Outsourcing Lead Handling M. H. McIntosh, Mac McIntosh Incorporated My boss has asked me to look into outsourcing our inquiry handling/lead management process for trade shows. What are the benefits to using an inquiry handling/lead management company? What services do they offer? How much does it cost? The primary benefit of outsourcing your trade show leads is that they are handled quickly and efficiently, regardless of your in-house resources or other responsibilities. This benefit is important when you consider that your company made a big investment to obtain those leads, and a large number of them will convert into sales if handled properly and efficiently on the front end. The services offered by inquiry handling and sales lead management companies range from simply mailing out literature response packages immediately after the show to more sophisticated, customized programs, including:
Renting a computerized lead-capturing system for your booth. Rapidly fulfilling requested information by mail, fax or e-mail. Developing and maintaining a database of your sales leads. Conducting an ongoing telephone, mail, fax or e-mail follow-up and leadqualification program. Distributing sales leads to your salespeople, dealers, representatives or distributors by mail or e-mail. Tracking and reporting lead activity, sales follow-up and results.
Setting up a trade show lead-handling program with an outside vendor takes no more effort than setting it up in-house. You’ll need to: 1. Create procedures and systems for capturing the leads at the show. 2. Establish lead-qualification criteria. 3. Establish appropriate handling procedures for each lead type (qualified leads, end-user leads, dealer leads, etc.) 4. Identify what information to send to each type of sales lead. 5. Have adequate supplies of this information ready to go so you can send it out within 24 to 48 hours after the show. 6. Determine what other follow-up (phone, mail, fax or e-mail) is needed to further qualify prospects and build relationships with them. 7. Identify sales territories to facilitate forwarding the leads to the correct salespeople, reps, dealers or distributors. 8. Determine what reports you need to measure activity and results. Program setup fees range from $300 to $5,000, depending on the complexity of your needs. In general, the more services you need and the more products, response packages and sales locations involved, the higher the setup fee. There
are also lead-processing fees, which range from as little as $2 to $3 per lead to more than $15 per lead, again depending on the depth and scope of services you require. This may seem like a big expense. But your investment in outsourcing is often less than the cost of in-house handling when you consider all the "hidden" costs. To find inquiry handling or sales lead management companies, check the display and classified ads in industry publications (such as Exhibitor magazine) or associations such as the International Exhibitors Association, International Association of Business Communicators or Business Marketing Association. Ask your peers at other companies or your exhibit house or advertising agency for recommendations. Another option is to do a key word search on the Internet. (For starters, check out the Sales and Marketing Exchange Web site at http://www.sme.com.)