Whats Working in Lead Generation

$395
Whats Working In Professional Services Lead Generation

How To Spend Your Time, Energy, & Money For The Best ROI In B2B Professional Services
A RainToday.com Research Report by: Mike Schultz, Publisher, RainToday.com Andrea Meacham Rosal, Chief Content Officer, RainToday.com John Doerr, Principal, Wellesley Hills Group
All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, faxing, emailing, posting online or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the Publisher.
2007 RainToday.com
Whats Working In Lead Generation

How To Spend Your Time, Energy, & Money For The Best ROI In B2B Professional Services
2007 by RainToday.com and Wellesley Hills Group, LLC All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, faxing, emailing, posting online or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the Publisher. For information contact: RainToday.com Customer Service 600 Worcester Road Suite 301 Framingham, MA 01702 508-405-0438 service@raintoday.com
2007 RainToday.com & Wellesley Hills Group, LLC
Whats Working In Lead Generation Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................... 4 How To Use This Report.................................................................................................... 5 Insight #1: Brand Matters................................................................................................... 6 Insight #2: Know Your Target Market............................................................................... 8 Insight #3: Cold Calling Works........................................................................................ 11 Insight #4: Integrate Your Tactics.................................................................................... 15 Insight #5: Nurture the Leads You Have.......................................................................... 19 Insight #6: Indicators of the Future Lead Generation....................................................... 21 A Few Key Terms Used In This Study ............................................................................ 22 THE LEAD GENERATION ENVIRONMENT IN TODAYS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES BUSINESS .......................................................................................................... 23 Setting The Stage ................................................................................................................ 24 Professional Services Ability To Generate Leads........................................................... 24 Why Being Well-Known In Your Target Market Matters............................................ 26 Companies Current Approaches To Getting New Business ........................................... 28 Sales & Marketing Budgets In Professional Services ...................................................... 31 Growth in Annual Revenue Over Last Two Years........................................................... 36 Geographic Reach of Client Base..................................................................................... 39 How Companies Are Going About Lead Generation...................................................... 41 Whos Expected To Generate Leads ................................................................................ 41 Typical Lead Quality........................................................................................................ 45 Knowledge Of Target Markets......................................................................................... 48 Lead Generation Challenges Faced By Professional Services ......................................... 50 BEST LEAD GENERATION TACTICS, STRATEGIES, & OFFERS........................... 53 Top Ways To Generate Quality Leads ............................................................................. 54 Top Strategies For Generating Quality Leads .................................................................. 54 Referral Building As A Top Tactic: Selected Commentary............................................. 57 Cold Calling As A Top Tactic: Selected Commentary .................................................... 59 Hosting, Attending, & Speaking At In-Person Events As A Top Tactic: Selected Commentary ..................................................................................................................... 63 Online Marketing As A Top Tactic: Selected Commentary ............................................ 69 Other Top Tactics: Selected Commentary ....................................................................... 70 Evaluating Tactics & Strategies ........................................................................................ 73 One-By-One Usage And Effectiveness Of Tactics & Strategies ..................................... 73 The Dont Know Effectiveness Factor ......................................................................... 81 Evaluating Offers And Their Content .............................................................................. 84 Lead Generation Offers .................................................................................................... 84 Types Of Content For Lead Generation Offers ................................................................ 89 Continued on next page 2007 RainToday.com & Wellesley Hills Group, LLC 2
Table of Contents, Continued

TOMORROWS TRENDS IN LEAD GENERATION....................................................... 92 2-Year Prediction: Across The Board Increases In Lead Generation .......................... 93 Changes In Approach To Lead Generation ...................................................................... 93 Reasons For Increasing / Decreasing Lead Generation Efforts........................................ 96 Voting With Dollars: The $100,000 Question ................................................................ 104 Where To Invest In Marketing & Sales.......................................................................... 104 Selected Verbatim Comments About Use Of $100,000................................................. 107 Trends For Future Use Of Tactics, Strategies, Offers, & Their Content ................... 109 ANALYSIS SECTIONS BY FIRM DEMOGRAPHICS................................................... 120 Analysis By Industry ........................................................................................................ 121 Overview ........................................................................................................................ 121 Accounting, Tax, Payroll, Bookkeeping Services.......................................................... 127 Architecture, Engineering, Construction Services ......................................................... 133 Financial, Insurance, Real Estate Services ..................................................................... 139 Human Resources & Organizational Development Consulting ..................................... 146 Information Technology Consulting & Services............................................................ 153 Law Firms / Legal Services............................................................................................ 160 Management Consulting................................................................................................. 167 Marketing, Public Relations, & Advertising .................................................................. 174 Training, Executive Education, & Coaching Services ................................................... 181 Other Consulting / Professional Services ....................................................................... 187 Analysis By Firm Size....................................................................................................... 194 BACKGROUND & PARTICIPANT DEMOGRAPHICS ................................................ 204 Background & Participant Demographics ..................................................................... 205 Survey Methodology ...................................................................................................... 205 About The Participant Firms .......................................................................................... 206 List Of Participating Companies .................................................................................... 210 ABOUT RAINTODAY.COM & THE REPORT AUTHORS .......................................... 217 About RainToday.com ................................................................................................... 218 About The RainToday Research Team .......................................................................... 219
INTRODUCTION
How To Use This Report

Lead generation is heating up Across the board, professional services firms are looking to generate more leads in the next two years. According to BtoBs 2007 Marketing Priorities and Plans survey, acquiring new customers (i.e. lead generation) is the number one goal for 2007 cited by 62.3% of respondents 1 . In studying Whats Working In Lead Generation, we asked 731 professional services firms, In the next two years, how do you expect your lead generation efforts to change? An overwhelming 84% said that they were planning on significantly or moderately increasing their lead generation efforts. In other words, 84% of your competitors are going after your prospects and your clients with more lead generation energy, resources, and rigor. So, what lead generation strategies and tactics can you employ that will put you ahead of the curve? In Whats Working In Lead Generation, we set out to answer this question. Our goal is for you to use this report in discussion as you: Benchmark yourself against Excellent lead generation companies in terms of how much you are spending, what tactics you are using, what your offers are, what your marketing mix is, etc. Choose which tactics you should test and which tactics may not be worth the work and investment. Defend your lead generation plans to your managers and gain buy-in with your lead generation team. Budget for upcoming years. In this report introduction, we have presented an overview of some of the most important lead generation insights gained from our analysis of the data and our everyday work with professional services firms.
BtoB Online, 2007 Marketing Priorities and Plans survey, December 2006.
Insight #1: Brand Matters

Famous name or hidden gem? We asked: Of the sentences below, which ONE better describes your company's reputation reach? Sentence % Respondents Our company is very well-known among the majority of companies in our target market. Our company is not very wellknown among the majority of companies in our target market. 30%
70%
Impact of reputation reach
Respondents who said their companies were very well known in their target market were also significantly more likely than the not very well known companies to say they were Good or Excellent at generating leads for their services.
Companies' Overall Ability To Generate Leads
- By Reputation Reach In Target Market Very Well Known Companies (N = 221) Not Very Well Known Companies (N = 514) 50 44 % Respondents 38 30 25 16 12 5 0 1 (Poor) 2 (Fair) 3 (Good ) 4 (Excellent) 6 49
Each measure in this chart represents a significant difference, at a 95% confidence level.
Continued on next page
Insight #1: Brand Matters, Continued

Takeaway: A rising tide lifts all boats One argument seems to never go away. On the one side you have people who say, We need to increase our brand recognition in order to truly succeed with marketing. The other side typically maintains, Just get out there and sell. Name recognition doesnt matter. Recognition and reputation do matter when it comes to lead generation. 65% of well known companies report being good or excellent at lead generation whereas only 44% of the not well known companies report being good or excellent. If you are well known, whatever lead generation tactics you employ are likely to work better. In How Clients Buy: The Benchmark Report on Professional Services Marketing and Sales from the Client Perspective, we asked 200 buyers of professional services how they find and learn more about potential service providers. After referrals, I already knew about the service provider (a.k.a. reputation or brand reach) was the top approach cited along with, learning about the service provider by hearing them speak. In Whats Working In Lead Generation, only 30% of companies claimed the power of name-recognition in their market. That spells opportunity for the other 70% of firms. The more well known you are, the better your lead generation efforts will work. Of course, this begs the question, which comes first, the chicken or the egg? or in this case the brand recognition or the lead generation success?
Caveat: Dont build brand for brands sake
While brand perception can have a tremendous impact on a buyers attitude toward a company, and disposition toward purchasing services, the traditional laws of branding do not apply to professional services firms. Of 33 lead generation outreach tactics, traditional advertising media scored very low in terms of effectiveness: Advertising on TV: 33rd out of 33 Advertising on the radio: 31st out of 33 Advertising in print media: 29th out of 33 Advertising in ad-supported websites & online publications: 28th out of 33 Build your service brand through your lead generation efforts. With value in marketing, sustained over a long period of time, you build awareness and esteem for your firms services while you generate leads.
Insight #2: Know Your Target Market

Knowing what you dont know We asked: How well does your company know whom it should be targeting for its services, in terms of: The general profile of your target market (best industry, geography, size, other general characteristics) The actual titles of decision makers within the target organizations The actual names of the organizations you should target The actual names of decision makers within the target organizations
Target market knowledge
Participants rated their knowledge to be: 5 = Extremely Strong, 4 = Somewhat Strong, 3 = Neither Strong Nor Weak, 2 = Somewhat Weak, 1 = Extremely Weak
% Rating Target Market Knowledge As "Extremely" or "Somewhat Strong"

100
75
77 58
50
55
25
30
0 General Profile Titles Of Decision Makers Names Of Organizations Names Of Decision Makers
Aspect Of Target Market Knowledge
Insight #2: Know Your Target Market, Continued

By ability to generate leads While the chart above showing total responses is helpful to see the overall trend in professional services, looking at target market knowledge by the companies self-reported ability to generate leads takes us a step further in underscoring just how important it is to know your target market well. rget

- By Overall Ability To Generate Leads 100 95 89 78 68 50 55 63 54 44 37 73 65 51 39 21 13
% Of Respondents
75
Excellent At Generating Leads Good At Generating Leads Fair At Generating Leads Poor At Generating Leads
25
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Insight #2: Know Your Target Market, Continued

Takeaway: Know your target market Targeting and segmentation are the first steps to any lead generation or marketing effort, and must be done with the utmost thought and rigor. It seems intuitive to be successful in marketing and lead generation, you need to know who your best potential clients are. Yet, only 30% of respondents indicated that they have the actual names of the decision makers in the companies they are targeting. When we look through the lens of the respondents ability to generate leads, we see a marked difference in target market knowledge between poor or fair lead generators (13% - 21% know the names of the decision makers) and Good or Excellent lead generators (39% - 51% know the names of the decision makers). Theres a direct correlation in our data and in our experience between companies that know exactly whom they target and how well they can generate leads.
Caveat: Not all prospects are created equal
While the more knowledge you have of your target market heightens your ability to generate leads, it is important to remember that not all of your targets are equal in their profit potential. As such, not all of your targets should be treated equally in terms of your marketing efforts and budget. The first step in knowing where to spend your lead generation money is to know who you want to spend it on.
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Insight #3: Cold Calling Works

What works the best (unaided) We asked: Consider the past 2 years of lead generation for your company: all of the ways to contact prospects, ways to establish brand and thought leadership, ways to publicize and network, and lead-generating offers your company has used. Based on what you know about the source of your companys leads in the past 2 years, what have been the top 3 ways that have generated quality leads for your companys services? These may be a single strategy, tactic, or offer, or a particular combination that youve found to be the most reliable source of quality leads. Important note: These answers were unaided by the survey, meaning we received 1,428 volunteered responses from 591 participants, with no prompting from the survey as to the tactics they could choose from. We then analyzed and categorized each response individually.
The top ways to generate quality leads
When considering only the answers to what people consider their #1 top way to generate leads, these 5 strategies rise to the top of the list: 5 Most Common #1 Top Ways To Generate Quality Leads Client / partner referrals General referrals Cold calling / telephone prospecting Hosting / Attending / Speaking at events, conferences, tradeshows, seminars Personal relationships / Direct, face to face contact % Respondents (N = 591) 22 16 13 11 8
When considering all of the top 3 ways to generate quality leads, priorities change, but not substantially. Client and partner referrals, general referrals, cold calling / telephone prospecting, and interacting with prospects at events still reign.
The great debate: to call or not to call
Cold Calling is second only to referrals as the number one lead generation tactic respondents cited that has worked for them in the past. While there is much debate over the topic of cold calling if it works, if it is worth it, how to do it right the data here is clear: cold calling does work for a number of firms. The following verbatim comments from our survey respondents explain how it works, and how they know it works.
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Insight #3: Cold Calling Works, Continued

Evidence that cold calling works Comment
Even though calls are frustrating at times...when they work, they really work well. We can get 2 to 4 new clients each year this way, that usually turn to repeat work clients...that is good. Our biggest and most profitable customers have been acquired this way. 75% of more than 250 meetings during the past 2 years have been generated this way.
From
Chief Marketing Officer, AEC Services CEO / President, Health Care Services VP / Director of Marketing, Management Consulting Principal / Partner, Human Resources / OD Consulting Principal / Partner, Retained Executive Search Services Managing Director / Managing Partner, Marketing / PR / Advertising Principal / Partner, Law Firms / Legal Services
30% response rate with a 10% first meeting rate. Acts like the newsletter, but gets to an audience blocked by spam filters.
Roughly 25% of new business is brought in this way.
Cold calling is so rare in UK professional services that it's quite a pleasant surprise to many recipients. We often get the comment, I'm glad you called. I / my colleague is dealing with just such a situation that you may be able to help with...
70% of correspondents are interested in our services.
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Keys to success with cold calling Comment
Be honest & to the point, don't waste their time, research them before calling, ask good questions, LISTEN to their answers, keep good notes, follow up, follow up, follow up.
From
Chief Marketing Officer, Architecture / Engineering / Construction Services Chief Sales Officer, IT Services & Consulting Field Director, Human Resources / OD Consulting Principal / Partner, Law Firms / Legal Services CEO / President, Marketing / PR / Advertising VP / Director of Marketing, Management Consulting VP / Director of Marketing, Marketing / PR / Advertising Chief Marketing Officer, Training / Executive Education Sales Training Manager, IT Services / Consulting
The more tailored the call based on pre-call research, the more effective it becomes.
It is how we have secured business year after year and we're over $400 million in sales and in business over 50 years.
Defining the target audience.
The key is to make it a professional inquiry, not a sales message - I say that I've seen their work, tell them briefly what I do, and ask whether they'd be interested in seeing some additional information (white papers, cap statement, etc.). Our service is not something that a client thinks of getting and, often doesn't want to . . . they want the results, not the service. So, calling proactively has been hands down the most effective way to generate leads. But not for the faint-hearted! The key is to ensure the call is always client business focused, and by a senior manager who can bring their industry experience to bear.
Needs a high quality individual who knows our business well, and is able to hold real conversations, not just follow a script.
The majority of sales come from reps who have taken the prospect from start to finish over a long period of time. Activity is the key to start.
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Takeaway: Cold calling works Of all the possible tactics out there speaking, publishing, seminars, direct mail, PR, internet marketing, the list goes on cold calling rose to the top as the most effective to generate quality leads, after referrals. So why is there such a big debate around cold calling and whether or not it works for professional services? The short answer is because people are doing it the wrong way. The purpose of a cold call is to set a meeting to introduce yourself, and to learn about the prospect not to go into a detailed sales pitch. All too often, business developers try to pitch their services over the phone, rather than approaching their targets with a value based offer for the meeting (research, industry insights, best practices, etc.). If you take the respondents advice above do your research before the call, offer something of value, keep it conversational, listen, keep good notes, and follow up then cold calling can and does work (and it may even become your #1 tactic).
Caveat: Have realistic expectations
While cold calling can and does work, you need to have realistic expectations. It is very unlikely that you are going to call someone right at their elusive time of need. Sales cycles for services take 3, 6, 9, 18 months or longer. The introductory meeting is the first step in a series of actions designed to build trust with your prospect over time through lead nurturing (see Insight #5).
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Insight #4: Integrate Your Tactics

