10 Reasons Lead Generation Failure May Not Be Your Fault, Pt. II

In part two of two of my blog post on lead generation failure, I will delve into the other five reasons failure may not be the lead generation rep’s fault. Here they are:

6. Calling Region - A lead generation rep calling on his local area may have extreme success as opposed to calling out-of-state prospects because some people only want to help their local economies. She may also experience extreme success calling on southern prospects who display “southern hospitality” versus calling on a big, fast-paced city like New York where prospects won’t even entertain a cold call. I have personally used the same basic call outline in various regions and have tremendous success calling one versus the other.

7. Daily Dial Quotas - Managers and outsourced vendors love dial quotas (i.e. making 60 dials per 8-hour day) because they prove a lead generation rep is actively working. The downside of quotas is that they leave little room for pre-call research. Many prospects demand that you know something about their company before calling on them to sell. I am often asked “What do you know about my company?” when calling on prospects. But if lead generation reps are more concerned with making a certain amount of dials than they are doing what it takes to secure meetings with prospects, they are being set up for failure.

8. Lack of Support - Selling is awfully difficult without some level of marketing support. Though your company may not have the advertising budget for fancy TV or radio ads, they should at least have sufficient marketing collateral to help you succeed in lead generation efforts. Those materials could include electronic and hard copy brochures, CRM software, and a dynamic website. Many prospects want to do their own research on your company before engaging your outside sales team with a face-to-face meeting. Anticipating this need and filling it can only help your lead generation rep become more successful.

9. Bad Product or Service - There’s not much a lead generation rep can do when the product or service he is selling has a poor reputation in the industry. Perhaps it has outlived its usefullness. Maybe bad professional and customer reviews have killed it. Or maybe product recalls have permanently damaged its reputation. Though lead generation reps can do their best to overcome initial objections, if a product is bad, it’s bad. There’s not a darn thing they can about it. When working for an outsourced vendor, I certainly had my share of making calls on behalf of companies that entered the market five years too late or that had products that simply couldn’t compete with industry leaders.

10. Unrealistic Expectations - We all want to be successful. Owners, managers, and lead generation reps want to increase the bottom line. However, it’s important that leaders understand the industry, the economy, and the limitations of a lead generation rep when setting quotas and goals. Setting unrealistic expectations will only add to disappointment and turnover.

Are there reasons lead generation reps can fail that is their own fault? Of course there are. And those reps must be willing to take personal accountability when they are to blame for failure. But before they are expected to take full responsibility, managers and owners must consider the reasons outside of the reps’ work as well before corrective action is taken.

Warm regards,

E. R. Carpenter