It's an age old problem.  Companies set goals for revenue growth and dispatch a sales force to go make it happen.  Sales needs a prospect list, so companies task marketing with the responsibility to generate leads.  When results fall short, and they often do, marketers complain because sales didn't follow up on the leads they delivered.  Sales complain because they didn't get enough quality leads from marketing. Nobody's right and nobody wins.  

At the core of this disconnect is a lack of alignment between marketing and sales.  Studies by the CMO Council and others routinely show that less than 10% of companies believe their sales and marketing functions are extremely effective in working together.    

The critical importance of aligning marketing and sales has led to the development of a host of companies specializing in components of the business development equation.  The rise of marketing automation systems that integrate with sales customer relationship management (CRM) systems (like industry leader salesforce.com) to create an integrated view of relationships is but one example.  Ultimately, the results generated by any program designed to generate leads and develop reltionships comes down to the quality of the contacts being targeted.  

The Go To Market Show visited with Jim Muller, Business Development Manager of Good Leads, to discuss his company's focus on business development.  Good Leads is a New England based company focused on B2B lead generation.  Most of their work is in the technology and government sectors, but the process they use cuts across industries.  

According to Muller, what sets Good Leads apart is their expertise and experience. "People are busy, but if you have the knack, and our people do, you can get C-level execs on the phone knowing that you've got 30 seconds to 2 minutes to get it done," Muller said. "There's a lot of training of course.  And that's the key to our success."

In a constantly connected world, Muller says his company uses an old fashion "let's go knock on some doors" approach.  Except, they do it virtually by using phones and setting up virtual appointments.  Having a foundation of knowledge about their clients' business is the starting point.  A good lead is one that matches a need with the client's products or services. "We've said 'no' to prospects after talking to them, because they weren't a good fit for our client," said Muller. He understands the dynamic of sales and is okay that Good Leads' role may become obsolete. "The better we do our job, the more we may not be needed."

The average price for Good Leads' services is around $3,500-$5,000 a month.  This covers background and preparation, calling, prospect building, market building, market analysis, and reporting of all potential leads. The cost of under-performance in a disconnected marketing and sales environment is clearly higher than that (not to mention the cost of missed opportunities), so the investment has a strong potential to pay dividends.  

To learn more visit www.goodleads.com.