Evaluating 33 lead generation tactics and strategies We looked at two basic measures of 33 tactics and strategies that professional services companies might use to generate leads for new business: Have you used it? If so, how effective has it proven in generating leads for your services? Companies rated effectiveness on a scale of 1 to 5: 5 = Extremely Effective, 4 = Very Effective, 3 = Somewhat Effective, 2 = Not Very Effective, 1 = Not At All Effective
The most effective tactics
The chart below illustrates the top 5 most effective tactics as rated by respondents as extremely effective and very effective.
% "Extremely Effective" (5) % "Very Effective" (4) 0 Making 'warm' phone calls (to existing contacts) (N = 778) Speaking at conferences / trade shows (N = 616) Running our own in-person events (N = 496) Becoming members of professional / industry organizations (N = 728) Connecting with press contacts to gain PR about our company (N = 530) 11 % Of Respondents 25 41 50 75 Top2 Box 52% Mean 3.57
17
31
48%
3.59
13
32
45%
3.56
13
25
38%
3.34
26
33%
3.27
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Insight #4: Integrate Your Tactics, Continued

Warming up the prospect Both in aided and unaided responses, using the telephone to generate leads rises to the top as the most effective tactic (be it through warm or cold calling). Several of the respondents chimed in to share how they combine this strategy with other tactics to warm up their prospects before picking up the phone. Calling Combination Strategies Selected Commentary Comment
With Conference Sponsorship: Appointment-setting services: calling attendees of focused conferences for which we are a major sponsor, we speak, and we have clients speaking. We know it works because of the number of 'new logo' clients we have obtained through this process. Timeliness of the calling after the event is key. With Direct Mail: Cold Calling via phone preceded by letter.
From
VP / Director of Business Development, Marketing / PR / Advertising Principal / Partner, Procurement & Telecommunications CEO / President, Architecture / Engineering / Construction Services VP / Director of Business Development, Marketing / PR / Advertising Principal / Partner, Architecture / Engineering / Construction Services
With E-Mail: We call then send target-appropriate, industry-specific articles via email. We get emails back saying great articles etc. With E-Mail: E-mail sent out followed by call. It brings in leads. Individual e-mails speaking to the target, not just the target group. Dovetailed communication. With Direct Mail & Follow-Up Calls: Contacting potential clients via telephone and talking with them about our service. Then we send a targeted brochure, and then we call them to set up a meeting. This has been very successful in the markets we have tried it in. The key is follow up!
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Takeaway: Lead generation tactics work together Getting through to high-level decision makers, getting your message of value seared into their heads, and getting them over the tipping point of becoming a serious lead for your services takes multiple touches, time, and marketing savvy. There is no silver bullet tactic. While we see that using the telephone to generate leads rises to the top of tactics, it is that much more effective when combined with other tactics. For example, assume you have been chosen to speak at an industry conference (the number two most effective tactic cited). You pour your time and effort into securing the speaking engagement, creating the PowerPoint deck, practicing your speech, preparing materials, etc. You show up, deliver, and pass out packets with a shiny new company brochure and your business card. You go back to your office and wait for the phone to ring. A certain number of the attendees will be so interested in your presentation that they will pick up the phone and proactively begin a discussion with you. But the majority will go back to their office and your nice brochure will get buried in a pile on their desk. Now, consider how much more effective your speaking could be if you were to touch the attendees both before and after the event. For example: Tactic 1: Send a direct mail letter to conference attendees focused on the benefits of your presentation. Tactic 2: Call attendees offering to meet with them during the conference to discuss how this new research affects their firm and their challenges. Tactic 3: Speak at the conference, network, and position yourself as a resource. Tactic 4: Add everyone you met to your Contact Management System (and your touch plan see Insight #5). Tactic 5: Follow up with an email including the slides from your presentation. Tactic 6: Follow up with a phone call to discuss how this data relates to your prospects firms and to answer any lingering questions they may have. In this case, combining lead generation tactics generates a fair share of leads both before and after the speaking engagement.
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Caveat: Dont evaluate lead generation too quickly Lead generation is a multi-step process. It takes ongoing touches to draw prospects into the seduction of your services. These touches need to be well planned, with a consistent message, at the right frequency, with the right mix of offers. This takes time. Many professional services firms plant seeds in hopes of growing a tree, and dig them up after two weeks to see if they're growing. That's not a good way to grow trees.
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Insight #5: Nurture the Leads You Have

Inspecting the pipeline We asked participants to report what percentage of their leads typically arrive as sales-ready, needs nurturing, or disqualified.
Typical lead quality
This chart illustrates the general pattern of lead quality for the companies. N = 390 405
Typical Lead Quality, Among All Leads Generated By Respondent Companies 80% + 70-79% 60-69% 50-59% 40-49% 30-39% 20-29% 10-19% 1-9% 0% 80% + 70-79% 60-69% 50-59% 40-49% 30-39% 20-29% 10-19% 1-9% 0% 80% + 70-79% 60-69% 50-59% 40-49% 30-39% 20-29% 10-19% 1-9% 0% 0 5 10 15 20 25
% Leads Considered Sales-Ready (N = 390)
Mean Average = 25% of leads
% Leads Requiring Further Nurturing (N = 390)
% Leads Disqualified (N = 405)
30
% Respondents
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Insight #5: Nurture the Leads You Have, Continued

Takeaway: Nurture the leads you have Many companies let the leads they work so hard to generate drop out of their pipeline. 2 In our experience, service businesses are better at staying on salesready leads, and notoriously bad at staying on leads that need further nurturing. If your company is one of the many that are poor at staying on leads that are not sales-ready when they present themselves, you are likely missing out on 2/3 of your new business opportunities. This is less a question of lead generation, and more a question of the systems and processes you have in place for lead nurturing. Lead nurturing allows you to stay top of mind with prospects that will eventually look to solve their problems with someones help (e.g. your help, a competitor of yours, internal staff), and gets the issues you can help with to the tops of their to-do lists.
Caveat: Provide value in your marketing
Lead nurturing is not calling your targets every 2 weeks to ask them if they are ready to buy your services yet. Lead nurturing is your opportunity to demonstrate the value you can provide and position yourself as a resource. Send 1-to-1 communications using the phone, email, and mail that include a value based offer such as an article that addresses your prospects challenge, an invitation to a networking event, seminar, or webinar that might be of interest to them (even better if you are the one speaking at the event), a white paper, etc. Reference: See page 84 in the report to see the effectiveness of various offers as reported by our research respondents.
A BtoB Magazine article April 14, 2003 cited an estimate by the Yankee Group that between 40% and 80% of new business leads are lost, not followed up upon, or otherwise mishandled due to poor company processes.
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Insight #6: Indicators of the Future of Lead Generation

The future of lead generation The question remains, what trends in lead generation will take shape in the next several years. Here are 7 topics cited in the report that indicate just where lead generation is going: Topic Increasing Competition Brand Matters Top Unaided Tactics: Overall By Industry Top Aided Tactics Usage and Effectiveness Top Aided Offers Usage and Effectiveness Non Users Seriously Considering Using: Tactics Offers Answers to the $100k Question See Page 93 26 54 & 24 73 84 109 114 104
For other important indicators of the Future of Lead Generation, see all of the verbatim comments from survey respondents regarding not only their top tactics, but the keys to the effectiveness for those tactics.
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A Few Key Terms Used In This Study

Lead generation Targeting prospects, reaching prospects, and developing relationships directly with prospects to find potential new business opportunities or leads for your services
Offers
Informative, useful takeaways or experiences provided by your company to prospects for your services
Professionals
Consultants, accountants, engineers, technical professionals, etc. who are also likely to do the work once its confirmed
Referrals
Recommendations given by past and current clients and other contacts to potential new prospects for your services
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THE LEAD GENERATION ENVIRONMENT IN TODAYS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES BUSINESS
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Setting The Stage Professional Services Ability To Generate Leads

How good are you? When youre good at lead generation, you know it. Participants in this study were asked: Overall, how would you rate your company's ability to generate leads? (1 = Poor, 2 = Fair, 3 = Good, 4 = Excellent)
Results
Overall, participants rated themselves in a near-perfect bell curve. Company's Overall Ability to Generate Leads - Self Rating 50% 42% 41%
25% 9% 0% 1 (Poor) N = 897 2 (Fair) 3 (Good) 4 (Excellent) R2 = 0.9998 8%
Mean Rating = 2.48
The best are better at
Throughout this report youll learn what the Excellent lead generation companies do similarly and differently than the rest of the pack. Here are a few highlights comparing the self-rated Excellent companies versus the rest: Excellent 49% grew by > 50% 31% more than doubled 35% spend at least 10% of revenue 53% well-known Good, Fair, and Poor 21-28% grew by > 50% 10-16% more than doubled Only 23% spend at least 10% of revenue (together) 14-36% well-known
Topic Growth of annual B2B revenue in past 2 years Sales and marketing budget Well known in the target market vs. not well known
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Professional Services Ability To Generate Leads, Continued

Topic # Lead Generation issues rated at least Somewhat Challenging for companies Average lead quality (%) Excellent 0 issues Good, Fair, and Poor 4 9 issues
Knowledge of target market: % with extremely strong knowledge in terms of:
39% sales-ready 20% disqualified 41% needs nurturing General profile: 64% Decision-maker titles: 41% Organization names: 41% Decision-maker names: 24%
Average number of tactics employed per respondent # Tactics rated at least Somewhat Effective
21 tactics 25 tactics
19 29% sales-ready 23 30% disqualified 48 54% needs nurturing General profile: 21-32% Decision-maker titles: 11-22% Organization names: 11-20% Decision-maker names: 1-6% 17-20 tactics 5-17 tactics
Commentary: Becoming excellent
Businesses that become excellent at anything do so because of the beliefs and behaviors of the company leaders. The same is true of successful lead generation. Across all professional service industries, leaders are saying more and more that their companies need to be better at lead generation and marketing. Some are serious. Some are lip-service-payers (though they rarely admit it). Whatever the reason to try it, becoming excellent (or even just better) at lead generation is contingent on the dedication of firm leaders supporting the efforts to get there. Keep in mind: leadership support does not guarantee lead generation success. However, without leadership support, becoming excellent at lead generation will be an uphill battle. Takeaway: Leadership and lead generation go hand-in-hand.
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Why Being Well-Known In Your Target Market Matters

Famous name or hidden gem? We asked: Of the sentences below, which ONE better describes your company's reputation reach? Sentence Our company is very well-known among the majority of companies in our target market. Our company is not very well-known among the majority of companies in our target market. % Respondents (N = 735) 30% 70%
Impact of reputation reach
Respondents who said their companies were very well known in their target market were also significantly more likely than the not very well known companies to say they were Good or Excellent at generating leads for their services.
Companies' Overall Ability To Generate Leads
- By Reputation Reach In Target Market Very Well Known Companies (N = 221) Not Very Well Known Companies (N = 514) 50 44 % Respondents 38 30 25 16 12 5 0 1 (Poor) 2 (Fair) 3 (Good ) 4 (Excellent) 6 49
Each measure in this chart represents a significant difference, at a 95% confidence level.
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Why Being Well-Known In Your Target Market Matters,

Continued
Commentary: Impact of brand on lead generation
The brand argument never seems to go away. On one side, you have people who say, We need to increase our brand recognition in order to truly succeed with marketing. The other side typically maintains, Just get out there and sell. Name recognition doesnt matter. Recognition and reputation do matter when it comes to lead generation. In fact, 65% of well known companies report being good or excellent at lead generation, whereas only 44% of the not well known companies report being good or excellent. If your target market knows your company and has a high opinion of you, whatever lead generation tactics you employ are likely to work better. In the RainToday report How Clients Buy: The Benchmark Report on Professional Services Marketing and Sales from the Client Perspective, we asked 200 buyers of professional services how likely they are to identify and learn about professional services providers from a variety of sources. After referrals, the respondents cited I already knew about the service provider (a.k.a. reputation or brand reach) as the top approach, along with learning about the service provider by hearing them speak. Only 30% of companies in Whats Working In Lead Generation claim the power of name-recognition in their market. That spells opportunity for the other 70% of firms. Thats an opportunity youll want to take. Chances are, the more well known you are, the better your lead generation efforts will work. Takeaway: The rising tide of brand lifts all boats.
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Companies Current Approaches To Getting New Business

Ways to get new business We asked: How does your company currently approach the goal of getting new business for its services? Respondents chose one of the following: Choice Approach 1 We direct most of our efforts toward lead generation (targeting new prospects) 2 We direct half our efforts toward lead generation and half our efforts toward generating referrals among our current and past clients, and among our network. 3 We direct most of our efforts toward generating referrals among our current and past clients, and among our network.
Results
The most popular answer for this question was half referrals and half lead generation as a strategy for getting new business, but not by much. The following chart shows how respondents differ in their current approaches to business development:
Most toward lead generation 29%
Most toward generating referrals 32%
N = 880
Half toward lead generation and half toward generating referrals 39%
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Companies Current Approaches To Getting New Business,

Continued
Challenge of being referraldriven
Companies which currently rely mostly on referrals for business tend to be slightly better-known in their target market. However, they also place more responsibility upon firm leaders and professionals who lack time and lead generation skills (see below) to generate those referrals than in companies which emphasize a lead-generation approach. Here are a few of the areas where this dynamic plays out: Note: Rows will not necessarily add to 100% due to different question types, only selected measures being highlighted, and a small subset having indicated they dont know their current approach to getting new business.
Current Approach To Getting New Business Half Lead Mostly Lead Generation, Half Generation Referrals Mostly Referrals 24% very well known 28% very well known 37% very well known 32% grew by >50% 20% more than doubled Leaders: 74% Professionals: 39% Professional Marketing / Selling Staff: 37% VP-Level Marketing / Selling Staff: 17-20% 33% Extremely / Very Challenging 25% grew by >50% 13% more than doubled Leaders: 83% Professionals: 59% Professional Marketing / Selling Staff: 36-38% VP-Level Marketing / Selling Staff: 19% 33% Extremely / Very Challenging 24% grew by >50% 13% more than doubled Leaders: 80% Professionals: 56% Professional Marketing / Selling Staff: 23-27% VP-Level Marketing / Selling Staff: 11-13% 42% Extremely / Very Challenging
Area Of Difference Reputation among target market Growth of annual B2B revenue in past 2 years Who in company is expected to generate leads
Challenge: Having appropriate skills / knowledge among those charged with generating leads Challenge: Implementing our plan, even when we agree upon it Challenge: Having time to generate leads
33% Extremely / Very Challenging 45% Extremely / Very Challenging
32% Extremely / Very Challenging 52% Extremely / Very Challenging
45% Extremely / Very Challenging 63% Extremely / Very Challenging Continued on next page
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Companies Current Approaches To Getting New Business,

