No time for lead generation? Whether you’re short on resources or simply need to bring in a skilled specialist, you’ll need to choose your new partner agency very carefully. You need an agency that understands your business, delivers without overpromising and of course, offers good value for money.
To help you find the best lead generation companies to work with, we’ve put together a list of essentials you should be looking for:
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Industry-specific experience
You don’t want a jack of all trades, you need a master of B2B lead generation for your particular industry. A specialist will understand your challenges and what makes your business tick, and what approach works best in the niche space your company works within.
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A solid process for qualifying leads
This is where you need to start asking questions, to find out if the lead gen agency can come up with the kind of leads you’re looking for. For example, does the company reach out directly, or just use a contact form to harvest information to pass onto you? Ideally, you need an agency that makes meaningful contact with each prospect, to find out if they’re a good fit for your business and determine if they’re ready to buy.
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Exclusive leads
Sometimes, agencies will send out leads to lots of different companies. This means your sales team will need to fight the competition to close the deal. This is pressure you really don’t need, unless you have a sales team in place who can handle the follow-up. You may have to pay more to a B2B lead generation agency for exclusivity, but it could be worth it.
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Refund policy
What happens if the agency sends you a bad lead? And along the same lines, what would they consider to be a bad lead? You need a clear idea of the refund policy if the service doesn’t meet your expectations, before signing up.
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Pricing
Cost will always be a crucial consideration when comparing the best sales lead generation companies in the market. Here’s what you need to find out – whether the agency charges per lead or per customer, and if every lead is the same price. Then, you can do your sums to see if the value of the deal (and of the customer’s continuing value for your business) would be worth it for the cost of the lead.
Red flags to watch out for
Now, what are the warning signs of a lead gen agency to avoid? Here are just a few:
- If it’s too quick, too cheap or the expected number of leads is unrealistically high, it’s likely that you’ll end up disappointed.
- No metrics-driven reporting. If the agency doesn’t even mention your sales metrics or KPIs, this could be a bad sign. You need a partner who can deliver insightful, data-driven reporting.
- Too much focus on quantity over quality. Remember – it’s no good having hundreds of leads if none of them go anywhere. You need highly qualified leads, so watch out for agencies that are essentially glorified appointment-setters.
- A poor sales pitch. If you’re not convinced when the agency is selling you their own lead gen services, how will they win over any of your potential customers?
If you’re starting your search for the best lead-gen companies to try, we’ll save you some time. Get in touch with the specialist IT and technology marketing team here at IT Focus, and find out how we can deliver highly qualified leads to your business.
