The dream of every B2B marketer and sales rep is to close every single lead. The reality, however, is that a percentage of even top quality leads will not close on the first contact, for a variety of reasons. One way to increase your closing rate is by using lead management automation (LMA) technology.

A recent survey by Forrester revealed that companies utilizing mature LMA technology are able to close 10 percent of their qualified sales leads, a considerably higher amount than the 4 percent reported by companies with a less mature LMA solution.

Implementing LMA processes that work for your company begins with finding the right vendor. Most LMA providers offer their services as a hosted solution, reducing or eliminating the need for software installation.

Vendor Choices Abound, but Quality and Features Vary Greatly

There is an abundance of both new and established vendors, each offering different capabilities and features. And new vendors seem to appear daily. That’s why it’s important to choose a reputable vendor with the expertise to help you strategize, analyze results, and provide continued support toward the development of best practices.

According to marketing automation experts at Loopfuse, a vital feature of LMA technology is “the  consolidation of data across disparate data-sources. That is, the data you once had to pull from your Analytics package, your CRM, your Lead Capture database, and your Email Marketing solution are now consolidated under one roof.”

Other features most marketers will find helpful include:

• CRM Integration: Helps to align marketing and sales; allows CRM data to be easily manipulated from within the marketing automation platform.
• Lead Nurturing: Automated communications keep prospects and customers engaged, and increases up-sell rates.
• Lead Scoring: Quality metrics applied to each lead and prospect, relative to that of others in your database.
• E-mail Marketing: Targeted e-mail marketing; launches e-mail campaigns to prospect groups.
• List Management: Segments your lead database and targets leads via focused, automated campaigns.
• Reporting: Allows for easy tracking and measuring of response rates, so you can make immediate adjustments, and plan for future campaigns.

This is just a short list, and every vendor will have a different selection to offer, especially as the technology continues to develop. B2B marketers will find that LMA solutions facilitate the shift from outbound to inbound marketing, and help to establish long-term customer relationships.