Continued
Tactical Effectiveness Generating leads versus relying on referrals can influence how effective your business considers selected sales / marketing tactics to be. The following tactics are rated at significantly different levels of effectiveness in generating leads among lead generation companies versus those relying on referrals. Scale: 1 = Not At All Effective, 2 = Not Very Effective, 3 = Somewhat Effective, 4 = Very Effective, 5 = Extremely Effective Mean Effectiveness Of Tactics, By Current Approach To Getting New Business
Current Approach To Getting New Business Half Lead Mostly Lead Generation, Mostly Generation Referrals Half Referrals 3.09 3.40 3.46 3.08 3.24 3.44
Lead Generation Tactic Becoming members of professional organizations Connecting with press contacts Company-authored content in our own print 2.92 3.18 3.30 publications Running our own teleseminars 2.88 2.72 3.25 Search Engine Advertising 2.83 2.52 3.01 Numbers bolded and underlined indicate a significant difference, at the 95% confidence level.
Commentary: The right strategy
Historically, professional services firms grew their firms by and large based on referrals. While referrals are still a necessary part of most service firms growth, they are typically no longer sufficient to a) survive as a business, or b) grow the firm at a desirable rate. The shift from referrals towards proactive marketing and lead generation has to do with the competitive dynamics of professional service industries (theyre more competitive), how clients buy professional services (they dont just ask for referrals anymore to find professional services providers), and the growth desires of the leadership of individual service businesses (whether theyre happy with the growth they get from service businesses). Its important to note that there is no right strategy of focusing on referrals versus lead generation. If your business is growing (or merely profiting) at desired rates, and the competition for business has not heated up in your market, then adding anything over-and-above referrals to the lead generation mix may be neither necessary nor helpful. The takeaway here is the simple fact that the companies in our research that focus largely on lead generation versus those that focus largely on generating referrals: Were generally less well known (perhaps more strongly precipitating the need for lead generation); Grew significantly more; and Had significantly fewer challenges generating leads.
30
Sales & Marketing Budgets In Professional Services

Whats considered in the budget Sales and marketing budgets in this study were considered to include: Internal salaries for dedicated sales/marketing roles, as applicable. Outsourcing budgets for externally filled sales and marketing functions, as applicable. All other marketing and sales spending.
Budget as percentage of annual revenue
The divisions are shown in the following chart.

Sales & Marketing Budget As A Percent Of Annual Revenue
5% to < 10% of revenue, 25%
10% to < 15% of revenue, 11% 15% to < 20% of revenue, 6% 20% or more, 7% 0%
2.5% to < 5% of revenue, 25%
10% or more, 24%
< 2.5% of revenue, 26%
N = 1,039
What impact does your spending level have?
Independent and small firms tend to spend larger percentages of their annual revenue on sales and marketing: 34% of independents and 26% of small firms spend 10% or more of annual revenue on sales and marketing 19% of medium firms and only 10% of large to very large firms spend 10% or more Nearly 70% of the large to very large firms spend less than 5% of annual revenue on sales and marketing.
31
Sales & Marketing Budgets In Professional Services, Continued

What impact does your spending level have? (continued) Meanwhile, spending 10% or more of annual revenue can go hand in hand with achieving higher levels of revenue growth. See the following charts for a look at the impact of sales and marketing spending. Independent = 1 professional only Small = 2 49 professionals Medium = 50 249 professionals Large / Very Large = 250+ professionals
Sales & Marketing Budget As % Of Annual Revenue - By Number Of Professionals In Firm 100% 13 7 75%
To 20% To 15% 20% + 20% + To 20% To 15%
7 6 13
4 6 9
20% + To 20% To 15% To 10%
5 4
21
14
To 10%
To 10%
26 % Respondents 28 20 50%
To 5% To 5% To 5%
33
26
18
24
To 2.5% To 2.5% To 2.5%
25%
36 28 30 22
0% Independent (N = 147) Small (N = 407) Medium (N = 101) Large / Very Large (N = 80)
32

Past 2-Years Growth Profile By Sales & Marketing Budget Grew 50% + 43% Grew 10-49% 44% Grew <10% No Change / Decreased
50% 45% 40%
Note: 36% of companies spending at least 10% of revenue on sales and marketing grew by 50% or more in the past 2 years, versus only 21-26% of 40% those spending less.
36% 36% 35% % Respondents 30% 26% 25% 21% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Budget < 2.5% Revenue (N = 189) Budget = 2.5 to < 5% Revenue (N = 178) Budget = 5 to < 10% Revenue (N = 187) Budget = 10% or more Revenue (N = 181) 17% 18% 17% 13% 15% 10% 20% 17% 25%
Spending levels by industry
Several differences in spending levels for marketing and sales exist when comparing results by industry. For instance: Spending less than 2.5% of annual revenue on marketing / sales: 51% of Law Firms / Legal Services 16-32% of all other industries.
33

Spending levels by industry (continued) Spending less than 5% of annual revenue on marketing / sales 81% of Law Firms / Legal Services 70% of Accounting / Tax / Payroll / Bookkeeping 62% of Architecture / Engineering / Construction 30-52% of other industries Spending at least 15% of annual revenue on marketing / sales 29% of Training / Executive Education / Coaching firms 3-22% of other industries Spending at least 20% of annual revenue on marketing / sales 17% of Human Resources / Organizational Development Consulting 13% of Training / Executive Education / Coaching 11% of Marketing / PR / Advertising firms 1-10% of other industries
Spending levels and lead generation effectiveness
We found no consistent pattern of how marketing / sales spending levels as a percentage of annual revenue might impact the usage or effectiveness of the lead generation tactics, strategies, and offers evaluated in this study. That being said, ratings for the following methods did indicate certain trends, including: EFFECTIVENESS Lead Generation Method
Sending individual emails directly to prospects
Trend (Base = Have Used Method)

Rated Extremely / Very Effective 33% of those spending 5% or more 21% of those spending less than 5% Rated Not Very / Not At All Effective
Sending mass emails directly to prospects
65% of those spending less than 2.5% 48% of those spending 2.5% or more
Rated Not Very / Not At All Effective 41% of those spending less than 5%
Sending emails to prospects via a 3rd party referrer
22% of those spending 5% or more

Making warm phone calls (to existing contacts) Rated Extremely / Very Effective 57% of those spending 5% or more
45% of those spending less than 5%

34

Spending levels and lead generation effectiveness (continued)
Lead Generation Method

Publishing company-authored content in our own online publications Search Engine Advertising
Trend (Base = Have Used Method)

Dont Know Effectiveness 39% of those spending less than 2.5%
20% of those spending 2.5% or more

Rated Extremely / Very Effective 30% of those spending 15% or more

Offer: Case study on issues in our clients fields Rated Extremely Effective 14% of those spending 5% or more
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Growth in Annual Revenue Over Last Two Years

Have you grown? Growth is an important part of setting the stage to talk about lead generation. In fact, a few respondents succinctly characterized their current situation as grow or die. So did they grow?
Growth of professional services firms
Roughly 84% of the professional services companies responding have grown their annual revenue over the past 2 years. N = 735
Decreased By Percent (6% Total)
less than 10, 4% 10 or more, 2% 100 or more, 15% 50-99, 12%
No Change,
10% less than 5, 6% 5-9, 10% 10-24, 27%
25-49, 14%
Grew By Percent (84% Total)
Growth and lead generation ability
Companies which grew 50% or more in the past 2 years were twice as likely as those with lower levels of growth to rate their lead generation ability as Excellent or Good, as illustrated in the following chart. For growth profile by industry, see the Overview of the Analysis By Industry section on page 120.
36
Growth in Annual Revenue Over Last Two Years, Continued

Ability To Generate Leads - By Revenue Growth In Past 2 Years 100% 9 90% 80% 70% % Respondents 60% 50% 40% 30% 32 20% 10% 8 0% Grew 50% + (N = 199)
Mean = 2.70
17 29 34 48 43
Excellent (4)
Good (3)
56 48 Fair (2)
35
8 Grew 10-49% (N = 300)

Mean = 2.58
13 Grew <10% (N = 119)

Mean = 2.32
15
Poor (1)
No Change / Decreased (N = 117)

Mean = 2.15
Commentary: Are all things equal?
Consider two services firms offering similar services. Both have very good service delivery, both have similar levels of innovation in their offerings, both offer similar help to clients. One of the firms has figured out lead generation for their services and the other very similar firm hasnt. Its reasonable to postulate that the firm that has figured out lead generation will grow significantly more than the other. (And our field research bears out this analysis as well). However, consider the possibility that a service firm simply has not innovated, or is offering a service that is generally not (or no longer) attractive to the market at large. When, no matter what they do for lead generation they cant get the phone to ring, they may rate themselves as poor at lead generation.
37
Growth in Annual Revenue Over Last Two Years, Continued

Commentary: Are all things equal? (continued) On the other hand, consider the possibility that another service firm offers an extremely attractive or trendy service to purchase. No matter what this firm does for lead generation, it seems to work great. Thus they rate themselves as excellent at lead generation. All things being equal, figure out lead generation and youll likely be able to grow your services faster than those companies similar to you that havent. Takeaway: Dont forget that the hot service or not a hot service factor might have a hand in your lead generation and growth success.
High growth in lesser-known companies
Theres a reason people like to cheer for the underdog: they have so much more to gain. In the past two years, lesser-known companies have seen the most dramatic growth rate category: 100% or more of annual revenue. Among the very well known companies, only 6% have seen growth of 100% or more in the past two years, while 19% of the not very well known companies have more than doubled their annual revenue. This is not entirely surprising as the better known you are, the bigger (in your space) you tend to be, and thus the more difficult it is to double your size in a year.
38
Geographic Reach of Client Base

Where are your clients? The location of your clients may influence your companys choices about lead generation tactics and strategies. Where do your communications have to reach to? Client Base Local Regional National International Defined As: Primarily in-city and surrounding area Stretching across several states or comparable area Across one country Across multiple countries
Market reach of companies
Representing the rich variety of perspectives in this report, respondent companies reported market reach ranging from local to international, with nearly one-third whose clients are nationally defined. (N = 735)
International 23%
Local 23%
National 31%
Regional 23%
39
Geographic Reach of Client Base, Continued
Current Approach To Getting New Business - By Geography Of Client Base 50% Local / Regional (N = 337) National / International (N = 386) 40% 38%
38% 35%
27% 25% 22%
0% Mostly Lead Generation Half Lead Generation / Half Referrals Mostly Referrals
Circles indicate a significant difference, to the 95% confidence level.
40
How Companies Are Going About Lead Generation Whos Expected To Generate Leads
Whos on first? Most of us are practicing professionals, with billable work on our plate, deals to close, people to manage, and limited time to commit to anything else. However, the buck doesnt stop there. Here are the people charged with lead generation in the respondent professional services companies.
The leadgenerators
People Expected To Generate Leads Leaders of the firm: CEO, Managing Director, President, Principal, etc. Professionals: Consultants, accountants, engineers, technical professionals, or others who are also likely to do the work once its confirmed Professional Marketing Staff: Dedicated to marketing Professional Selling Staff: Dedicated to business development and selling VP-level Selling Staff VP-level Marketing Staff Everyone in the company Me / I am responsible Other
% Respondents (N = 897) 79
53
34
32 16 16 2 1 2
41
Whos Expected To Generate Leads, Continued

Impact of reputation reach A greater percentage of the very well known companies involves professionals, VP-level and other marketing staff, and professional selling staff in lead generation for the company, compared with those not very well known.
Who In The Company Is Expected To Generate Leads - By Reputation Reach In Target Market 100 Very Well Known Companies (N = 221) 83 75 % Respondents 75 Not Very Well Known Companies (N = 514)
65
50 46 46
26 25
39
27 19 16
20
13
0 Leaders of the firm Professionals Professional Marketing Staff Professional Selling Staff VP-level Selling Staff VP-level Marketing Staff
= A statistically significant difference, at a 95% confidence level
Commentary: Effect of culture on reputation reach
Service businesses with strong marketing cultures tend to expect involvement in lead generation by more people than those without strong marketing cultures. Its reasonable to assume that getting more people involved in lead generation (and marketing in general, and selling) leads to more messages getting out to the marketplace. When more people are involved in getting the word out, companies become well known.
42

Commentary: Effect of culture on reputation reach (continued) Other factors besides having a marketing culture such as marketing activities, industry buzz, and time a company has existed affect how well known a company is. But the energy expended in marketing and lead generation every day by the staff at lead-generation-focused companies is certainly one of them. Takeaway: Energy and enthusiasm go a long way.
Responsibility by sales / marketing budget
Not all jobs are created equal: the professionals in firms spending less on marketing and sales are more likely than those spending more to be held accountable for generating new leads for the business: Marketing / Sales Spending Level Less than 2.5% of revenue (N = 243) 2.5 to < 5% of revenue (N = 217) 5 to < 10% of revenue (N = 225) 10% or more of revenue (N = 212) % Expecting Firm Professionals To Generate New Leads 51% 59% 58% 42%
Bolded, underlined number indicates a significant difference, at the 95% confidence level.
Commentary: Time is but the stream I go a-fishin in
One of the toughest challenges of generating leads is the feeling of not having enough time. This points to one of the fundamental scenarios of investment and payoff in lead generation: Lead generation takes time, planning, and skills often present in a marketing or sales professional. Hiring marketing or sales professionals, consultants, or services firms requires investment. Without sufficient marketing and sales support, much of the lead generation responsibility falls to professionals also responsible for delivering the work. Billable professionals charged with generating leads tend to feel squeezed between billing what they should, and filling their pipelines for new business down the road.
43

Commentary: Time is but the stream I go a-fishin in (continued) Hiring or contracting with people to help specifically with lead generation doesnt mean your professionals should be off the hook but it can help make your lead generation efforts more efficient. The success of a services firm relies on its talented professionals time being put to the best use for the sake of the company. Making the investment to either hire or outsource lead generation support is one way to get there. Takeaway: Time and resources are limited. But we find time and resources or make time and allocate resources for whats important.
44
Typical Lead Quality

Inspecting the pipeline We asked participants to report what percentage of their leads typically arrive as sales ready, needs nurturing, or disqualified.
Typical lead quality
This chart illustrates the general pattern of lead quality for the companies. N = 390 405
Typical Lead Quality, Among All Leads Generated By Respondent Companies 80% + 70-79% 60-69% 50-59% 40-49% 30-39% 20-29% 10-19% 1-9% 0% 80% + 70-79% 60-69% 50-59% 40-49% 30-39% 20-29% 10-19% 1-9% 0% 80% + 70-79% 60-69% 50-59% 40-49% 30-39% 20-29% 10-19% 1-9% 0% 0 5 10 15 20 25
% Leads Considered Sales-Ready (N = 390)
% Leads Requiring Further Nurturing (N = 390)
% Leads Disqualified (N = 405)
30
% Respondents
45
Typical Lead Quality, Continued

Being Excellent means higherquality leads On average, the Excellent lead generators report higher percentages of sales-ready leads, while others see higher percentages of leads being disqualified and requiring further nurturing.
Average % Leads Generated, Qualified As:

