Getting your sales channel to really follow-up on sales leads

B2B marketers know getting field sales people to follow-up on sales leads is tough but getting channel partners (VARs, resellers and distributors) to follow-up and close-the-loop seems down right impossible.

If you're supporting multiple sales channels with lead generation, you'll probably like this case study by MarketingSherpa.  It explains how GE Access Distribution got their channel to close the loop on 95% of leads delivered.  The best part was that their solution was not buying CRM software instead, they focused on developing collaboration and teamwork. 

I agree with all of the suggestions in the case study.  Teamwork between the sales and marketing is essential to get the maximum ROI from marketing and lead generation programs.  I paraphrased a few of key points from the case study below:

• Evaluate lead sources by quality (not quantity)
• Develop and use a universal lead definition to qualify all leads
• Make sure the lead distribution is simple and understood by all stakeholders
• Pick up the phone - don't rely on email to do the heavy lifting
• Marketing treats the sales channel as their customer

I've talked to a number of companies that are now requiring close-loop-feedback in their contracts with their channel partners.  What gets measured gets done and what gets paid for gets done. 

Do you have any other tips on how to get the channel partners to follow-up on sales leads?  Share your comments. 

MarketingSherpa.com: How GE Access Distribution Got Resellers to Follow-Up With 58% More Leads