We hear the complaint over and over: We’re not generating enough sales leads, especially when you consider the huge amounts we spend on exhibiting at Dynamics trade shows.
Now, there’s quantitative data indicating the problem isn’t unique to Dynamics ISVs. A Canadian marketing firm, 360Leads, discovered in an international survey that although 78.5% of surveyed companies engaged in lead-generation programs over the previous 12 months, only 17.3% were meeting their sales lead generation targets.
The biggest reasons cited by companies failing to meet their lead-generation goals? “Inadequate budgets and internal company issues.” In our experience, budgets aren’t necessarily “inadequate,” but insufficiently productive. When ISVs find they have spent much or all of their budgets on exhibiting at trade shows that failed to return the sales leads expected, the ISV marketing officials realize they are out of budget, and explain the problem as “insufficient budget.” In other words, allocating too much of a marketing budget to trade shows failed to result in the required sales leads.
Which approaches work best in producing sales leads? According to 360Leads, “The most successful sales lead generation channels tend to be those that can offer a high degree of targeting.”
The best approach to “targeting” in our experience, one that has helped countless numbers of Dynamics ISVs meet their lead-generation goals: content-based lead programs, based on webinars, email newsletters, white papers, and other content, directed at Dynamics users and partners screened for interest in what you do.