Status Sales-Ready Requires Further Nurturing Disqualified Excellent 38.7% 41.4% 20.2% Good, Fair, and Poor 18.5 - 29.0% 48.3 53.6% 27.0 29.5%
By industry
On average, two thirds of all qualified leads need nurturing before they are ready to buy. The picture changes slightly when seen by industry particularly for Architecture, Engineering, Construction companies (higher proportions of sales-ready leads, on average) and IT Services and Consulting companies (lower proportions of sales-ready leads, on average).
By industry mean, what percentage typically: Industry* is salesready? requires further nurturing? is disqualified from the sales process?
24.0% 20.5% 22.4% 31.8% 22.2% 23.9% 26.2% 20.8% 36.0%
Financial, Insurance, Real Estate Architecture, Engineering, Construction Law Firms / Legal Services Accounting, Tax, Payroll, Bookkeeping Marketing, PR, Advertising Human Resources and Organizational Development Consulting Management Consulting Training, Executive Education, Coaching IT Services and Consulting
31.8% 30.5% 28.8% 27.6% 24.6% 23.0% 21.0% 20.9% 16.8%
44.2% 49.0% 52.0% 40.6% 53.1% 53.1% 52.8% 58.4% 47.2%
Bolded, underlined numbers indicate a significant difference versus other industries, at the 95% confidence level.
* For this measure the industries of Marketing, PR, & Advertising, Architecture, Engineering, & Construction, Management Consulting, and IT Services & Consulting had statistically valid response bases > 30. All other industry results for this measure indicate trends only, with N = 10-26.
46
Typical Lead Quality, Continued

Commentary: Takeaway about average lead quality Many companies let the leads they work so hard to generate drop out of their pipeline. 3 In our experience, professional service businesses are better at staying on sales-ready leads, and notoriously bad at staying on leads that need further nurturing. If your company is one of the many that are poor at staying on leads that are not sales-ready when they present themselves, you are likely missing out on 2/3 of your new business opportunities. This is less a matter of lead generation, and more a matter of the systems and processes you have in place for lead nurturing: Continuing to stay top of mind with prospects who will eventually buy and who are hoping to solve their problems with someones help (e.g. your help, a competitor of yours, internal staff). Getting the issues you can help them with to the tops of their to-do lists. Takeaway: Nurture the leads you have.
A BtoB Magazine article April 14, 2003 cited an estimated by the Yankee Group that between 40% and 80% of new business leads are lost, not followed up upon, or otherwise mishandled due to poor company processes.
47
Knowledge Of Target Markets

Knowing what you dont know We asked: How well does your company know whom it should be targeting for its services, in terms of: The general profile of your target market (best industry, geography, size, other general characteristics) The actual titles of decision makers within the target organizations The actual names of the organizations you should target The actual names of decision makers within the target organizations
Participants rated their knowledge to be: 5 = Extremely Strong, 4 = Somewhat Strong, 3 = Neither Strong Nor Weak, 2 = Somewhat Weak, 1 = Extremely Weak

100
75
77 58
50
55
25
30
Aspect Of Target Market Knowledge
48
Knowledge Of Target Markets, Continued

By ability to generate leads While the chart above showing total responses is helpful to see the overall trend in professional services, looking at target market knowledge by the companies self-reported ability to generate leads takes us a step further in underscoring just how important it is to know your target market well.

- By Overall Ability To Generate Leads 100 95 89 78 68 50 55 63 54 44 37 73 65 51 39 21 13
% Of Respondents
75
Excellent At Generating Leads Good At Generating Leads Fair At Generating Leads Poor At Generating Leads
25
31
Aspect Of Target Market Knowledge Significant Differences Of Interest: - Titles of decision makers - "Excellent" group knowledge is stronger than "Good" group - On every measure, the mean average level of knowledge was significantly stronger for the "Excellent" group than for the "Good" group
Commentary: The more you know
Theres a direct correlation in our data and in our experience between companies that know exactly who they target and how well they can generate leads. Takeaway: Know your market.
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Lead Generation Challenges Faced By Professional Services

Obstacles to generating leads In order to improve your chances of lead generation success, you first have to know what challenges youre up against. Consider the challenges your company faces in trying to generate leads for its services. For each factor, please indicate how challenging it is to your companys lead generation efforts. 5 = Extremely Challenging, 4 = Very Challenging, 3 = Somewhat Challenging, 2 = Not Very Challenging, 1 = Not At All Challenging
Challenges
Time, people-power, and finding what works top the list of challenges.
% Of Respondents 0 Having time to generate leads Having enough people / the right people to generate leads Finding a strategy, tactic, or offer that works well for us Implementing our plan (even when we agree upon it) Knowing how to measure our lead generation success Having appropriate skills and knowledge among people charged with generating leads 19 25 35 50 75 Top2 Box 54% Mean 3.56
% "Extremely Challenging" (5) % "Very Challenging" (4)
14
35
Tier 1
49%
3.40
13
32
45%
3.33
29
37%
3.15
28
37%
3.04
27
Tier 2
36%
3.09
Funding lead generation activities Gaining participation from professionals / practitioners
10
23
33%
2.99
26
33%
2.95
Agreeing on which action to take 4 Gaining support from company leaders for lead generation activities Coordinating efforts between marketing and selling groups
17
21%
2.72
12
Tier 3
17%
2.28
11
16%
2.40
50
Lead Generation Challenges Faced By Professional Services,

Continued
By ability to generate leads
To see what might really separate the Excellent lead generating companies from the Good, Fair, and Poor lead generating companies, we looked at significant differences between these groups based on how they rated their overall ability to generate leads. The chart on the following page illustrates how, across the board, the Good, Fair, and Poor lead generators are challenged more by the issues discussed in this section than are the Excellent lead generators. In particular, note the largest difference between these groups mean challenge levels, even for Excellent versus Good: Finding a strategy, tactic, or offer that works for us.
Commentary: Takeaways from lead generation challenges
Lessons In The Challenges Leadership support means more than a pat on the back. Gaining support from company leaders for lead generation activities is one of the least problematic lead generation challenges. At the same time, the top two challenges are Having enough time to generate leads, and Having enough people or the right people to generate leads. In our experience, companies that dont have either time or enough people to generate leads dont really have the support of company leaders. Generating leads takes time, people, and money. At professional service businesses, leaders make this happen. If they dont make it happen, theyre not really supporting the activity. (Or theyre just not effective leaders and managers.) Finding your tactic requires knowing your market. Note the stark difference between finding a strategy / tactic / offer that works for us in companies that are Excellent at generating leads versus those that are not. This is not surprising, given that the less-than-excellent companies at lead generation, by and large, do not have a good handle on whom they are targeting. Reference: See chart Percent Rating Target Market Knowledge As Extremely Or Somewhat Strong, By Ability To Generate Leads on page 49 for detail. Implementation requires leadership. One of the challenges often cited was Implementing lead generation plans. Why cant service firms get done what they intend to do? Again, the answer is one of leadership. 4
For insight into professional service firms inability to implement their own plans, read Git R Done: Executing Your Lead Generation Plan at http://www.whillsgroup.com/gitrdone.cfm.
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Mean Ratings Of Challenges To Company Lead Generation

- By Overall Ability To Generate Leads, Sorted According To "Total" Results Good At Generating Leads Fair At Generating Leads Poor At Generating Leads
Continued
Excellent At Generating Leads
5.0
Extremely Challenging
4.5
4.0
Very Challenging
LARGEST DIFFERENCE: Finding a strategy / tactic / offer that works for us - "Poor" mean rating = 4.06 - "Fair" mean rating = 3.62 - "Good" mean rating = 3.11 - "Excellent" mean rating = 2.14
With the exception of Coordinating efforts between marketing and selling groups, all the issues shown here are rated to be significantly more challenging for respondent companies who consider themselves "Good" at lead generation, versus those who say they are "Excellent".
3.5

Implementing Knowing Enough Finding our plan people / how to strategy / right tactic / offer (even when measure we agree people to that works our upon it) generate success for us leads Gaining Funding Agreeing Having participation on which lead appropriate from generation action to skills / knowledge activities professionals / take practitioners Gaining support from company leaders for lead gen activities Coordinating efforts between marketing and selling groups
3.0
Somewhat Challenging
2.5
2.0
Not Very Challenging
1.5
1.0
Not At All Challenging
Lead Generation Challenges Faced By Professional Services,
Having time to generate leads
52
BEST LEAD GENERATION TACTICS, STRATEGIES, & OFFERS
53
Top Ways To Generate Quality Leads Top Strategies For Generating Quality Leads
Methodology Note: Unaided Versus Aided Exploration Of Tactics We explored which tactics and strategies professional services companies use and value in two different ways: 1) Asking respondents to name the top ways to generate quality leads and see what they mention without any prompting, or unaided. In this case, because they are volunteering what works for them, anything mentioned should be considered to be whats topof-mind above all others for the person answering. 2) Asking respondents to consider a list of predetermined tactics and strategies, or aided, and indicate how effective each one has been in their companys efforts. In this case, respondents rate effectiveness for a wide range of options, resulting in a side-by-side comparison from most effective to least effective lead generation methods. Interestingly, the results from the unaided and aided methods do not always match up. Taken together, they paint a more complete picture of lead generation tactic usage and effectiveness than either one would, if considered alone. With this in mind, we first explore the unaided top ways to generate quality leads mentioned by respondents.
What works the best?
We asked: Consider the past 2 years of lead generation for your company: all of the ways to contact prospects, ways to establish brand and thought leadership, ways to publicize and network, and lead-generating offers your company has used. Based on what you know about the source of your companys leads in the past 2 years, what have been the top three ways that have generated quality leads for your companys services? These may be a single strategy, tactic, or offer, or a particular combination that youve found to be the most reliable source of quality leads. We received 1,428 volunteered responses from 591 participants, analyzing each response individually, and placing them into the appropriate categories below.
54
Top Strategies For Generating Quality Leads, Continued

The top ways to generate quality leads When considering only the answers to what people consider their #1 top way to generate leads, these 5 strategies rise to the top of the list: 5 Most Common #1 Top Ways To Generate Quality Leads Client / partner referrals General referrals Cold calling / telephone prospecting Hosting / Attending / Speaking at events, conferences, tradeshows, seminars Personal relationships / Direct, face to face contact % Respondents (N = 591) 22 16 13 11 8
When considering all of the top 3 ways to generate quality leads together, priorities change, but not substantially. Client and partner referrals, general referrals, cold calling / telephone prospecting, and interacting with prospects at events still reign. The following table highlights the main categories for Top Ways respondents mentioned among their best three go-to strategies for generating new leads for their services. N = 591 Respondents
Top Three Ways To Generate Quality Leads Referrals Client / Partner referrals (only): 34% Non-Client / Partner referrals: 21% Both types mentioned: 5% Hosting / Attending / Speaking at events, conferences, tradeshows, seminars Cold Calling / telephone prospecting Cold-Calling (only): 19% By an outside provider: 2% Warm-Calling (only): 4% Both: 1% Online marketing (Google Adwords, website traffic, webinars, SEO, website referrals) Networking Thought leadership (writing, speaking, research)
60%
32%
23%
19% 17% 13%
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Top Strategies For Generating Quality Leads, Continued

N = 591 Respondents 13% 11% 11% 9% 4% 4% 2% 2% 2% 2% 5%
Top Three Ways To Generate Quality Leads (Continued) Personal relationships / direct, face-to-face contact Partnering / professional associations / organizations Email marketing (e)newsletter: 5% General email marketing: 6% Direct mail marketing Repeat business with existing clients Advertising (offline) Pro Bono / volunteer work / charity Public Relations / Press Releases & Relationships Respond to RFP's Trial offers / free offers Other
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Referral Building As A Top Tactic: Selected Commentary

Referral building as a top tactic Many citing Referrals as a top tactic for generating quality leads also mention that 90-100% of their referral-based prospects become clients. This referral base in turn generated anywhere from 3-100% of their business in the past 2 years. Many respondents know that these warm connections work have brought in business because their companies track leads carefully, and note when they have come from referrals. The basic theme in many of the referral-oriented comments is as youd expect: do a good job with your current clients. Be honest, open, ethical, and good at what you do. And ask for the referral. When working with outside referral sources (other professional service providers, network contacts, etc.), several respondents warn that it takes consistency (monthly in-person communication) and time (a year or more) to develop the most effective referral relationships. Here are a few representative comments on the popular strategy of encouraging referrals to bring in new business: Referrals Selected Commentary
Having clients say great things about us to other potential clients is invaluable. But you have to follow-up on them or you lose credibility. According to our new clients obtained, they have come about via referrals from our current clients. In a recent survey 90% of our clients would give us referrals. To make this strategy work our teammates need to remember to ask for referrals. Word of mouth, personal relationships, old boy network. We have not really tried any other method. We have no evidence and trust none. We just keep doing what has worked for the past 40 years (although we are now a company of 2,000 people, not 20!) Key to success: being able to perform locally 'everywhere'- have small offices in many places. Referrals have always been the 'top way. Our business rarely comes out of the blue. We are a non-traditional management consulting firm. Therefore, prospective clients must hear from a colleague that our methods do work. The key to success is to leave our clients very happy! We get fewer leads from referrals than from information products, but they have a much higher conversion rate. They have accounted for almost 80% of actual services sales. Obviously, the credibility gained from the reference is important, but I think the real key to the high success rate is that existing clients automatically filter prospects, referring only those who are most qualified for our services. VP / Director of Marketing, Architecture / Engineering / Construction Principal / Partner, Accounting, Tax, Payroll, Bookkeeping Planning Manager, Architecture / Engineering / Construction
Principal / Partner, Management Consulting
Principal / Partner, Management Consulting
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Referral Building As A Top Tactic: Selected Commentary,

Continued
Referrals Selected Commentary (Continued)

With referral sources from partner companies, its easy to obtain consultative meetings, and easier to sign on as a client. Key to success: Must follow-up quarterly with referral source with a lunch, newsletter, article or other reminder of how you are helping your clients. Exploiting existing contacts within the firm - asking 'Does it make sense to market to this person?' Evidence it works: Business in the door. Key to success: Sharing contacts across practices and throughout the firm, to ensure that the best professional contacts the lead. CEO / President, Consulting
VP / Director of Marketing, Law Firms / Legal Services
Commentary: Looking deeper into referrals
No surprise, generating referrals is the most mentioned way professional service businesses generate leads. How does this play out in the comments?
Verbatim Comment
To make this strategy work our teammates need to remember to ask for referrals.
Commentary
Suggests that all professionals are responsible for generating leads. If you are going to use referrals as a basis for growing your business, then you have to proactively ask for them. Waiting by the phone is not a strategy. If youre getting what you want from a referrals-only strategy (or any strategy) keep going. Referrals tend to generate more sales ready leads than other tactics, which is why firm leaders often have an inflated view of their ability to close new business when they begin to use other lead generation tactics. Referrals dont happen out of thin air. To produce referrals, some companies use tactics typically thought of as direct lead generation techniques. Many companies neglect to treat their referrals sources as valuable lead generation partners. Targeting is important, even with referral generation. Many individuals and groups at professional services firms are quite protective and parochial about their contacts. When this is the case, it limits the firms ability to generate more referrals, to convert referrals by introducing them to the most appropriate firm resources.
We just keep doing what has worked for the past 40 years (although we are now a company of 2,000 people, not 20!) I think the real key to the high success rate is that existing clients automatically filter prospects, referring only those who are most qualified for our services. Key to success: Must follow-up quarterly with referral source with a lunch, newsletter, article or other reminder of how you are helping your clients. Asking 'Does it make sense to market to this person?' Key to success: Sharing contacts across practices and throughout the firm, to ensure that the best professional contacts the lead.
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Cold Calling As A Top Tactic: Selected Commentary

