LEAD DISTRIBUTION

STRATEGY
 PRESENTED BY

Jordan Muela
is the CEO of LeadSimple and a passionate marketer
who’s worked in the lead generation space since 2008.
He's living proof that it's possible to be both ADHD
and deeply passionate about utilizing the right systems
to make sales and marketing run like clockwork.
OUTLINE FOR TODAY
Definitions
Goals
Determining Factors
Specific Methods
What is Lead
Distribution ?
THE COMPLETE SALES AND
MARKETING FUNNEL

AWARE FAN
( FOLLOWER )
NAMES &
EMAILS
PROSPECT
+ RECYCLED
LEAD
MQL
SAL
SQL
MEETING CUSTOMER

MARKETING SALES
What’s The
Goal ?
DIFFERENT GOALS
FAIRNESS RESPONSE TIME REVENUE

INCREASED CONTACT
CLOSE RATE
ACCOUNTABILITY RATE
PROFIT
3
DETERMINING
FACTORS
SALES CULTURE

1
ENTITLEMENT
VS
MERITOCRACY
IMPROVEMENT
VS
COMPLACENCY
ACCOUNTABILITY
VS
FREE RIDE
 SALESMANSHIP
VS
ORDER PROCESSING
SALES PROCESS

2
 WHAT HAPPENS
AFTER THE LEAD IS
DISTRIBUTED?
The Average
Sales
Process
$ALES
comes down to

50% lead quality

50% sales process
BUT WAIT,
WHAT IF....
THE LEADS
ARE BAD!
IMPOSSIBLE TO
KNOW UNLESS
YOU HAVE A
GOOD PROCESS
SALES ROLES

3
SPECIALIZATION
One of these items does one thing very well.
 AGENT SALES ACTIVITIES

Make Contact Schedule Meeting Meet with Prospect Onboard New Client

Accept Lead Qualify Lead Develop Proposal Close Sale

 MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

CRM Administration Quarterly Reporting Coaching Compensation Planning

Distribute Leads Performance Reviews Training New Hires Sales Forecasting Hiring / Firing
 TRANSACTION ACTIVITIES

?
Personal Consultation Estimating Coordinating With Vendors

Inspecting Submitting Paperwork Collecting Payment Drafting Agreements

Property

(DEPENDS ON INDUSTRY)
Combining these
activities into one
role leads means
no one does
anything well.
“Get the right people
on the bus and in the
right seat.”
- JIM COLLINS
 Lead
Distribution
Criteria
 Deal Previous Lead
Value Performance Source
Business
Unit
LEAD
Territory DISTRIBUTION
CRITERIA
Availability Time of
Day / Week
Already In
Database
 Lead
Distribution
Method
PUSH PULL
PUSH
Leads are pushed
(assigned) to agents
automatically based
on distribution rules
 Pros:

PUSH
+ Easy to understand
+ Predictable
+ Assignment is
Immediate
 Cons:

PUSH
- Breeds Entitlement
- Less Competition
- Less Urgency
- Ignores Availability
ROUND ROBIN
Evenly distribute leads between all agents

1
 Pros Cons
ROUND ROBIN

+ Considered “Fair” - Very simplistic

PUSH

+ Easy to understand - One size fits all

+ Easy to implement - Breeds entitlement
thinking, “It’s my turn”
SOURCE
SPECIALIST
Route leads from specific lead source
to specific agent(s)
2
 Pros Cons
SOURCE SPECIALIST

+ Provides a sense - Fewer agents

PUSH

of ownership available to respond

+ Agent hones in on - Breeds entitlement
specific buyer profile - Less motivation to
+ Easy to Implement work lead aggressively
PRODUCT
SPECIALIST
Route leads with interest in specific
products to agent that specializes there
(Specific type of insurance policy, home sale, home repair, consultation, event, etc.)
3
 Pros Cons
PRODUCT SPECIALIST

+ Pairs lead with - Less competitive

PUSH

most qualified agent - Breeds entitlement

+ Agent should close - Specialist may not be
leads at higher rate available, or may quit
+ Easy to understand
and implement
TERRITORY
Assigning agents their own exclusive or
semi-exclusive geographic territories

4
 Pros Cons
TERRITORY

+ Provides a sense - Fewer agents

PUSH

of ownership available to respond

+ Narrows focus, - Less competition
sharpens expertise - Less motivation to
inside of territory work lead aggressively
+ Rewards long term
prospecting in area
SKIMMING
Owner or manager routes the best leads
to themselves ahead of their agents

3
 Pros Cons
SKIMMING

+ Funnels revenue to - Demotivates agents

PUSH

top of organization - Breeds mistrust

- Creates culture of
“Looking out for #1”
 PULL
Methods where leads
are put in a pool and
then pulled (claimed)
by agents at their
own discretion
 Pros:

PULL
+ Agents only claim
when ready
+ Pull can still be
regulated or limited
+ Agents have more
control over process
 Cons:

PULL
- Leads can be left
unclaimed
- Lead assignment is
much slower
- Fosters, “Work at your
own pace” sales
CHERRY PICK
Agents pick and choose which leads they
want to work

1
 Pros Cons
CHERRY PICK

+ Requires almost no - Presents leads as low

PULL

effort to implement value because they just

+ “First to claim” sit in a bin until claimed
drives competition - Leads are left sitting
until someone claimed
- Implies some leads
aren’t worth working
BLIND PULL
Agents can’t view lead details prior to
claiming the lead

2
 Pros Cons
BLIND PULL

+ Requires agents to - Presents leads as low

PULL

respond to all leads value because they just

(no cherry picking), sit in a bin until claimed
which creates more - Leads not grabbed
competition immediately are viewed
as rejects, get left to rot
- Implies some leads
aren’t worth working
PUSH / PULL
 PUSH / PULL
Methods where multiple agents
are contacted about new leads
and the first agent to call the
lead is given (awarded) the lead.
 PUSH / PULL
+ Leads get called immediately by
the first available agent
+ Lead are awarded based on follow
up versus being “claimed”
+ Highly flexible, can be used with
multiple distribution models
 ASSIGN
CLAIM
+ AWARD
SHARK TANK
Multiple agents called simultaneously,
first to call is awarded the lead

1
 PUSH / PULL
SHARK TANK
LEAD ARRIVES

Tom s Ron s Amy s

No response Responds 1st Responds 2nd

Notify Lead
Assign Lead Already Assigned
PUSH / PULL Pros Cons
SHARK TANK

+ Max competition - Multiple agents are

+ Lead always get contacted even though
called immediately only one will get lead
+ Helps foster a
“meritocracy” based
on responsiveness
ROUND ROBIN
Contact agents in order, first respond gets
lead (Rotate order after each new lead)

3
 PUSH / PULL
ROUND ROBIN
LEAD ARRIVES

1 Tom s 2 Ron s 3 Amy s

Leave Lead
Unassigned

NO NO NO
Notify
Available? Available? Available? Manager

YES YES YES

Assign Lead Assign Lead Assign Lead ROTATE

ORDER
PUSH / PULL Pros Cons
ROUND ROBIN

+ More evenhanded - Slightly slower than a

+ Still competitive shark tank model
+ Lead get called
within minutes
+ No more agents
called than needed
TOP PRODUCER
Top agents get first shot at responding
immediately to new leads, then notify
other agents
3
 PUSH / PULL
TOP PRODUCER
LEAD ARRIVES

1 Tom s 2 Ron s 3 Amy s

Leave Lead
Unassigned

NO NO NO
Notify
Available? Available? Available? Manager

YES YES YES

Assign Lead Assign Lead Assign Lead

PUSH / PULL Pros Cons
TOP PRODUCER

+ Puts more leads in - Agent performance

front of top agents can change over time
+ Lead get called - Increased lead flow
within minutes may hurt performance
driven by scarcity
+ Motivates agents to
compete for top spot
Notification
Format
 EMAIL
TEXT
CALL
POP-UP
EMAIL
 TEXT
New Lead via LeadSimple:
‘John Smith’ (360) 123-1234 ext.
683 Click to call: http://j.
mp/1qnAnsl
 CALL
You have received a new lead from your
website. The lead's name is John Smith.

Press 1 to accept, press 2 to decline, or stay on

the line to hear more details about the lead.
POP-UP
NEW LEAD
Michael Corleone

Call Lead
RULE #1
Contact details should only
be provided when the lead is
actually assigned.
RULE #2
For push / pull notificatoins, use
methods that don’t persist; i.e.
Phone calls and on screen pop
up notifications.
Redistributing
Leads
NEGLECT
Get notified when leads don't
get followed up on.
DUPLICATES
Mark as duplicates and assign
to the agent already assigned
to the lead.
OFF HOURS
Have someone on call or
allow agents to claim leads
off hours.
Recycling
Leads
50
PERCENT OF LEADS
ARE QUALIFIED BUT
NOT READY TO BUY
(Source: Gleanster Research)
People move back and forth...

Prospects
+ Recycled
Qualified & Interested
Not ready to buy

Leads
Interested and
ready to talk

and that’s perfectly natural

Your sales process should...

ACKNOWLEDGE

FACILITATE

MANAGE

this transition
MONEY
OVER
METHOD
WHAT WORKS
TODAY MIGHT
NOT WORK
TOMORROW
 TEST
OPTIMIZE
RETEST
MONTHLY
WEBINAR
(Second Thursday of Each Month)
webinar.leadsimple.com
leadsimple.com/sales-course