Hiring a lead generation company will help grow your business and provide you and your sales team with the qualified leads needed to generate sales and build a revenue pipeline. The right lead generation company can help you save money and allows your sales people the time to do what they do best…sell.

As an accredited lead generation and appointment setting company, IntelliConnection has crafted a few questions that you should always ask your potential lead generation company to ensure a seamless transition and optimal ROI.

Why your company?

With so many companies claiming to ‘generate leads’, it’s of growing importance that you take the time to think about just what you want in a lead generation firm before signing with them. If your goal is to increase conversion numbers, then by how much? If you’re trying to strengthen your sales pipeline, then what is your target? Working together with your lead gen company and making sure you’re both on the same page from the beginning will undoubtedly increase overall campaign success.

Ask the company why you should choose them instead of another company. Without a doubt you want them to make prospecting more efficient for your sales team. Ensuring that you inquire on details such as how much access you have to the call recordings, will you have access to the client portal, will your sales rep be assigned to just you, are the sales reps US based, the detailed functionality of exporting call data, and overall visibility into the success of the campaign will help you make the right decision on what lead generation company to hire.

What experience do you have in our niche?

Lead generation strategies vary from niche to niche and what works in the hospitality industry may not necessarily work in the financial sector. It is important that any company you hire has examples, case studies, and references that can speak to their success in your particular industry.

Make sure to check the reputation of the company in your industry before you formally sign a contract. Question your sales rep and potential account manager on their knowledge of the industry and ability to articulate your industries challenges. You won’t regret it.

What do you qualify as a lead?

For lack of better words, not all leads are created equal. If a lead generation company simply hands off a list of generic businesses to their account reps, chances are your booked appointment numbers and overall quality will be low.

What you need are well-sourced leads. A lead should undoubtedly be defined as a) quality b) relevant and c) a booked appointment on your calendar.

Having an understanding of how a lead generation company qualifies leads can make all of the difference in end goal performance. Bottom line is that leads should be from a variety of sources, they should be within your target audience, and the result should be a quality booked appointment on your calendar.

What reporting and campaign insight is provided?

It’s one thing for a lead generation company to say they can provide results — it’s another thing to show results.

After a meeting is booked to your sales person’s calendar, they should have access to all call recordings and notes in order to adequately prep. Your sales team should feel confident walking into the meeting with the prospect knowing that they have all of the data they need to close the deal. Ask for reporting examples to be 100% confident that your team will have the resources they need to meet with the prospect and close the deal.

Finding a fit on both sides is arguably the biggest factor in the overall success of a lead generation campaign. If you’re going to invest in a company your goal should be for them to end up acting as an extension of your team, heavily invested in the success of the campaign and your business. Like they say…teamwork makes the dream work.