How firms know cold calling is effective For companies in which cold calling and other telephone prospecting is a top tactic for generating quality leads, measures of its effectiveness range from general results to specific measures and tracking of success.
Evidence That Cold Calling Works Selected Commentary

Even though calls are frustrating at times...when they work, they really work well. We can get 2 to 4 new clients each year this way, that usually turn to repeat work clients...that is good. 70% of correspondents are interested in our services. Our biggest and most profitable customers have been acquired this way. 75% of more than 250 meetings during the past 2 years have been generated this way. 30% response rate with a 10% first meeting rate. Acts like the newsletter, but gets to an audience blocked by spam filters. Roughly 25% of new business is brought in this way. Cold calling is so rare in UK professional services that it's quite a pleasant surprise to many recipients. We often get the comment, I'm glad you called. I / my colleague is dealing with just such a situation that you may be able to help with... It is how we have secured business year after year and we're over $400 million in sales and in business over 50 years. Chief Marketing Officer, AEC Services Principal / Partner, Law Firms / Legal Services CEO / President, Health Care Services VP / Director of Marketing, Management Consulting Principal / Partner, Human Resources / OD Consulting Principal / Partner, Retained Executive Search Services Managing Director / Managing Partner, Marketing / PR / Advertising Field Director, Human Resources / OD Consulting
Tips for success
How do you make cold calling and other telephone prospecting one of your firms top tactics for generating quality leads? The following advice comes straight from survey respondents who offered what works for them.
Keys To Success With Cold Calling Selected Commentary

Be honest & to the point, don't waste their time, research them before calling, ask good questions, LISTEN to their answers, keep good notes, follow up, follow up, follow up. The more tailored the call based on pre-call research, the more effective it becomes. Keep going, keep dialing, and don't stop until you have a certain number of appointments. Chief Marketing Officer, Architecture / Engineering / Construction Services Chief Sales Officer, IT Services & Consulting CEO/President, Financial / Insurance / Real Estate Services Continued on next page
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Cold Calling As A Top Tactic: Selected Commentary, Continued

Keys To Success With Cold Calling Selected Commentary (Continued)
We attempt to find better data sources and help target our scripts to match the needs of the prospects. We attempt to match our message to the department and responsibility level of our prospects. The key to making this approach work for us is devoting two full-time staff members (one has an engineering degree, the other does not) to making calls and generating leads. [Targeting & Value Proposition]: We approach owners directly instead of going through an architect, which is very different than the typical approach of MEP (Mechanical / Electrical / Plumbing) firms. Owners are often interested in how we can save them money as well as increased direct accountability for problems that often plague a building (HVAC issues). Genuine interest in the customer / brand experience, being warm and courteous as opposed to cold and professional. Defining the target audience. The key is to make it a professional inquiry, not a sales message - I say that I've seen their work, tell them briefly what I do, and ask whether they'd be interested in seeing some additional information (white papers, capabilities statement, etc.). Our service is not something that a client thinks of getting and, often doesn't want to . . . they want the results, not the service. So, calling -proactively -- has been hands down the most effective way to generate leads. But not for the faint-hearted! Repetition and tailoring of the offer. Experienced executive makes these calls. The majority of sales come from reps who have taken the prospect from start to finish over a long period of time. Activity is the key to start. The key is to ensure the call is always client business focused, and by a senior manager who can bring their industry experience to bear. Making lots of calls, not giving up. Needs a high quality individual who knows our business well, and is able to hold real conversations, not just follow a script. VP / Director of Sales, Management Consulting Marketing Manager, Architecture / Engineering / Construction Services
VP / Director of Business Development, Marketing / PR / Advertising Principal / Partner, Law Firms / Legal Services CEO / President, Marketing / PR / Advertising
VP / Director of Marketing, Management Consulting
CEO / President, Health Care Services VP / Director of Marketing, Management Consulting Sales Training Manager, IT Services / Consulting VP / Director of Marketing, Marketing / PR / Advertising Principal / Partner, Retained Executive Search Services Chief Marketing Officer, Training / Executive Education / Coaching Services Continued on next page
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Hiring an outside provider for cold calling Several respondents who outsource their telephone prospecting offered advice on how to work well with an outside provider.
Hiring An Outside Cold Calling Provider Selected Commentary

Need to outsource to a reputable agency that you can trust We have an expert cold caller that we outsource to. She is amazing. The key is making it easy for her to do her job and filling the list pipeline. VP / Director of Marketing, Marketing / PR / Advertising VP / Director of Marketing, Management Consulting
Integration with other tactics
Here are selected strategies respondents use to combine cold calling with another type of communication to generate leads:
Cold Calling Combination Strategies Selected Commentary

With Conference Sponsorship: Appointment-setting services calling attendees of focused conferences for which we are a major sponsor, we speak, and we have clients speaking. We know it works because of the number of 'new logo' clients we have obtained through this process. Timeliness of the calling after the event is key. With Direct Mail: Cold Calling via phone preceded by letter. With E-Mail: We call then send target-appropriate, industry-specific articles via email. We get emails back saying great articles etc. With E-Mail: E-mail sent out followed by call. It brings in leads. Individual e-mails speaking to the target, not just the target group. Dovetailed communication. With Direct Mail & Follow-Up Calls: Contacting potential clients via telephone and talking with them about our service. Then we send a targeted brochure, and then we call them to set up a meeting. This has been very successful in the markets we have tried it in. The key is follow up! With eNewsletter: Regular e-newsletter, with targeted follow-ups to our hot-list of prospects that we see have opened the newsletter. That's our cold-call conversation opener. VP / Director of Business Development, Marketing / PR / Advertising
Principal / Partner, Procurement & Telecommunications CEO / President, Architecture / Engineering / Construction Services VP / Director of Business Development, Marketing / PR / Advertising Principal / Partner, Architecture / Engineering / Construction Services
Principal / Partner, Financial / Insurance / Real Estate Services
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Commentary: Love it or hate it Reaction versus reality. In our report, and in our field work, no other tactic generates more love it or hate it reactions than cold calling. Love: Typically few people love it because they enjoy doing it. They love it because it works predictably well. Hate: Many hate it because they hate doing it or they hate receiving cold calls. Thus they find ways to make it not work (so they wont have to do it) or avoid the tactic because they havent been able to make it work. (Editors note: We were tempted to use the term dislike instead of hate, because the word hate seems so uncivilized. Uncivilized or not, thats the term that all of the dislikers use, so we opted for more straightforward versus more pleasant.) People do hate it. Takeaway: There are many ways to be successful in business. In many cases you can you can be successful reaching your goals and still avoid doing things you dont like. But if cold calling is one of those things you dont like, dont confuse that visceral response with doesnt work.
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Hosting, Attending, & Speaking At In-Person Events As A Top Tactic: Selected Commentary
How firms know its effective As one of the most frequently mentioned #1 Top Way to generate quality leads, interacting with prospective clients through an in-person event whether youre the host, a sponsor, an attendee, or a guest speaker can be a rich source of new relationships that turn into clients, or at least loyal fans. Here are a select group of comments from respondents about why they know this lead generation strategy works, in its many forms. Evidence That Speaking Works Selected Commentary
Comment Number of direct leads/clients tracked by speech. Almost all non-referred clients are gained via participation in events (seminars, conferences, tradeshows, etc.) as presenters, panel participants, featured speaker, or teacher. #1 way is technical staff presenting at various conferences and for various other firms. In looking at the contacts made via these presentations we saw many of our new clients were among those contacted. Visits to corporate website after a trade show, resulting in warm call to sell services. Direct leads from audience members have turned into business, both short-term and long-term. Speakers are accorded guru-status. Businesses purchase based on perceived need. They may not need us when they hear me speak, but when the need develops, they remember me. From CEO / President, Management Consulting CEO / President, Law Firms / Legal Services Marketing Manager, Architecture / Engineering / Construction Principal / Partner, IT Consulting & Services CEO / President, Marketing / PR / Advertising President / CEO, Human Resources / Organizational Development Consulting
Evidence That Sponsoring / Attending Works Selected Commentary

Comment Conference sponsorships and leveraging attendee list. Its a defined period (easy to measure) and many of our highest revenue clients were found in this way. 80% of our business generated in this manner. From VP / Director of Marketing, Management Consulting Principal / Partner, IT Consulting & Services Continued on next page
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Hosting, Attending, & Speaking At In-Person Events As A Top Tactic: Selected Commentary, Continued
Evidence That Conducting Seminars Works Selected Commentary
Comment These always produce leads, mailing lists and almost always new paying clients. At least one client results from each seminar with key industry and CEO groups. We hold a 90 minute Executive Briefings workshop each month on a topic related to the outcome we offer our clients. We typically get a high (50% or better) rate of conversion from these -- first, as a function of who says 'Yes' to a follow-up meeting and then as a function of those who do that who become a client. Live seminar guests convert to clients about 30% of the time. From CEO / President, Marketing / PR / Advertising Principal / Partner, Management Consulting VP / Director of Marketing, Management Consulting
VP / Director of Marketing, Accounting, Tax, Payroll, Bookkeeping
Tips for success
How do you go about making this a successful strategy for your firm? Respondents who mentioned in-person events as a top tactic provided their advice. Here are selected comments from this group. Keys To Success With Speaking Selected Commentary
Comment Agreeing to speak in front of the right audience. Having a solid topic of relevance and delivering a killer speech. Setting aside time to network or participate in formal and informal Q&A sessions at such events. The key in making this successful was the initial dedication from the technical staff and financially. The billable hours did go down for those presenters but we see that long-term the financial investment will be made up. Focus on delivering real useful information that attendees can immediately apply to their business Presenting new knowledge and useful information. Carefully targeting conferences where key clients and contacts will be in attendance.
From CEO / President, Marketing / PR / Advertising CEO / President, Management Consulting CEO / President, Law Firms / Legal Services Marketing Manager, Architecture / Engineering / Construction Founder / Owner, Marketing / PR / Advertising Principal / Partner, Environmental AEC
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Keys To Success With Speaking Selected Commentary (Continued)
Comment When the presentation includes a case study that is relevant and the audience includes buyers who are at the conference looking for solutions, the sales cycle can be accelerated. Speak at cutting-edge professional conferences which are very well managed and publicized internationally in English-speaking countries, because they result in a unique kind of credibility. We work very hard on creating the compelling and interesting messages with stories. The key is that you get in front of them, get credibility through your expertise, and ensure the issues you talk about are relevant and current so they associate you with fixing the problem. We measure client sales directly on the day and post event. Also the material is re-usable so good ROI unlike time put into sales calls. Keep the topics timely, informative and entertaining. Even presentations as dry as statistical monitoring can be entertaining. Speak passionately and from the heart. From CEO / President, Marketing / PR / Advertising Principal / Partner, Training / Executive Education / Coaching in UK Managing Director / Managing Partner, Marketing / PR / Advertising
President / CEO, Human Resources / Organizational Development Consulting
Keys To Success When Sponsoring / Exhibiting / Attending Selected Commentary

Comment Leaders of company are present and can walk the talk with visitors to the booth. The key is active participation and familiarity with regular participants. Following up on all leads immediately after the show ends (next day or early part of following week). Display with a booth or attend and walk the floor meeting potential customers at their booths. Key to success is to establish relationships, build trust, and share our value proposition. Need competent people at show and good sales follow up with a matter of days From Principal / Partner, IT Consulting & Services VP / Director of Business Development, Financial / Insurance / Real Estate Services Account Manager, Training / Executive Education / Coaching CEO / President, Recruiting & Business Brokerage VP / Director of Marketing, IT Consulting & Services Continued on next page
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Keys To Success When Conducting Seminars Selected Commentary
Comment The key to success is targeting audiences made up of decision-makers rather than well-meaning middle management folks; and following up until something happens or you are told that nothing will happen. Holding live paid seminars for my prospects. I tried free seminars, but prospects don't value free. Use aggressive follow up system including phone calls and emails after event. Consistent quality and tailored programming using accelerated learning techniques that build new skills in a specific, observable and measurable manner. From CEO / President, Marketing / PR / Advertising CEO / President, Management Consulting CEO / President, Training / Executive Education / Coaching
Combining with other tactics & offers
Several respondents mentioned using a combination of tactics to generate leads from in-person events:
In-Person Event Combination Strategies Selected Commentary

With Online Community-Building: Build an online community of prospects, then engage them monthly with information of value. Offer '1 to many' seminars/workshops that enable prospects to experience your service in an efficient (for you) and non-threatening (for them) environment. Take cards from attendees and follow-up. I've spent 20 years building consulting firms this way. Have sold 3 of them! The web has made the building of the community a lot less risky and costly but the rest is well-trodden ground Key to success: A 100% commitment to marketing-driven lead generation from the firm leaders - not very common today! With Additional Offers & Referral Requests: Speaking for groups that contain our target audience combined with a specific offer for a follow-up free consultation and the feedback card asking for referrals for clients and speaking engagements, free consult, email newsletter signup, etc. We generate 3-10 solid leads per small event (25-40 attendees) and up to 50 for larger (200+ attendee) events. With Multiple Tactics Before & Offer After In-person seminars, attendees invited by direct mail. We have experienced extremely good conversion to clients from the attendees. Key to success: Pre-conference phone call to registrants and followup complimentary 1/2 hour consultation. CEO / President, Management Consulting
CEO / President, Marketing / PR / Advertising
CEO / President, Accounting / Tax / Payroll / Bookkeeping
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In-Person Event Combination Strategies Selected Commentary (Continued)
With Networking Focus: Sponsor monthly networking luncheon (President's Club). Key to success: Keep number of attendees in the 6-10 range and follow up within 2-3 days. With Association Membership: Key to success: positioning ourselves, through associations, as an expert resource for the audience. With Association Membership / Administration & Multiple Tactics: Speaking at conferences where a sales rep is also a board member for this association, and articles are published in their newsletter. Evidence it works: % of revenue data. Key to success: Dedication of time by sales rep, and being able to hit prospects with multiple messages in different media (newsletter, conference, and other direct marketing efforts). With eNewsletter: We sponsor professional organization events, and get business card info from a drawing, so we can add these individuals to our enewsletter. People receive our newsletter, and its not spam and they appreciate our content. It is helpful since we can describe our approach on a monthly basis. The key to success: Providing excellent content. CEO / President, Management Consulting
CMO, Financial / Insurance / Real Estate Services Principal / Partner, Training / Executive Education / Coaching
Principal / Partner, Marketing / PR / Advertising
Commentary: Avoid a deadly event mistake
Marketing mix for generating event attendance. Events can be a powerful part of your lead generation engine. Make sure, however, that you avoid a common (and heartbreaking) event mistake: low event attendance. To minimize your chances of a failed event, you should understand and utilize what marketing tactics can generate event attendance. In RainToday.coms How Clients Buy: The Benchmark Report on Marketing and Selling Professional Services from the Client Perspective benchmark report, we asked professional services clients who indicated they have found professional services providers by attending their events, In what ways do you learn about the event?
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Commentary: Avoid a deadly event mistake (continued) The top ways they told us they find out about in-person events were: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Invitation or brochure sent to you by mail (74%) Referral by a colleague (61%) Email sent by provider (57%) Email sent by 3rd party (39%) Invitation by telephone (33%)
Also mentioned: newspaper or magazine advertisement (29%), online advertisement (24%), and web search (17%). Even if youre not running your own seminars, professional services firms who get the most out of speeches, event attendance, and event sponsorship run a series of marketing activities before, during, and after the events to get the most out of them. Takeaway: Events are not just an isolated part of the marketing mix they require their own marketing mix to generate success.
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Online Marketing As A Top Tactic: Selected Commentary

