Why You Need To Map Out Your Lead Generation and Opportunity Process

Marketing has radically changed since the dawn of the Internet. Advertising and the way we generate leads has shifted drastically. There are more and more channels and methods to attract customers. At the same time, customers are better at drowning out the clamor of companies vying for their attention.

After all, if they want something they will Google it.

This means, more than ever; the current climate demands marketing teams take critical time out to map their lead generation and opportunity process. When you look at this from a customer journey perspective, you’ll want to understand their experience with your brand from the awareness stage to the purchase decision. You can break down the customer journey as something quite simple: You have a product or service to offer, and the customer buys it. But, as you know, the customer journey and awareness entry points can vary depending on your marketing channels.

When you map your lead and opportunity generation process with the customer journey in mind, you begin to think like the customer and tailor your interactions so that they meet the needs of your ideal customer. Furthermore, with the SugarCRM Customer Journey plug-in, you have a map which helps you visualize the customer’s complete decision process from lead management to opportunity tracking to account planning and customer care. It also comes with pre-built templates you can copy and personalize to meet your business needs.

Without further ado, here are the reasons why you need to map out your lead generation, and opportunity process.

Maps help you reach your destination

If asked you what your sales targets are, you would probably know the answer right off the bat. You know your destination like the back of your hand. You know exactly how many sales you want to make each month, quarter, and year. Yet, do you really have a clear idea of how you are going to reach those goals?

I’m sure you have a strategy in place, but how detailed is it? I’m sure the financials have a lot of detail. You will have carefully planned how much you are budgeting for each marketing channel.

However, how much thought have you put into the steps the customer will take along their journey from a lead to a paying customer?

When you create a map planning the steps your customers take, you make a path which can convert leads to customers.

Maps help identify obstacles

Once you have created your map, this can effectively help the team analyze where sales are going wrong. We might take the wrong route on the first try. Once you have a map, which everyone follows, then you can get a better feel for where sales are dropping out.

Perhaps, you find everything goes smoothly until a certain step along the way. For example, you might notice at the point-of-sale too many customers are abandoning their cart. Once you can identify where the obstacle is, you can address it.

Maybe, the price needs adjusting, or you need to set up a live chat window at the point-of-sale. The solutions and potential obstacles are many, but the point here is the map creates clear steps. Then you can monitor, assess, and adjust those steps if, and when you need to. With the customer plug-in, you extend SugarCRM’s capabilities to ensure all your sales activities are aligned with your customer’s journeys. As a result, you can create a truly personalized customer experience.

Marketing has increased in complexity

Marketing used to focus on blaring big ads over channels with a captive audience. Those with the biggest budgets would win. This remains somewhat true today, however, the complexity of the marketing environment has shot through the roof.

The company website is one key point where you generate leads, but you also have other online methods of generating leads. For example, your company blog, social media channels, pay per click adverts, e-mail marketing, display ads, content syndication and more. Offline, you might generate leads at events, through traditional advertising or with direct mail.

With each channel and method, you are reaching out to your customer, and if you catch their attention you need to plan the path you guide them down. In such a complex overwhelming environment, with a vast number of variables, making a map will help you to nurture and convert your leads. Not to worry with the customer journey plug-in you have a visual process in place letting you modify each step to align with your customer’s journey.

Fish in a big sea

The Internet has rendered a big world smaller, sales opportunities have considerably opened for picking. A Los Angeles-based business can target customers in China, the Middle East, Europe–anywhere. You would think this makes sales easy. Yet, even though communication and access has radically changed, the sea has not shrunk. Rather, the sea is bigger than ever.

Now, because such vast numbers of people can potentially access your website or advertisements, the need to amplify your message, and create a clear lead generation process has also amplified.

The people you are reaching out to need to very quickly step onto the sales path, or you lose them. By having a sales map and tailoring content outputs for all the channels where people pick up on your business, you create a clear journey. One which will gently prod people in the direction you want them to go.

Effective maps are collaborative

As you can see, using a map for your lead generation and opportunity process is critical in the current marketing environment. With the Customer Journey plug-in, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Whether you are a five or 10,000-person strong organization everyone involved in any of the steps needs to understand the importance of following the map.

Mapping out the lead and qualification processes

With the SugarCRM Customer Journey Plug-In, you can use template maps to map out all your processes from lead generation to opportunity tracking to account landing. In fact, the template will move leads for you, once they have been qualified as contacts. It goes from marketing qualification to sales qualification to handoff to a specific account executive, and it’s all presented within a clear visual dashboard.

Then, when everyone collaborates on this effort, you can identify any obstacles and overtime perfect the journey. Finally, with a perfected lead generation and opportunity process map in action; just see how easily you hit those revenue targets.

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