant results, including an increased sales pipeline, but the truth is it also requires a significant amount of preparation and resources to be effective.

What exactly should companies take into consideration before they launch a lead qual team? In this short video OpenView Senior Associate Devon McDonald provides six questions to ask before taking the plunge:

  1. First and foremost, do you understand your target segments?
  2. Can you define your buyer persona(s)? What are their pains, needs, and buying criteria?
  3. Do you have the right tools/assets required to launch the team? Email templates, conversation guides, object responses, FAQs, and persona descriptions are just a few of the materials and resources you’ll need to have available.
  4. Have you considered everything it takes to build the team? For starters, you will need a manager comfortable setting up and running a CRM. Will you be taking on hiring responsibilities for the manager as well as the rest of the team, or will you be using a recruiter?
  5. Who will manage the team? Will the manager have the bandwidth necessary to fully commit to running the team? The truth is he or she will spend 40+ hours a week call coaching, shadowing the team, reviewing the CRM, etc. It’s absolutely a full-time job, so imaging that someone with additional responsibilities in the organization can also manage the team is unrealistic.
  6. Do the benefits outweigh the costs? Salaries and benefits aren’t the only costs associated with running the team. Companies also need to factor in subscription fees, and resources such as lead lists, etc. Companies should always conduct a thorough cost/benefit analysis before launching a lead qualification team.