Online marketing Online marketing is perhaps one of the foggier areas for professional services companies, even today as more and more companies go online as an extension of their marketplace. But some companies are making it work. The comments below should spark some ideas about both tracking and achieving success from online marketing tactics. General Website Leads Selected Commentary
Helpful how-to content on our web site that established our credibility and transformed a cold lead into a warm lead. Evidence it works: Successful engagements with clients around the world who came to us through the Web. Key to success: Excellent content pitched at the right level of job responsibility and technical detail. Keys to success: Continually sustain and refresh web visibility and website content. With Automated & Individual Emails: We capture data on each individual who visits our website and fills out a profile. Then we have two courses of action. An automated follow up e-mail with a specific offer and call to action, (this hasn't worked well in the last year, but used to be extremely effective). Also, we send a personalized e-mail according to the activity they had with our web site. They often write back and then a phone dialog often begins. Principal / Partner, Marketing / PR / Advertising
CEO / President, Management Consulting Principal / Partner, Training / Executive Education / Coaching
Search Engine Optimization and Advertising Selected Commentary

Evidence it works: Most customers claimed they found us through our website. Keyword tactics on Google. Evidence it works: We generate significantly more leads using this method vs. any other by a long shot...we track pretty religiously. Evidence it works: Other approaches haven't generated but a 1/5 of the leads we get from Google. Key to success: Constantly reviewing search words. Evidence it works: Sales results based on custom landing pages. Optimizing web page to get people to request services from us. Evidence it works: we track how many we get each month, what the quality is and what the conversion ratios are. Key to success: focus on optimization and finding creative ways to get on the top of search lists, along with optimizing web page to ensure we lead people down the right path. Keys to success: Good ads. The key is constantly working it...refining it every day. CEO / President, Marketing / PR / Advertising CEO / President, IT Consulting & Services Chief Sales Officer, Human Resources / Organizational Development Consulting Principal / Partner, Marketing / PR / Advertising VP / Director of Sales, IT Consulting & Services
CEO / President, Law Firms / Legal Services CEO / President, IT Consulting
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Other Top Tactics: Selected Commentary

Other Top Tactics & Combination Strategies From the long list of respondent tactics and advice, weve selected several more examples of top tactics, combinations of those tactics, evidence they work for firms, and the keys to success for making these tactics effective.
Networking Selected Commentary

With Direct Mail: We send a quirky personalized postcard to people we meet at networking events who could be our target market or know others who are. It encourages them to stay in touch by signing up for our tools and resources page, and stimulates recall. We have grown our database immensely through this channel and measure it by the way they sign in. The key to making it successful is to have the right conversation with them when you meet them i.e. how can you help them find what they need and then act upon it the following day so many people dont follow up after networking events. 85% business originated as a result of direct contacts or introduction through network contacts. Key to success: Getting out to new groups, not just going to the same events seeing the same faces; always carry biz cards everywhere, always follow up promptly afterward with email, invite for coffee, something to further engage. Networking in the right circles. We had to learn how to have a beginning dialogue with an individual to understand if they could be a good prospect or not. Learning how to identify those who aren't prospects has saved us a huge amount of time and effort. Networking with our Top 5 customers on regular basis. Personal relationships are key to selling in a market where 5 customers control 80% of our business. Key to success: Always seeking to be a trusted advisor to the client. Managing Director / Managing Partner, Marketing / PR / Advertising
Managing Director / Managing Partner, Management Consulting
CEO / President, Management Consulting
CEO / President, Architecture / Engineering / Construction
Thought Leadership Activities Selected Commentary

Book authored by managing principal. Evidence it works: clients specifically citing principal as an expert and referring to the book in conversations with their team or peers. Key to success: marketing the book, not just writing it. Publishing articles. Evidence: leads that come in door from people who've read my work. The key is persistence -- you gotta' crank 'em out. One of our founders is an author of a book. We get many 'bluebird' calls and opportunities to present in high-profile forums as a result. Need to continue to publish to keep names out there and content fresh. Principal / Partner, IT Consulting & Services
Principal / Partner, Marketing / PR / Advertising Principal / Partner, Management Consulting
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Other Top Tactics: Selected Commentary, Continued

Thought Leadership Activities Selected Commentary (Continued)
Conducting Research: niche compensation and benefits surveys. Evidence it works: RFPs from participants. Key to success: Good data, high participation rates, co-sponsors with special expertise. Make sure the survey has great value - not a sham to get leads. Becoming the absolute best authority in a self-developed breakthrough point of view and producing the book, article and reputation that shows that we can drive home exceptional results using it for our clients. #1 = viral marketing, by posting a slide show that combines opinion with how-to information (a manifesto of sorts). I developed it for a talk I gave early this year but it has taken on a life of its own as people forward the link to each other. I consider this the most successful because it has won top-paying clients who are the best fit for me. The manifesto is both an attentiongetter and a filter--only the clients who like my approach will call, which saves everyone time. Apparently the key to making this work is to create something both entertaining and opinionated that people agree with and want to forward to colleagues. VP / Director of Business Development, Accounting / Tax / Payroll / Bookkeeping CEO / President, Management Consulting
CEO / President, Training / Executive Education / Coaching
eNewsletters Selected Commentary

Newsletter - published articles - monthly email Generates 2 - 4 sales ready leads per month, with an average close rate of 70% of these prospects Creates conversation and awareness Monthly eNewsletter Good relevant rich content on best practice and tips and tricks Top lead generator over the last 2 years Follow up calls from inside sales from click throughs and downloads to arrange meetings and web demo's Principal / Partner, Human Resources / Organizational Development Consulting Managing Director / Managing Partner, Marketing / PR / Advertising
Direct Mail Marketing Selected Commentary

With Follow-Up Phone Call: Direct mail followed by phone call. This has been our main source of new leads but the follow up call has been crucial. Quality and variety of 'copy' has been important Direct mail of fulfillment brochure. Mailed out 2,500 pieces to top decision makes which generated over $175,000 of direct new business and continues to provide inquiries on a monthly basis. Principal / Partner, IT Consulting & Services
CEO / President, Marketing / Advertising / PR
Partnerships Selected Commentary

75% of our work in the last two years came from joint venturing/partnering with other consulting firms. Key to success: Identifying/aligning with the 'right' firms. CEO / President, Management Consulting
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Other Top Tactics: Selected Commentary, Continued

Repeat Business / Expanding Relationships Selected Commentary
Developing/expanding relationships within large, anchor accounts. Evidence it works: Year on year, double-digit revenue growth. Keys to success: Proactive efforts to a.) Reach out and build a broad-based network (beyond original client contact) within the account; b.) Flexibility in service delivery approach/structure as agenda changes; c.) Intentional effort to establish clear alignment between client (value) needs and our consulting team objectives Managing Director / Managing Partner, Management Consulting
Trials Offers / Free Services Selected Commentary

#1 way is to create free samples sent individually to decision-makers after initial cold email, since translating my particular service (creation of audio as an online and e-newsletter marketing tool) is easier in 'WYSIWYG format' and makes a more immediate impact. Increases lead's curiosity when I say I've created a sample specifically from client's printed material. The key is convincing that the product is worth their $$ and will generate viral activity and thus more business or subscribers. CEO / President, Marketing / Advertising / PR
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Evaluating Tactics & Strategies One-By-One Usage And Effectiveness Of Tactics & Strategies
Evaluating 33 lead generation tactics and strategies The top lead generation tactics (in the previous section) came from a topof-mind exploration of what works for professional services companies. This section provides a different, but equally important look at both usage and effectiveness of a long list of 33 lead generation strategies and tactics. We asked respondents to consider a list of predetermined or aided (versus unaided) tactics and strategies, and to indicate how effective each one has been in their companys efforts. In this case, respondents rate effectiveness for a wide range of options, resulting in a side-by-side comparison from most effective to least effective lead generation methods. The questions for each method: Have you used it? If so how effective has it proven in generating leads for your companys services? Companies rated effectiveness of the tactics they had used on a scale of 1-5: 5 = Extremely Effective, 4 = Very Effective, 3 = Somewhat Effective, 2 = Not Very Effective, 1 = Not At All Effective; or Dont Know The tactics and strategies can be categorized into 5 groups based upon the type of outreach they represent. Each group was rated separately, with the number of respondents shown below for each group: Category Contacting Prospects ONLINE To Generate Leads Contacting Prospects OFFLINE To Generate Leads Establishing Brand & Thought Leadership ONLINE To Generate Leads Establishing Brand & Thought Leadership OFFLINE To Generate Leads General publicity and social networking to generate leads N= 846 827 803 790 785
A look at effectiveness
The following chart (in two parts) displays only the effectiveness ratings for each tactic participants had use. Tactics are sorted from high to low percent rated Extremely / Very Effective. Dotted lines separate the tactics for each additional 10% of respondents who gave the tactics these top ratings.
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One-By-One Usage And Effectiveness Of Tactics & Strategies,

Continued
Effectiveness Of Lead Generation Methods Used By Participants (1) - By Percent Rated Extremely / Very Effective % "Extremely Effective" (5) % "Very Effective" (4)
Making 'warm' phone calls (to existing contacts) (N = 778) Speaking at conferences / trade shows (N = 616) Running our own in-person events (N = 496) Becoming members of industry organizations (N = 728) Connecting with press contacts to gain PR about our company (N = 530) Search Engine Optimization (N = 501) Publishing in OTHERS' PRINT publications (N = 497) Running OUR OWN live online seminars (N = 276) Publishing in OUR OWN ONLINE publications (N = 436) Sending individual emails directly to prospects (N = 710) Speaking in OTHERS' live online seminars (N = 352) Sponsoring high-profile events / research (N = 417) Publishing in OTHER ONLINE publications (N = 420) Publishing in OUR OWN PRINT publications (N = 414) Writing and distributing press releases (N = 578)
% Of Respondents 0 11 17 13 13 7 8 7 8 8 5 8 6 7 7 5 26 22 22 21 20 22 18 19 16 16 15 16 15 25 41 31 32 25 50 75 Top2 Box 52% 48% 45% 38% 33% 30% 30% 29% 27% 27% 26% 26% 23% 23% 20% 20% 19% Mean 3.57 3.59 3.56 3.34 3.27 3.22 3.19 3.42 3.28 3.08 3.28 3.23 3.19 3.16 2.92 2.87 2.80
Sending individual letters or 4 postcards to prospects (N = 655) Exhibiting at conferences / trade shows (N = 549)
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Continued
Effectiveness Of Lead Generation Methods Used By Participants (2) - By Percent Rated Extremely / Very Effective % "Extremely Effective" (5) % "Very Effective" (4) Publishing a company-authored or company-affiliated blog (N = 266) Running our own telephone-based events (N = 296) Search Engine Advertising for our website (N = 363) 0 9 9 % Of Respondents 25 50 75 Top2 Box 18% Mean 3.22
10
16%
2.94
12
16% 16% 15%
2.80 2.75 2.83
Sending professionally designed direct 4 mail packages to prospects (N = 514) Emailing ONLINE company newsletter(s) (N = 486) Joining online communities related to our field (N = 465) 5
12
11
12
15% 11% 11% 10% 9% 7%
2.82
Participating regularly in blog-related 3 8 online conversation (N = 333) Sending emails to prospects via a 3rd party referrer (N = 422) 3 8
2.73 2.57 2.50 2.50 2.44 2.37
Making 'cold' phone calls 1 9 (to new contacts) (N = 676) Mailing PRINTED company 2 7 newsletter(s) (N = 428) Advertising in ad-supported websites 25 and online publications (N = 368) Advertising in print media (N = 503) 2 6 Sending mass emails directly 25 to prospects (N = 530) Advertising on the radio (N = 247) 2 5 Sending mass letters or 14 postcards to prospects (N = 560) Advertising on TV (N = 183) 12
7%
7%
2.27
7% 6% 3%
2.07 2.23 1.68
75
One-By-One Usage And Effectiveness Of Tactics & Strategies ,

Continued
Popularity (% used) versus effectiveness This next chart juxtaposes the tactics popularity among professional services (% who have used them) with their effectiveness in generating new leads for companies services (mean rating). Use the following table to understand where each tactic lands on the overview chart. % Have Used
94 93 84 78 68 63 63 62 54 53 52 52 44 34 33 82 79 74 69 68 64 63 62 59 57 52 50 46 45 42 37 31 23 Continued on next page
No.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33
Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE
Making 'warm' phone calls (to existing contacts) Becoming members of professional associations and industry organizations Sending individual emails to prospects Speaking at conferences/trade shows Connecting with press contacts Running our own in-person events (seminars, conferences, etc.) Publishing company-authored content in others' print publications Search Engine Optimization for our website Publishing company-authored content in our own online publications Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field Publishing company-authored content in other online publications Publishing company-authored content in our own print publications
Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE

Speaking in others live online seminars (webcasts, webinars) Running our own live online seminars (webcasts, webinars) Publishing a company-authored or company-affiliated blog
Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE

Making cold phone calls (to new contacts) Sending individual letters or postcards to prospects Writing and distributing press releases Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows Sending mass letters or postcards to prospects Advertising in print media Sending mass emails directly to prospects Sending professionally designed direct mail packages to prospects Joining online communities related to our field Emailing online company newsletter(s) Mailing printed company newsletter(s) Sending emails via a 3rd party referrer
Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE

Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications Search Engine Advertising for our website Participating regularly in blog-related online conversation Running our own telephone-based events (seminars, Q&A, etc.) Advertising on the radio Advertising on TV
76
Continued
Lead Generation Tactics & Strategies % Current Usage of Tactic Vs. Mean Effectiveness Ratings
Less Popular More Effective More Popular More Effective
Extremely 5.0 Effective
4.5
Very Effective
4.0
3.5 14 15 31 30 2.5 28 32 26 21 22 20 27 29 25 24 23 13 87 5 9 10 11 12
4 2 3 18 19 17 16
Mean Effectiveness Ratings

33 1.5
Less Popular Less Effective More Popular Less Effective
Somewhat Effective 3.0
Not Very Effective 2.0
Not At All Effective 1.0
0%
Low Usage
10%
20%
(25%)
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
(75%)
80%
90%
100%
High Usage
% Current Usage Among Participants
77
One-By-One Usage And Effectiveness Of Tactics & Strategies ,

