My 2011 Lead Generation Wish List

I was asked recently by a media person to comment on the top lead generation trends in 2011. When I inquired what in her mind were these “top trends”, I didn’t hear anything new. I agree that in 2010, organizations were still struggling to recover from the recession and many companies did not fully explore lead generation. Many were challenged with customer retention and had no resources or time to focus on lead generation. So while some may argue that a fusion of inbound and outbound marketing, multi-touch lead generation, adopting new technologies for marketing and sales automation, social media marketing are some of the major trends in 2011, these are not novel in any way. So how can I comment?

What I do have in mind is my 2011 Lead Generation Wish List that I’d like to share with you here on my blog:

• First of all, I wish for lead generation success and success overall for all our employees and our clients.
• It is a New Year and positive thoughts are running high. I wish that everyone catches the “Nice” bug so that a lot of good, healthy attitudes spread all around us. There’s nothing better than plain vanilla goodness that percolates through every lead generation process and brings great results.
• Because lead generation can be so overwhelming, I wish that sales people are able to prioritize and focus on the best suited process. Getting carried away by the flavor of the moment is dangerous and leads to irrational activities like spike marketing.
• I hear more and more people getting excited as big brand technology companies push further into sales automation and leads database management. However, I really wish that people will remember this one critical factor: Nurturing is not automation. Lead nurturing is providing ongoing value to a prospect and customer.
• I wish that in 2011, companies break out of their demand generation shells. It is time to take on more pragmatic approaches with our lead generation activities. Know what works; create organizational history and make things work better than the last time!
• I wish that in all the integrated marketing mix of online lead generation, social media, networking, viral marketing, and so on, sales people do not lose sight of their goals. Focus is key.
• And last, but not the least, I wish that everyone keeps a close watch on lead generation revenue versus cost, ensuring at the same time that we pay attention to our sales staff in the field. People are our biggest assets. People are the ones that help us create and deliver value. Technology is only a driver.

My best wishes to every demand generation professional out there!