LEADership by Louis Foong » CRM

Is Your CRM Wish List for the New Year Missing Something(one)?

Louis Foong — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:00:52 +0000

Holiday shopping until a few years ago was actually an event I used to look forward to. There was much excitement around everyone’s wish list for holiday gifts. Bringing home the treasures was another adventure; sneak ‘em in and hide them well until it’s time to hand them out. Or place them discreetly where your loved ones will run eagerly to look for them on the big day. Surprises came in bigger packages; bigger the better. In recent years, the Internet has changed all that. Shoppers can sit bleary-eyed at some insane hour of the night and order gadgets, gizmos and geek delights

Things they said at the B2B Demand Generation Summit…

Louis Foong — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:21:59 +0000

Throughout the SiriusDecisions Summit this year, the message of “sales and marketing alignment” resonated loud and clear. That, in fact, was the theme – B-to-B Sales and Marketing: Forging a New Alliance. If you’ve been following closely, this theme has been a recurring one on my blog as well. Last summer, I wrote about connecting the dots between lead generation, sales and CRM. Around the same time, I offered a quick summary of inbound marketing trends and adoption of best practices for lead generation. Coming back to the Summit, speakers, John Neeson (co-founder of

Do People Provide False Contact Information Online? 69% of the time!

Louis Foong — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 12:22:46 +0000

It’s true! Landing pages and web forms can bring inaccurate information into your database. Landing pages are increasingly gaining ground as a popular online marketing tactic. Organizations include a strategically designed landing page in their package of marketing tools because it offers them the opportunity to ask for visitor information. From downloading a whitepaper in exchange for an email address to requesting a free trial by providing more detailed contact information, individuals do respond to a compelling call-to-action in a landing page that catches their attention. I read an

Love Your Brand, Love Your Customer

Louis Foong — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 11:09:07 +0000

…And love your watch! I do. I really love every watch I own. Each one is unique and has a special place in my life. So when I had issues with my brand new Moon Dust DNA from Romain Jerome, I was shocked and upset. Here’s what happened. I had just bought this RJ masterpiece from an authorized dealer before I went on a family vacation in December. Shortly thereafter I started having issues with the Power reserve. When you spend good money on a watch, you expect flawless performance! This snazzy little piece of art has authentic moon dust on the dial, the titanium and steel for the

To Spike, or Not to Spike: that is the question

Louis Foong — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:28:19 +0000

I’m feeling inspired by Shakespeare here but unlike Hamlet, it’s not a question I would ponder. Rather, it is a rhetorical question and my answer would always be “don’t spike”. I agree; a challenging economy and value-conscious customers are making it increasingly difficult for organizations to stay afloat, let alone meet sales targets. Added to that is the pressure of getting to customers before your competitors do. A “quick fix” might seem like the ideal solution. Enter a spike marketer who may be able to deliver the quick boost you’re looking for to improve your sales.

The Ideal Demand Generation Personality Profile

Louis Foong — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 20:31:52 +0000

Having witnessed organizations burn up thousands upon thousands of precious dollars, I can’t help but analyze a lead generation failure when I see it. While the specifics vary in every case, there are certain common traits of a lead generation personality profile that create negative results. I talked about some of these in my last post on the types of lead generation personalities. Let’s look at some traits...

What is Your Demand Generation Personality Type?

Louis Foong — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:11:23 +0000

As a demand generation advisor and lead generation consultant, there are often times when I wish that I could change my customers’ marketing personalities. When that happens, I find myself digging deeper and analyzing what type of demand generation personality that organization has. I remind myself of the practical advice from Ted Roosevelt, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” It makes it easier for me to help a client’s organization minimize the weaknesses and maximize the strengths of their demand generation personality.

How to Avoid Becoming the Next Demand Generation Horror Show Star!

Louis Foong — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 09:43:55 +0000

Having been in this industry for close to 2 decades, I have seen some real horror stories. Companies spending obscene amounts of money on lead generation — from inbound and outbound marketing to sales automation, leads database management, telemarketing, advertising, PR, direct marketing, and so on. Budgets blown away mindlessly and bank-breaking campaigns bringing little or no ROI. Sales reps suffering nervous breakdowns and senior executives coming under the axe for not meeting targets. Scary. If all of these are not horror stories, then I don’t know what else to call them. How

An Accelerated Leads Pipeline: Ask Not Just “How Much”, But “How”

Louis Foong — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 11:08:11 +0000

Have you ever looked at lead management and pipeline acceleration as CRM? Marketing statistics point out that 60% of leads have to be nurtured. This further reinforces what I’ve stated before that successful demand generation involves: Patiently pursuing a relationship with your prospects Developing their confidence in you Rolling out a smart and effective marketing plan to turn them into customers

Demand generation — when pull not push seals the deal!

Louis Foong — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:26:41 +0000

In my previous blog I commented on how demand generation goes beyond a leads database; that it involves nurturing true, qualified leads. I raised an important question about marketing strategy — Do you tend to push leads out to your sales reps? Or do you use a pull strategy where they can be productive and clinch the deal with home-grown prospects?