Velocify’s CSO survey of 1,200 respondents shows only about 50% of companies have a formal agreed upon definition of a qualified lead. Among those with a formal definition, 29.8% claim a lead conversion rate (leads converted to opportunities) of more than 75%. By contrast, only 18.2% of firms that lack a qualified definition at all boast conversion rates at that level, as do 20.8% of firms with an informal definition.
When asked the distribution of total leads by source, respondents indicated that almost half (46.9%) of leads are self-generated by sales representatives. While marketing generated the next-highest share, respondents said only about one-quarter of total leads come from the marketing team. And this is for companies that defined qualified leads!
This metric illustrates how tough the marketing game is these days and that direct sales outreach efforts still have their place. I’d be interested in learning which leads had better CONVERSION, those generated from sales or marketing?