Continued
Excellent lead generators vs. the rest
Where are the visible differences between the Excellent lead generating companies versus the Good, Fair, and Poor? The most noticeable differences in effectiveness occur in the following four tactics: Tactic 31: Running our own telephone-based events Excellent = 42% have used, average rating 3.71 Good = 40% have used, average rating 2.99 Fair / Poor = 35% have used, average rating 2.69 Tactic 4: Speaking at conferences/trade shows Excellent = 84% have used, average rating 4.28 Good = 84% have used, average rating 3.70 Fair / Poor = 73% have used, average rating 3.32 Tactic 25: Emailing online newsletter(s) Excellent = 62% have used, average rating 3.57 Good = 57% have used, average rating 2.89 Fair / Poor = 57% have used, average rating 2.63 Tactic 27: Emails via a 3rd party referrer Excellent = 54% have used, average rating 3.31 Good = 51% have used, average rating 2.54 Fair / Poor = 48% have used, average rating 2.44 See the following charts for a more detailed comparison, using the same number-tactic key as on previous pages.
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One-By-One Usage And Effectiveness, Continued

"EXCELLENT" Lead-Generating Companies: % Current Usage of Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Vs. Mean Effectiveness Ratings Extremely 5.0 Effective 4.5 4 Very 4.0 Effective 3.5 14 31 15 30 10 27 13 25 12 19 29 23 24 22 21 20 6 9 38 11 7 5 17 18 16 2 Less Popular More Effective 26 TACTICS Above 50% Usage 25 TACTICS Above 3.0 Effectiveness More Popular More Effective
Somewhat 3.0 Effective 2.5 Not Very 2.0 Effective 33 32
28
26
1.5 Not At All Effective 1.0 Less Popular Less Effective 0%

(25%)
More Popular Less Effective 50% % Current Usage Among Participants

"GOOD" Lead-Generating Companies: % Current Usage of Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Vs. Mean Effectiveness Ratings
(75%)
100% High Usage
Low Usage
Extremely 5.0 Effective 4.5
Less Popular More Effective
24 TACTICS Above 50% Usage 17 TACTICS Above 3.0 Effectiveness
More Popular More Effective
Very 4.0 Effective 6 3.5 14 15 31 30 13 9 11 10 12 25 87 24 23 5 18 17 16 4 2 3 1
Somewhat 3.0 Effective 2.5 Not Very 2.0 Effective 32 33
29 28 26 27
19 21
22
20

(25%)

(75%)
100% High Usage
Low Usage
79

Continued
"FAIR OR POOR" Lead-Generating Companies: % Current Usage of Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Vs. Mean Effectiveness Ratings Extremely 5.0 Effective 4.5 Less Popular More Effective 21 TACTICS Above 50% Usage 10 TACTICS Above 3.0 Effectiveness More Popular More Effective
Very 4.0 Effective 3.5 14 Somewhat 3.0 Effective 2.5 Not Very 2.0 Effective 15 31 13 30 29 28 32 11 9 10 12 8 7 24 25 23 21 22 6 5 18 19 3 17 16 20 4
1 2
27 26
33 More Popular Less Effective

(25%)
50% % Current Usage Among Participants
(75%)
100% High Usage
Low Usage
Commentary: Doing it right
Throughout this report we have noted differences between the companies that are excellent at lead generation versus those that are less than excellent. In our experience as industry practitioners, we see companies time-and-again choose the right tactics and implement them poorly. Among other things, the excellent companies are much better implementers than the rest. Takeaway: Tactic choice is not enough. You have to implement well if you want to make the tactics work for you.
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The Dont Know Effectiveness Factor

Uncertainty about tactics Along with rating the mean effectiveness of tactics respondents had used, they had the option of saying I dont know the effectiveness of this tactic. As it turns out, not knowing how effective a tactic is seems to go hand in hand with lower overall usage of the tactics. In other words: More popular (high-usage) tactics also tend to be the ones for which users can understand whether or not theyre working, well enough to give them a rating. Among the users of the less popular tactics, at least one-fifth dont know how to evaluate their effectiveness (with only a few exceptions). That factor of uncertainty corresponds with fewer users overall.
Relationship Between Lower Usage Rates & Uncertainty About Rating Effectiveness
% Of All Respondents Who Have Used The Tactic (N = 785-846) % Of Users Who Don't Know How To Rate The Tactic's Effectiveness (N = 183-778) 100 90 80 70 % Respondents 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 High Usage / Low Uncertainty 50-62% Usage / Uncertainty > 20% Less Than 50% Usage / Uncertainty > 20%
See Following Table For Key To Tactics 1-33 Listed Here Continued on next page
81
The Dont Know Effectiveness Factor, Continued

% Of All Respondents Who Have Used The Tactic (N = 785-846) 94 93 84 82 79 78 74 69 68 68 64 63 63 63 62 62 59 57 54 53 52 52 52 50 46 45 44 42 37 34 33 31 23
Key 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33
Tactic 'Warm' phone calls Becoming members of professional organizations Individual emails to prospects 'Cold' phone calls Individual letters or postcards Speaking at conferences/trade shows Writing and distributing press releases Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows Connecting with press contacts Mass letters or postcards Advertising in print media Company-authored content in others' print publications Running our own in-person events Mass emails to prospects Search Engine Optimization Professionally designed direct mail packages (Lower uncertainty for this group) Joining online communities related to our field Emailing online newsletter(s) (Lower uncertainty for this group) Company-authored content in our own online publications Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field Company-authored content in other online publications Company-authored content in our own print publications Printed newsletter(s) (Lower uncertainty for this group) Emails via a 3rd party referrer Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications Search Engine Advertising Speaking in others' live online seminars Participating in blog-related online conversation Running our own telephone-based events Running our own live online seminars Company-authored or affiliated blog Advertising on the radio Advertising on TV
% Of Users Who Don't Know Effectiveness (N = 183-778) 3 5 7 6 9 7 11 9 15 12 17 16 12 12 24 16 33 14 25 26 29 25 19 32 33 32 33 54 40 37 51 40 51
High Usage, Low Uncertainty About Effectiveness
50 - 62% Usage, Uncertainty Greater Than 20%
Less Than 50% Usage, Uncertainty Greater Than 20%
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The Dont Know Effectiveness Factor, Continued

Commentary: On measurement The correlation between the measurability of a tactic and its usage is quite clear. Keep in mind, however, that just because you cant easily measure the effectiveness of a tactic doesnt mean that it isnt working for you. David Ogilvy, a giant in the history of the world of advertising, once said, I notice increasing reluctance on the part of marketing executives to use judgment; they are coming to rely too much on research, and they use it as a drunkard uses a lamp post for support, rather than for illumination. Along with data, marketers and leaders of services organizations would do well to trust their judgment and the judgment of others in the industry when it comes to lead generation. If you believe a tactic will work well for youit may very well. If you believe a tactic will not work for youit likely wont. Takeaway: Not everything that is measurable is important, and not everything that is important can be measured.
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Evaluating Offers And Their Content Lead Generation Offers

Effectiveness of lead generation offers What lead generation offers did participants rate most effective? The following chart (in two parts) displays only the effectiveness ratings for each lead generation offer participants had used. Offers are sorted from high to low percent rated Extremely / Very Effective. Dotted lines separate the offers for each additional 10% of respondents who gave the offers these top ratings.
Effectiveness Of Lead Generation Offers Used By Participants - By Percent Rated Extremely / Very Effective % "Extremely Effective" (5) % "Very Effective" (4)
In-Person seminar (N = 511) Article authored by expert/s in our company (N = 556) Case study on issues in our clients' fields (N = 493) Introductory/Consultative sales call (N = 644) Company-Conducted / Published research (N = 398) Book (authored by expert/s in our company) (N = 314) White paper (N = 501)
% Of Respondents 10 14 20 30 32 40 50
Top2 Box 46%
Mean
3.57
11
29
40%
3.41
31
39%
3.45
10
27
37%
3.31
23
31%
3.37
10
19
30%
3.41
22
28%
3.20
Entry-Level service (N = 501)
14
19%
3.03
Online seminar (N = 312)
13
18%
3.10
Trial terms for our services (N = 369) eBook (digital form only) (N = 267) Telephone-based seminar (N = 299) On-Demand online seminar (N = 268)
13
18%
2.87
12
16%
3.09
14%
3.01
12%
2.96
Podcast (N = 230) 1 5
6%
2.82
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Lead Generation Offers, Continued

Value-Based Offers As with the tactics and strategies, the chart in this section shows a combination of these two questions related to lead generation offers: Have you used it? If so how effective has it proven in generating leads for your companys services? Companies rated effectiveness on a scale of 1 to 5: 5 = Extremely Effective, 4 = Very Effective, 3 = Somewhat Effective, 2 = Not Very Effective, 1 = Not At All Effective Use the following table to understand where each lead generation offer lands on the chart. (N = 782)
Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Offer Introductory/Consultative sales call Article authored by expert/s in our company In-Person seminar White paper Entry-Level service Case study on issues in our clients' fields Company-Conducted / Published research Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE Offer Online seminar Book (authored by expert/s in our company) Telephone-based seminar eBook (digital form only, authored by expert/s in our company) Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Offer Trial terms for our services (month free, sample software, etc.) On-Demand online seminar (i.e. webcast, webinar) Podcast % Have Used 82 71 65 64 64 63 51 % Have Used 40 40 38 34 % Have Used 47 34 29
No. 8 9 10 11
No. 12 13 14
85
Lead Generation Offers % Current Usage Of Offer Vs. Mean Effectiveness Ratings Extremely 5.0 Effective 4.5 Less Popular More Effective More Popular More Effective
Very Effective
4.0 3 2 1
3.5
9 11 8 13 10
7 4
Somewhat 3.0 Effective 2.5 Not Very Effective
5 12
14
2.0
1.5 Not At All Effective Less Popular Less Effective 1.0 0% Low Usage 25% 50% 75% 100% High Usage % Current Usage Among Participants More Popular Less Effective
Best offers among Excellent lead generators
By ability to generate leads, Excellent lead generators tend to report higher usage and better mean effectiveness across the board, with few exceptions. The following table lists Excellent usage and ratings versus the Good, Fair, and Poor lead generators.
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Best offers among Excellent lead generators (continued)
Numbers bolded and underlined indicate a significantly higher result for Excellent versus specifically the Good lead generators, at the 95% confidence level. % USERS Excellent Lead Other Levels Offer Generators Article authored by expert/s in our company 58 - 75 87 In-Person seminar 58 - 67 81 Introductory/Consultative sales call 81 75 - 84 White paper 74 56 - 67 Case study on issues in our clients' fields 65 60 - 65 Entry-Level service 62 52 - 68 Company-Conducted / Published research 58 38 - 53 Online seminar 37 - 40 54 Book (authored by expert/s in our company) 52 33 - 43 Telephone-based seminar 52 27 - 41 Trial terms for our services (month free, 48 44 - 48 sample software, etc.) eBook (digital form only, authored by 46 30 - 36 expert/s in our company) On-Demand online seminar 46 30 - 37 Podcast 38 27 - 31 MEAN EFFECTIVENESS Excellent Other Levels Lead Generators 4.14 3.17 3.37 3.14 3.46 4.00 3.03 3.66 3.98 2.97 3.51 3.84 3.79 3.74 3.67 3.67 3.61 3.53 3.42 3.36 3.26 3.22 2.73 3.17 2.86 3.42 2.86 3.43 2.83 3.25 2.11 2.93 2.58 3.05 2.73 3.12 2.43 2.65 2.52 3.19 2.80 2.90 Continued on next page
Offer Book (authored by expert/s in our company) Case study on issues in our clients' fields In-Person seminar Article authored by expert/s in our company eBook (digital form only, authored by expert/s in our company) Company-Conducted / Published research Introductory/Consultative sales call White paper Telephone-based seminar On-Demand online seminar Online seminar Podcast Entry-Level service Trial terms for our services (month free, sample software, etc.)
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Offers and reputation reach The better-known companies reported higher usage rates than the lesserknown companies, for 8 of the offers evaluated, as well as higher mean effectiveness ratings for 3 of the offers. The following tables include these particular differences:
Offer Article authored by expert/s in our company In-Person seminar White paper Company-Conducted / Published research Book authored by expert/s in our company Live online seminar Telephone-based seminar On-Demand online seminar % USERS Not Very Very Well Known Well Known 82 66 76 60 73 60 60 47 50 35 47 36 45 35 43 30 MEAN EFFECTIVENESS Very Well Not Very Known Well Known 3.63 3.40 3.32 3.13 3.52 3.30
Offer Case study on issues in our clients fields White paper Company-Conducted / Published research
Commentary: Its good to be excellent
Across the board, Excellent at lead generation companies used more tactics and generated more effectiveness from those tactics. Even where there was not a statistically significant difference between the Excellent and the less than Excellent companies, the Excellent companies were on the higher end of both the usage and effectiveness ranges. Marketing and lead generation is no different than any corporate function in one respect: at some companies it is a palpable priority, with the culture of the firm focused on it from top leadership down to each individual contributor. At other companies its a red-headed step child. Achieving excellence in anything (not just lead generation) has to be a leadership priority. And, like anything in business, if leadership makes it a priority, the company can become quite good at it. Takeaway: If you want to get the most out of lead generation, make lead generation excellence a priority.
88
Types Of Content For Lead Generation Offers

Effectiveness of the content used in lead generation offers What types of content did participants rate as the most effective basis for their lead generation offers to be built around? The following chart (in two parts) displays only the effectiveness ratings for each lead generation offer participants had used. Offers are sorted from high to low percent rated Extremely / Very Effective. Dotted lines separate the offers for each additional 10% of respondents who gave the offers these top ratings. 5 = Extremely Effective, 4 = Very Effective, 3 = Somewhat Effective, 2 = Not Very Effective, 1 = Not At All Effective
Effectiveness Of Types Of Content Used In Lead Generation Offers
- By Percent Rated Extremely / Very Effective % "Extremely Effective" (5) % "Very Effective" (4) 0 Content 100% focused on individual prospect's specific situation (i.e. in a consultative sales call) (N = 665) % Of Respondents 25 50 75 Top2 Box Mean
22
43
65%
3.92
Client and Partner testimonials / referrals (N = 682) Case Studies of how our prospects' types of businesses solve pressing issues related to our area of expertise (N = 576) Best-Practice methodology based on our company's area of expertise (N = 641)
22
39
60%
3.83
10
38
49%
3.60
11
37
48%
3.58
How-To tips, tactics, and advice (N = 643)
10
34
44%
3.52
Research data relevant to our prospects' fields (N = 563)
35
43%
3.50
Emerging trends in our prospects' fields (N = 607)
34
42%
3.48
ROI / Financial Justification of contracting for services (N = 570)
12
27
39%
3.45
89
Types Of Content For Lead Generation Offers, Continued

What makes an offer compelling? Across the board, the majority of respondents have used the types of content mentioned below, and they give a mean rating of at least Somewhat Effective (3 or above) to all the types of content. The following chart plots each type of contents usage by respondents and mean effectiveness rating.
Use this table as the key to the following chart.

