One of the greatest legends in all of rock ‘n’ roll is Van Halen’s famous contract request that no brown M&Ms be allowed backstage.
Most thought of this as a preposterous request from a bunch of rock ‘n’ roll primma donnas. In reality, the request was rooted in practicality. It was Van Halen’s way of qualifying a venue. That’s because at the time Van Halen had a very complicated stage setup that not every venue could handle.
The no-brown-M&Ms clause was a way to ensure that the venue had read the entire contract. If brown M&Ms were found, it was an indicator that the venue hadn’t properly read the contract, and the stage setup may not be secure.
What’s the point of this story, you ask? Simple: It always pays to qualify. Be it concert venues or leads, qualification can prevent a lot of headaches down the line.
Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) have always posed a significant challenge to marketers for several reasons. On one hand, smart qualification is vital to set up sales for success instead of wasting their hours on fruitless dead ends; on the other, the typical misalignment between sales and marketing has left many marketers confused about accurate scoring practices, even as they become more determined to qualify leads more effectively.
Traditional thought has held that MQLs are not a significant driver of value to sales, given that so many sales reps will prospect and nurture on their own. Then there’s the habit of measuring marketers on their MQL numbers, which inspires many to qualify worthless leads to inflate their success rates.
Luckily, this outdated tradition is changing; as marketers diversify their skillsets and grow more influential in the funnel, more organizations look at MQLs through the lens of marketing sourced or influenced deals.
So, just what is the most effective way for you to score and qualify leads? How can you prove your organizational value while providing sales with a rich pipeline of strong contenders?
This is just a small bit of Craig’s insights into how you can use proper lead qualification to boost your organization’s efficiency.