When a new lead generation or marketing campaign is kicked off, it’s natural to want to see quick results, especially when you are falling short of your sales quotas. I was reminded of this today when a client asked if we could kick off a new campaign in order to schedule appointments for next week. If we’re really lucky, we’ll connect with decision makers live and get some appointments within the first few days of calling. However, experience has shown me that it will take 7-12 calls and multiple emails before engaging with an executive who is overbooked and rarely answers his/her own phone. Generating leads takes not only skill, it takes patience and persistence!
The same is true for calculating ROI on lead generation and marketing campaigns. There is a temptation, I think, to look at results prematurely to determine return on investments made. It’s like planting seeds to grow a tree, and then 2 weeks later digging it up to see if it’s growing. That’s really not a very good way to grow a tree!
A wonderful case in point – one of our largest clients just announced a new multi-million dollar contract they signed last week with a big healthcare system. And guess what? I had called that prospect in the Spring of last year, generated interest in our client’s services, qualified the opportunity, and secured an introductory meeting for them. Their ROI on our services just went through the roof! But…it took almost 18 months to come to fruition. Be patient - and remember that results and ROIs on marketing efforts can take months to be fully realized.
