Authors, marketers and industry experts have dealt with the ins and outs of lead generation for years and years. Their in-depth experience has instilled a sense of knowledge and wisdom about the field that has led to some of the most honest and representative lead generation quotes.

“Every sale has five basic obstacles: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, no trust.”

Zig Ziglar, who wrote more than 20 books on sales and motivation, has described the essence of qualification in one concise statement. Qualification is an essential first step in lead generation that truly makes a difference in the quality of relationships experienced. Understanding your leads’ characteristics can help a company efficiently and effectively overcome these notorious obstacles. The obstacles can add an element of difficulty to lead generation, but, when appropriately addressed, can be overcome to realize positive sales growth. Further, if thorough methods of qualification are used in every outreach effort, the five obstacles can be eliminated entirely. Conducting preliminary research on leads to determine who has the need, money, hurry, desire and trust will ensure that every interaction will be meaningful and one step closer to a sale.

“There is no black magic to successfully attracting customers via the web.”

Rand Fishkin, CEO of SEOmoz, knows a thing or two about the capabilities of connecting with leads online. Believing that there are tricks to conversing and converting on the web is a common misconception. Instead, companies should focus on incorporating best practices to effectively attract leads and boost online sales. For example, a company can take their efforts a step further by including several calls to action on their website such as places for leads to input their information or options for them to request more company data. Social media is another great online outlet for companies to take advantage of and utilize in ways that will increase their ability to connect with leads. Interacting online gives companies a chance to prove their value to their leads through relevant content, prompt responses and multiple, simple conversion routes.

“Constant analysis is key in successful selling and, when included as a best practice and performed as a routine, many low-producing sales months can be avoided.”

Steve Cunningham nailed the final, prominent aspect of lead generation – analysis. While some companies will halt their lead generation efforts after developing and implementing a strategy, their more results-oriented counterparts will continue to analyze and modify their current efforts in order to discover newer and better ways to meet their leads’ needs. Companies can use analysis as a best practice that will lead to a more consistent stream of sales. Relevant metrics are another vital aspect of accurate analysis. The most important lead generation factors should be identified then analyzed so major issues can be avoided and amended prior to a sales decline. Periodically finding out who or what is high-performing and commending their efforts while modifying or eliminating low-performing aspects is key to long-run lead generation success.

“Make a customer, not a sale.”

Finally, it is important to note that throughout the lead generation process your goal should be first and foremost to build relationships with your leads. Companies can get halfway there by completing the required research that qualifies prospects and then analyzing the data. The other half of the sales process comes from having the mindset that you are building long-term relationships – whose referrals can help build even more long-term relationships – and not simply trying to get one more sale, which Katherine Barchetti explained perfectly.