Why Lead Generation Is Critical to the Sales Process

Why Lead Generation Is Critical to the Sales ProcessWhy Lead Generation Is Critical to the Sales ProcessLead generation is the method ofgetting inquiries from potential customers. In the old pre-Internet days of sales, lead generation occurred at places like trade shows visitors to a companys booth would fill out a card with their contact information and turn it in to receive a call back from that companys sales team. Since the rise of the Internet, many businesses use their websites as a lead generation option. Email also offers lead generation potential, since companies can buy another companys emaille marketing list or pay them to promote the company on their own marketing emails. Most marketing experts recommend that companies use at least 10 different lead generation methods to ensure that their pipelines remain full. Quality Is as Important as Quantity Because lead generation is the first step in the sales process, both quality and quantity are important factors. Quality leads are leads that a salesperson has a good chance of closing, which means they must at least have the potential to become customers. Every lead list will have a number of junk leads people who are not qualified to buy the product for some reason but the smaller the percentage of bad leads, the less time salespeople will waste while processing that list. Quantity is also important because even a salesperson with a list of 100% good leads wont be able to close every one of them. A salesperson with 100 good leads might be able to make 10 appointments, out of which 4 will close the sale. Therefore, if a salesperson has a quota of 40 sales per month, she will need 1000 good leads per month just to make the minimum required number of sales. Each lead generation technique usually has a tradeoff between quality and quantity. For example, a form on the company website that visitors can fill in to request a call back will generate high-quality leads these visitors are very likely to bu y since theyre interested enough to want to hear more but probably wont generate a lot of leads. On the other hand, a lead list thats based on a newsletter subscription list from another company may generate a lot of leads, but they wont be nearly as interested or qualified. This tradeoff is another reason why companies are wise to use many lead generation methods. Lead Generation Services Many marketing agencies offer lead generation services for business that dont wish to develop their own systems. These agencies will often have a network of companies and websites that it uses to promote its client businesses. When a visitor expresses interest in one of the agencys clients, the agency passes that lead back to the client. Often agencies will promote their clients through a directory or list of providers, and when a visitor requests a quote for a specific service, the agency alerts the appropriate client. Most agencies will allow clients to specify the type of leads they woul d like to receive. For example, a company might choose to limit leads to a certain geographic region. Search engines also provide lead generation options. Any business with a website can appear on a search engine listing for related searches, and visitors can then click a link and be taken to that companys website. However, some search engines also offer a pay-per-click lead generation option. The search engine posts a link to the companys website at the top of the search results form, making it much more likely that prospective customers will choose to visit that website. However, when a visitor does click the link the search engine charges that company a small fee, as opposed to the free general listings. Companies that use pay-per-click advertising are advised to move cautiously at first, as an overly successful campaign can end up costing far more than expected

Outski Launches 401(play) Plan to Promote Work-Life Balance

Outski Launches 401(play) Plan to Promote Work-Life Balance Outski Launches 401(play) Plan to Promote Work-Life Balance Employers benefit in several ways, such as employing employees who use most or all of their vacation time and experience reduced stress and healthier lives, leading to fewer sick days. Employees that take more vacation time also experience reduced burn-out, are more efficient, have stronger workplace morale, and are more productive.401(play) is appropriate for businesses of all sizes, and allows employees to have funds transferred directly from their paycheck into their own FDIC-insured Vacation Savings Account, or VSA.The employee enrollment process takes only a few minutes to complete. Outski provides a template containing an enrollment link that employers send to their employees, and the employer processes the employees direct deposit forms as they are returned. Employees can execute their entire travel planning process directly through the Outski website.Found er and CEO of Outski, Greg Nickolson, said, It is a significant yet easily implemented or added tool to any corporate health and wohlbefinden program or employee benefit package. It provides a measurable way for an employer to make a positive impact on the health of their employees making mental health just as important to an effective health and wellness plan as healthy eating and exercise.

The Best Time of Year to Look for a Job

The Best Time of Year to Look for a JobThe Best Time of Year to Look for a JobTake a look at your resume and see if you notice anything funny. Do you notice, throughout your career, you seem to change jobs during the same months?The best time of year to look for a job rolls around every year at the same. See if you search for jobs and get hired during the best time to find a job.1 best time of year - First 3 months of the yearJanuary, February, and March are the best times of year to look for a job. The most jobs are posted from the most industries. In January, most decision-makers are in the office refreshed from their holiday vacation. And there are new hiring budgets allowing for new hires. This is a great time to get your resume out to companies. All of the delayed hiring activity from the end of last year picks up again, too.By February and March, everything starts to come together. The hiring is fast-paced and einstellungsgesprchs happen frequently. Given the busy activity, it is always a good idea to follow up after an interview and let them know you are still available.These three months are also good because it is a time when employees decide to change jobs. For them, it would make no sense to leave in December and miss that end-of-year bonus Keep your eyes open extra-wide during this time because there is lots of activity2 best time of year - September and OctoberThese two months are great for applying, almost for the same reasons as January and February. There are general waves of hiring that takes place and it usually picks up after people return from vacation.There are also more interviews and less waiting because the hiring has to be done faster. Given this is the second wave of major hiring, too, the process tends to be smoother and quicker.Is this the best time to look for a job? Hard to say, but it runs a close 2nd to January and February. When you get back from your summer vacation, take advantage of this 2nd best time to find a job.3 best tim e of year - April and MayCompanies generally like to schliff the hiring process before the summer months. So, there is a great deal of pressure to get the new hires on board. Staff will start going on vacation in a month, which makes it much harder to finish the hiring process.With all the interviews taking place, this is surely one of the best times of the year to find a job. As people drop out of interviews, you want to have your name in the loop of possible job candidates.It may not be the best time of year to find a job, but it surely is a good time to get your resume out there. You can help fill a position before the hiring manager goes on vacation in July.Worst times of year and whySummer months - June, July, and AugustThe worst time of year to look for a job would be the summer months of June, July, and August. Summer months mean employees are usually slower, management is on vacation and having a fully collected team to make hiring decisions are difficult. If you are having a problem finding new work and started your job hund in the summer, this was not the best time of year to look for a job.For the record, some may find this the best time to find a job. There is less competition from internal employees who may want the job you are applying for. So many people are on vacation, too, and your choice to job hunt when no one was around could work in your favor.Normally, however, the job hunt will not be as rewarding with interviews and meeting new people. It takes a little more patience during the summer.Holiday months - November and DecemberIf you think this is the best time of year to look for a job, you may have been one of the lucky few to cash in during months of slow applying and job posting.Sure, you may get a head start on the competition for January, but the interviews in November and December are slim. With several holidays in November and December, hiring managers put the process on hold until they return from vacation. It is easier that way an d there is no rush.It may not be the best time to find a job. But given that employees have less to do, typically, at the end of the year, it is a good time to network with possible future colleagues or new networks.