After years of studies at the John Molson School of Business, I decided to read Mark McCormack’s book “What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School,” and it was a revelation. Mark writes about making winners out of all the partners you do business with! Read the rest of this entry »

Our firm classifies leads this way:

Level 1 = robust information
Level 2 = solid information supplied by the end user
Level 3 = project on hold and yet to be spoken with

Now, one would automatically assume the level 1 leads would be the more enticing group to go after, as they are far more robust than the other levels. Read the rest of this entry »

Quick, what’s the first challenge of getting to speak to a decision maker? That’s right: Getting past the Gatekeeper.

I’ll share 4 tips and secrets for getting past the Gatekeeper, straight through to the person who’s going to sign your contract.

Read the rest of this entry »

Do. The. Research!

This is point #2 from my previous blog post So You Have a Lead! Great! Now Close the Business!

For starters, I always like to know as much as possible about the person I am about to call.

Read the rest of this entry »

I spent the last couple weeks conducting extensive research into a wide selection of blogs that focus on leads and sales. During the exercise I gleaned some fabulous perspectives and learned a lot about how companies regard their marketing departments.  Read the rest of this entry »

So by now, thanks to two of Chuck’s recent blog posts, we have enough input to create a perfect lead definition. How about we decide which elements constitute a perfect lead? Once we vote on each item, we can take this to our marketing departments and wake them up a bit, if you know what I mean. After all, this is supposed to be their product, the fruit of their work, their cost justification—right? Read the rest of this entry »

Join our fishing expedition, a trip to catch the big ones

It may seem hard to believe, but some industry segments are actually flourishing during these tough economic times–together, we’re going to find out just who and where they are. Read the rest of this entry »

Great comments on my previous blog post–worth a blog post in its own right, so here are my responses:

Bruce said: I was going to start my comment with the thought that the Perfect Lead definition would change depending on what is being sold. After some reflection however, I believe the definition could apply across the board:

Expression of Need
Capacity to Buy
Motivating Factor
Impediments to Closure

Thoughts? Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to my first ever blog post. My friends and colleagues have been on my case for the longest while to start a blog to help global sales and marketers learn the secrets of achieving “The Perfect Lead.”

My friends and colleagues maintain I am somewhat uniquely gifted—not everyone can open the “door” to anyone they want to speak or meet, or immediately self-generate new business opportunities, or simply create an event or promotion that delivers amazing results.

Therefore, as we go forward I will share with you some of these concepts, techniques, strategies, and tactics that will provide you with the “Perfect Lead(s)”. Read the rest of this entry »