By Wes Lipsett

18 February 2015

If you are an owner or manager of a business that provides goods and/or services to customers in a competitive market, then chances are you are acutely aware of the value of a lead.

Many articles have been written on lead generation but what about when that oh-so-valuable lead finally comes along? What process is in place to ensure that it is recorded, worked thoroughly and hopefully converted into a quote and eventually a sale?

Having invested heavily in the lead generation strategy, what lead management system do you use to ensure that the investment has the best chance to provide a return?

If your lead management system consists of rough notes on backs of envelopes placed on the pile of paperwork on the sales manager’s desk - or similar - it may not surprise you that research shows that up to 55% of small businesses don’t follow up on new leads.

Investing in an electronic, cloud based lead management system would seem the answer to protecting the investment that has been made in generating the leads. So what should one look for when researching the myriad of lead management options that are available?

A successful lead management system may vary from a shared, stand-alone spreadsheet to a fully integrated and customizable CRM system. In all cases the following points should be considered and applied to all options before the final decision is made.

More: Choosing a successful lead management system