Checklist: How to Build a Lead Generation Machine

Every business shares a goal: build a lead generation machine that consistently delivers. Yet, many small and mid-sized business owners suffer from weak pipelines and are regularly frustrated because they don’t know how to create consistent future business. They’ve invested time, money and staff into prospecting and sales and are not getting sustainable results.

This 8-point checklist will help you turn your B2B Lead Generation strategy into a well-oiled lead generation machine. We’ve infused the checklist with some humor to guide you in identifying where you need to put more focus to get the marketing campaign ROI you expect. Because it shouldn’t feel like a chore to generate leads.

8 Steps to Building a Lead Generation Machine That Rocks

1. Who you gunna call? (Ghostbusters, obviously.)

Just kidding. Nothing spooky here! But the first step to successful marketing campaign ROI is to know WHO you are trying to reach. 

Visualize your ideal potential customer and define your target audience

What solution are you trying to sell to them and how does it align with your target market’s problems and pain points? Knowing this is critical to developing a lead generation machine with action steps to target the right people with the right messaging.  

2. You must be a keyboard, cuz’ you’re just my type. Really?

It’s time to practice your pickup line.Developing your company’s value statement centered on your target market’s business issues, your solution and your unique differentiation, is critical. This step will inform your messaging throughout both your lead generation campaign and your sales activities for your target market. It creates a cohesive, memorable message that resonates with prospects who need your assistance. 

Related Content: What’s Holding Your Prospecting Back?

3. Know thyself and thy market.

Choose your lead generation strategies carefully. Consider how your target audiences prefer to receive information. Do you live in a small community that benefits from local events Cities where email, webinars and warm calling are best received?

Then look internally

Are you better at cold calling, email marketing campaigns, personal visits, events or something else? Ultimately, you want to choose 3-5 specific prospect attraction strategies that align with your strengths, who you’re targeting, and your campaign goal.  

4. Variety is the spice of life!

And the spice of successful marketing! If you do the same things to the same group of people all of the time, you’ll lose their attention. Likewise, if you don’t do enough of the right B2B lead generation activities – like in-person events in a smaller community where face to face relationships matter – you’ll see lackluster results. Use a variety of lead generation activities and be consistent in your communications to get noticed and build your recognition ROI. 

5. No really, who are you going to call?

Your lead generation list is one of the top two critical success factors to achieve campaign ROI. Whether using a list you already own, or acquiring a new list, it must be clean and accurate, and segmented by target market. You also need a strategy that continues growing your lead generation list by capturing qualified website visitors. 

6. Let’s play the Data-ing Game!

Testing, measuring and tracking marketing campaign results can help you understand who on your list is engaged and which of your campaign messages are most resonant.

Establish specific campaign metrics you will monitor

Consider evaluating metrics like:

• Email clicks and replies
• Call returns
• Social media shares and comments
• Google analytics data
• Referrals
• Sales conversions
• Closed sales
• and so much more

Whichever data points you choose, review them regularly with the intention of adjusting your lead generation strategy based on your results.  

Related Content: The Critical 15 Sales Metrics to Monitor

7. Embrace the combined power of MQL and SQL.

Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) are prospects who have engaged with your lead generation campaign activities.

Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) are prospects that Sales has qualified as having an immediate potential to become paying customers

Establish a closed loop process to move leads from MQL to SQL

Then don’t shirk the calls. Be sure to call every marketing qualified lead and qualify if they are real sales opportunities, then measure the conversion of MQL to SQL and SQL to close. If MQL leads aren’t converting, often Sales needs a skill refresh for their calling.

8. The finish line is only the beginning.

Throughout (and after) each lead generation campaign, perform a strategic assessment to understand if there are any adjustments that need to be made – to your campaign, your sales and marketing processes, and the skills of your teams. Look beyond the sales metrics and assess how your marketing and sales overall need to evolve to achieve your company growth goal.

It Takes Effort to Build a Lead Generation Machine

Campaigns that produce strong ROI require more than sending a few emails if you want to see a healthy influx of new leads. We know firsthand that it takes time, planning, consistency, testing, strategic evaluation, and sales and marketing integration to produce the results you desire. In fact, you might find yourself researching B2B marketers who run lead generation campaigns to help you implement these steps.

Get tailored lead generation campaigns for your business

If you’re missing the expertise or ability to execute any of the steps above, KLA Group can help. Our lead generation services give you a reliable team and the strategic framework to create content, simplify your marketing campaigns, integrate your sales team, and dramatically improve your results. 

Want to learn more? Book a free consultation right now and talk through all the opportunities you have to better leverage your lead generation to get more customers. 

Kendra Lee is a top IT Seller, Prospect Attraction Expert, author of the award winning books “The Sales Magnet” and “Selling Against the Goal” and president of KLA Group. Specializing in the IT industry, KLA Group works with companies to break in and exceed revenue objectives in the Small and Midmarket Business (SMB) segment.