The Funnelholic

One of the benefits of running a blog is being introduced to new solutions as they come to market.  Sales 2.0, the lead nurturing/marketing automation  movement, social media and the rise in visibility for demand generation has spurred investment and innovation.  In other words, (for a guy like me) we’re living in exciting times.

Today’s interview is with David Anderson, founder and CEO, MyWay Interactive.  MyWay Interactive has created a new way for sales and marketing departments to trade leads online and track the leads activities on Twitter (hello social media).  It’s an exciting new solution and worth checking out. David’s been around for awhile,  having  served previously as the founder and CEO of Silicon Valley Networks, and was on the founding teams of three multibillion dollar public companies (Mercury Interactive, Pure-Atria and Valid Logic) where he ran sales and marketing.

Enjoy the read!

1.  What are the three trends you see emerging in 2009?

I believe that 2009 has a lot in store for the sales community as social networks expand and CRM systems become “social CRM” systems.

Salespeople utilizing social networks for lead generation: It used to be that leads were mass produced and unqualified. Salespeople would spend most of their time sifting through these leads by cold calling. Today, with the Internet and social networking growing at an astounding rate, sales people can easily generate qualified leads with a few keystrokes.

Interconnected CRM systems: Social networks and CRM are beginning to merge. More importantly will be how their convergence is utilized in the sales community. Companies will soon be able to exchange information between business silos to leverage cross-selling opportunities and transfer contacts to channel partners for collaborative closing.

Increased contact profiling: Originally, a sales call began with the salesperson knowing little more than the name of the business. At the onset of the Internet age, it became easy to learn the buyer’s name, email address and direct phone number. Now, with the rise of social media, sales people can learn more about their prospects than ever before without even having to pick up a phone. This information will be stored in the CRM system. Watch as the sales community adopts social media information as important part of contact relationship management.

2.  What are the biggest challenges for 2009?

The biggest challenge in 2009 is growth. The sales professional needs two things, a competitive product, and more importantly, a steady flow of qualified leads. Qualified leads make a sales department efficient. This efficiency is directly returned as increased revenue and lower operating cost to the corporation.

3.  What are the three metrics that B2B marketers should care about and why?

Quantity of qualified leads generated directly by the sales force: Qualified leads are of utmost importance to any business. Companies will depend on their sales forces to generate their own leads to compliment marketing programs.

Number of qualified leads generated through social networks: Social media has proven to be more than a fad. Businesses and consumers are both flocking to these social networks and are openly broadcasting on them. This information is beginning to prove invaluable in driving new business opportunities.

Closing ratio: The closing ratio is directly related to how qualified a lead is. Lead generation programs need to be evaluated based on the percentage of new leads that close as well as time required to close a new lead.

4.  What are the top oversights marketers are making regarding lead generation?

Not enabling cross-selling opportunities within the company: Businesses often overlook the hidden assets within their company. Information is not shared across business silos. The most qualified leads can come from other salespeople within the company. Marketing needs to enable the systems to easily support information and opportunity transfer.

Salespeople only like qualified leads: It’s no secret that most salespeople don’t like cold calling or spending their time sorting through lists of unqualified prospects. Give the sales team qualified leads that will close; not just a name they can call.

Building lead generation networks: Form partnerships with other companies and channel partners to combine leads and expand your market. Develop systems that can transfer and manage the lead flow in real time.

5.  What will you prescribe to marketers to carry out effective lead generation?

Empower their sales force: Provide the tools necessary for the sales team to directly generate new qualified leads.

Integrate CRM and social networks: Build a lead generating and referral strategy using business social networks. Expand the CRM system to include contact profiles gathered form social networks, Twitter and Web services. Maintain, track and close these leads within the CRM system.

Build internal social networks or collaboration sites: The sales team needs access to their co-workers’ network of contacts. Expand the sales base of contacts by networking internally.

6. What three Web 2.0 applications, cutting-edge technologies or lead generation sources do marketers HAVE to consider to be successful?

Blogs: Bloggers have a way of getting the inside scoop on individuals, companies and products. They are also some of the best networkers around. They provide the information about the latest Web 2.0 applications, cutting-edge technologies, and lead generation sources. Fact: If it’s new to you, it’s already old to bloggers.

Twitter: Twitter is a very powerful tool for sales and marketing. You can establish your brand, follow trends and find your next deal. Slowly, but surely, Twitter is becoming a very effective business tool.

Reach: I saved the best for last: MyWay Interactive’s Reach. Reach generates qualified leads from trusted sources for free, in real time. Reach is a contact manager, integrated with Twitter, that is connected to a business social and collaboration network. Salespeople use Reach to quickly find the right lead to break into new accounts.

7. What do you hope for in B2B sales and marketing for the new year?

A convergence of CRM and social networking for qualified lead generation, and driving corporate growth.

Written by Craig Rosenberg - The Funnelholic
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