No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE Type Of Content For Offers Client and Partner testimonials / referrals Content 100% focused on individual prospect's specific situation (i.e. in a consultative sales call) How-To tips, tactics, and advice Best-Practice methodology based on our company's area of expertise Emerging trends in our prospects' fields Case Studies of how our prospects' types of businesses solve pressing issues related to our area of expertise ROI / Financial Justification of contracting for services Research data relevant to our prospects' fields % Have Used 89 86 84 83 79 75 74 73
Types Of Content For Lead Generation Offers % Current Usage Vs. Mean Effectiveness Ratings Extremely 5.0 Less Popular Effective 4.5 More Effective Very Effective 4.0 3.5 Somewhat 3.0 Effective 2.5 Not Very 2.0 Effective 1.5 Less Popular More Popular Less Effective Less Effective Not At All Effective 1.0 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% % Current Usage Among Participants Low High More Popular More Effective 21
3 86 5 4 7
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Types Of Content For Lead Generation Offers, Continued

Excellent lead generators and types of content Excellent lead generators report higher usage rates and higher mean effectiveness ratings than Good or other ability levels for several of the types of content evaluated. The following tables illustrate ratings by the Excellent group versus other levels. Where numbers are bolded and underlined, it indicates a significant difference at the 95% confidence level versus the Good group, specifically.
Type of Content Client and partner testimonials / referrals Best-Practice methodology How-To tips, tactics, and advice Emerging trends in our prospects fields Content 100% focused on individual prospects specific situation Research data relevant to our prospects fields Case studies ROI / Financial justification of contracting for services % USERS Excellent Lead Generators 99 99 94 91 91 84 83 81 Other Levels 78 91 71 84 73 84 63 81 77 - 88 56 76 63 76 58 - 74
Type of Content Content 100% focused on individual prospects specific situation Client and partner testimonials / referrals Best-Practice methodology Case studies How-To tips, tactics, and advice Emerging trends in our prospects fields Research data relevant to our prospects fields ROI / Financial justification of contracting for services
MEAN EFFECTIVENESS Excellent Lead Generators Other Levels 4.17 4.16 4.05 3.96 3.95 3.77 3.77 3.67 3.69 3.99 3.49 3.90 3.15 3.71 3.33 3.70 2.96 3.64 2.97 3.61 2.97 3.59 3.22 3.49
Commentary: Thoughts on thoughts
Much discussion over the past few years has focused on the topic of thought leadership. The difference between various types of content in terms of effectiveness in lead generation seems minimal. Across the board, all content types seem to be at least somewhat effective. Having something worthwhile to say, regardless of the specific focus, seems to be more important. In our experience, there is a paucity of well-crafted content across most industries. Excellent lead generators tend to do a better job of both crafting worthwhile content and disseminating it to target audiences. Takeaway: Build and disseminate good quality thought leadership.
91
TOMORROWS TRENDS IN LEAD GENERATION
92
2-Year Prediction: Across The Board Increases In Lead Generation Changes In Approach To Lead Generation
The future of lead generation No matter how companies are approaching lead generation for their services today, nearly everyone has plans to increase lead generation efforts over the next 2 years. Overall, 84% of professional services companies in the study are planning to either significantly or moderately increase their lead generation efforts in the near future: 41% significant increase 43% moderate increase The following chart shows future plans according to companies current approach to generating new business (mostly lead generation, half lead generation and half referrals-based, or mostly referrals).
Changes To Lead Generation Efforts In Next 2 Years - By Current Approach Significant Increase Moderate Decrease 60
86% Will Increase 86% Will Increase 81% Will Increase
Moderate Increase Significant Decrease
NO CHANGE
50
50 44
51
40 % Respondents 36 30
42
30
20 15 10 10 4 0 Currently: Mostly Lead Generation (N = 251) Currently: Half & Half (N = 143) Currently: Mostly Generating Referrals (N = 292) 11
93
Changes In Approach To Lead Generation, Continued

Highlights by industry Several industries stand out from the rest in how much theyre planning to increase lead generation efforts in the next two years: Well significantly increase lead generation efforts 60% IT Consulting / Services 48% Financial / Insurance / Real Estate Services 47% Human Resources / Organizational Development Consulting 31-42% remaining industries
Highlights by ability to generate leads
From the perspective of companies self-rated ability to generate leads, we can begin to see the so-called rear of the pack swinging into motion for the next two years: Well significantly increase lead generation efforts 28% Excellent lead generators 34% Good lead generators 46% Fair lead generators 57% Poor lead generators
Highlights by annual revenue
From a company-size viewpoint, those with smaller annual revenues plan a more significant increase in lead generation than the larger companies: Well significantly increase lead generation efforts 43-48% Less than $1 million and $1 to 9.9 million annual revenue 30-31% $10 to 99.9 million and $100 million or more annual revenue
Commentary: Turning up the heat
Lead Generation Is Heating Up Dont Get Burned I've spoken with a particular partner of a successful professional services firm at least once in each of the last three years about her frustrations with her partners: they won't get serious about marketing. The problem is, like many other firms, they do good work but the phone isn't ringing like it used to. Each year she tries to kick off some kind of marketing and lead generation initiative so her firm can stay competitive with the other firms that seem so much more aggressive.
94
Changes In Approach To Lead Generation, Continued

Commentary: Turning up the heat (continued) Lead Generation Is Heating Up Dont Get Burned (Continued) Last year she couldn't even get her partners to agree they should "send a letter out" to introduce the firm to business in their area. All her partners seem to talk a good game of wanting to get the letter done. Then the letter dies a pocket-veto-like passive aggressive death as the partners never come back with a, "Yes...go ahead and get it done." And so it goes. One year turns into the next, Sisyphus keeps pushing that rock up the hill, and the phone rings less and less. Message to this partner, her partners, and the rest of the professional services world with their heads still in the sand: it's going to get worse. 84% of other professional services providers going after your prospects, your clients, and the market in general with more lead generation energy, resources, and rigor. How's that letter campaign coming?
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Reasons For Increasing / Decreasing Lead Generation Efforts

Reasons for increase / decrease Why is it that some companies, already devoting energy and resources to lead generation activities, plan to ramp up even more in the years to come? For the minority who plans either to stay their current course or even decrease lead generation activities, what forces are at play? Respondents explained their plans for future lead generation (or plans to the contrary), with comments mainly characterized by the following categories: Reasons to increase lead generation efforts: in a growth phase / need to grow additional staff / budget / resources available maintain / increase / replenish / diversify client base more leads = more business new services / offerings targeting new market segments / industries market shift / change in competitive environment increase revenue / improve sales / get more business Reasons to make no change comfortable with the status quo / have a good plan lack of resources / time new company / young company Reasons to decrease lead generation efforts focus on generating referrals, not new leads company in transition / someone retiring / moving on lack of resources / time new company / young company comfortable with the status quo / have a good plan recognize need to improve / old plan doesn't work, not sure what to do yet Everyone has their reasons for (mostly) increasing lead generation in the next couple years. Others face internal challenges or prefer to take the old tried and true route of referral-generation rather than reaching out directly for new prospects. The following selected commentary helps provide some idea of where companies are coming from as they plan.
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Reasons For Increasing / Decreasing Lead Generation Efforts,

Continued
From leadgeneration companies
Respondents from companies currently focusing on lead generation as a way of getting new business gave the following reasons for why they would increase lead generation even more, keep the same emphasis as before, or decrease lead generation efforts in the next few years.
Reasons To Increase Lead Generation Efforts Selected Commentary

We need to lay a better foundation in order to put ourselves in the position to be more proactive as a company. Our lead generation and business development has been put on the back burner which has hurt our overall strategy towards success. Only way well survive. CEO / President, Architecture / Engineering / Construction
Business Development Consultant, IT Consulting & Services Principal / Partner, Management Consulting
We're in growth mode; growing presence & market share is our primary objective. So, we'll have to significantly increase lead generation efforts to achieve our goals. We hope, though, that resulting increased revenues will allow us to drop our marketing as % revenue somewhat over the same time frame. As revenues increase, I want to use other venues to generate lead activity. I am currently using direct mail and telemarketing. Some of my future goals include making my website more sales oriented instead of just providing information, begin blogging, conducting live seminars with prospective clients, conducting webinars for current clients as well as prospective clients, and perhaps advertising on the radio with selected stations. We have a tremendous opportunity to grow in our market. We are planning to add a professional sales staff and corresponding lead generation activities to make those individuals successful. To grow our company according to shareholder expectations.
Principal / Partner, Financial / Insurance / Real Estate Consulting
CEO / President, Marketing / PR / Advertising VP / Director of Business Development, Accounting / Tax / Payroll / Bookkeeping VP / Director of Marketing, Training / Executive Education / Coaching Principal / Partner, Marketing / PR / Advertising VP / Director of Marketing, Marketing / PR / Advertising
The leadership has dictated a 40% growth rate in sales.
We are in a growth phase of our business, and sustainability requires increased lead generation. Before 2006, we had no lead generation program driven by marketing; sales people were simply expected to do everything themselves. We finally have a real marketing budget and lead generation will receive about 5% in 2006 and 10-15% in 2007. Shifts in the economic outlook result in refocusing market segments every few years. I'm looking at about 2010 now.
VP / Director of Business Development, Architecture / Engineering / Consulting Continued on next page
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Continued
From Lead-Generation Companies (continued) Reasons To Increase Lead Generation Efforts Selected Commentary (Continued)
Use of RainToday site material and several others over last 3 months has changed focus. We are already quite successful in lead generation, yet hope to use new technology to be able to increase the amount of leads generated with the same amount of headcount. We have grown rapidly in the past two years and will most likely have to step up sales efforts to support our staff numbers. We are proactively working to improve internal processes. However, it is a slow change to avoid culture shock to tenured staff. There has not been enough of that done here- previously, most of our business came from referrals. We need new blood. Chief Business Development Officer, Coding / Billing / Collecting for Physicians Direct Marketing Manager, IT Consulting & Services Marketing Manager, Architecture / Engineering / Construction Business Development Manager, Architecture / Engineering / Construction Manager of Business Development and Marketing, Architecture / Engineering / Construction New Business Director, Marketing / PR / Advertising
My personal hit rate on b-b telephone calls is one in four. A lot of people don't believe this is possible but it is. We need to up-grade in a technological sense and are just about to buy a CRM package which will enable my productivity to rise and also interaction with sales to be more streamlined. The quality needs to meet the quantity. At the moment, the maximum amount of leads I can produce is 5 per week, with 3 being the average. The companies contacted range from 50,000,000 pounds to 1,000,000,000 turnover.
Reasons Not To Change Efforts Selected Commentary

Management (Owners/C-level) are not truly willing to fund marketing/lead generation sufficiently to achieve the revenue growth they are expecting from sales & marketing its sort of a selffulfilling prophecy. CEO believes lead generation is not the problem with our sales, refuses to spend budget on lead generation. As a newly formed firm we have targeted almost all our efforts on lead generation. This attitude has proven to be effective. Thus, we expect it to remain on the same level, combined with the increase of referral generating work. VP / Director of Marketing, IT Consulting & Services
Chief Strategy Officer, Training / Executive Education / Coaching Principal / Partner, Law Firms / Legal Services
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Continued
From Lead-Generation Companies (continued) Reasons To Decrease Lead Generation Efforts Selected Commentary
Have a lot of business in the pipeline. We need to focus more on repeat business and client referrals. We currently do not measure this and are working on a method to do so. We expect to reach capacity limitations (people) We're a newer business - once we've established a base of clients, we'll focus more on renewal and maintenance, and use reputation/thought leadership to drive business development. Change of focus in the marketing organization Principal / Partner, Management Consulting VP / Director of Business Development, Architecture / Engineering / Construction CEO / President, Management Consulting CEO / President, Marketing / PR / Advertising VP / Director of Marketing, IT Consulting & Services
From half & half companies
Respondents from companies currently focusing half on lead generation and half on referrals as a way of getting new business gave the following reasons for why they would increase lead generation even more, keep the same emphasis as before, or decrease lead generation efforts in the next few years.

As we continue to grow the business, we will need to become more effective at lead generation. The reason for increased lead generation efforts is due to the change of CEO. The new CEO has a strong focus on lead generation and is implementing strategies that will enable this to happen. Competition is increasing and our services can be seen as a commodity even though we sell into a defined market. We are at a point where we will need to generate enough new leads to double our gross receipts in order to continue to be profitable. We should charge a higher hourly rate, but our client base in unable or unwilling to pay higher prices, so it is necessary to attract new clients. We want to replace clients we have lost for various reasons and to grow our revenue base. We need to diversify our client base -- we have a single dominant client right now. We're working hard to develop others. Marketing Manager, Management Consulting Marketing Coordinator, Law Firms / Legal Services CEO / President, IT Consulting / Services CEO / President, Accounting / Payroll / Tax / Bookkeeping
VP / Director of Marketing, Law Firms / Legal Services Principal / Partner, Human Resources / Organizational Development Consulting Continued on next page
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Continued
From Half & Half Companies (continued) Reasons To Increase Lead Generation Efforts Selected Commentary (Continued)
The market for our services is extremely cyclical. We expect the current market to drop off in the next 24 months. We are currently ramping up our lead efforts with existing clients and aggressively pursuing new client relationships. Because we have found that sitting by and waiting for the market to come to us because we are quote EXPERTs, doesn't happen. It is our business first and foremost to be a marketing company that sells insurance. Starting to work in new geographical areas where we are currently not known. We feel there is a lot of untapped potential for new work and we are working to get smarter about identifying and pursuing strategic opportunities. For the first time, a strategic plan and business development plan have been developed for implementation in 2007. To increase the number of qualified leads to work with. This division of our company is less than one year old and we're still testing methods that generate the best sales and relationships. I'm a sole proprietor. I tend to win projects that last for months & have many repeat clients, so lead generation hasn't been a big issue. However, in 2007 I'll be adding information products to my services. These will have a wider audience and require more active marketing. Managing Director / Managing Partner, Architecture / Engineering / Construction Owner / Manager, Financial / Insurance / Real Estate Services
Chief Marketing Officer, Training / Executive Education / Coaching Principal / Partner, Architecture / Engineering / Construction VP / Director of Marketing, Law Firms / Legal Services VP / Director of Marketing, Management Consulting CEO / President, Training / Executive Education / Coaching

What we do really works. Generating leads, even closing leads is not that difficult. Having the time to work is an issue. Our goal is to do more with less, more work with fewer clients. Thus far we are doing well. Already do as much as is reasonably possible CEO / President, Management Consulting
Managing Director / Managing Partner, Financial / Insurance / Real Estate VP / Director of Marketing, Architecture / Engineering / Construction
Our current marketing/lead-generation system provides us a reasonable balance between (a) technical staff who are intune/involved with the lead-generation and follow-up process and (b) our marketing staff. Considering the time available to all and the personnel resources we have (not expected to change, especially in marketing), we expect to continue with the 'tag-team' system we have.
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Continued
From Half & Half Companies (continued) Reasons Not To Change Efforts Selected Commentary (Continued)
We are being able to generate leads without having to focus too much time on this activity. Most of our prospects are aware of our company and do approach us for services. Follow-on work from existing clients is always our mainstay, but there always seems to be a 'flavor-of-the-month' in terms of a new service that new prospects find attractive. It's difficult to predict the mix or course of efforts in response. Shortage of back-end manpower to execute jobs, makes increasing business useless. Better to concentrate on existing business Resistance. Also, each attorney is responsible for business development. They are not trained nor necessarily comfortable at lead generating. Some of course have a natural ability to build business. However, most do not. Nor do they feel comfortable in assuming this role. Senior Sales Executive, IT Consulting / Services Principal / Partner, Management Consulting
Principal / Partner, Marketing / PR / Advertising VP / Director of Marketing, Law Firms / Legal Services
Reasons To Decrease Lead Generation Efforts Selected Commentary

Significant effort spent writing commercially published books in the last 12 months is starting to pay off. Our ability to recruit/retain staff is not as strong as our ability to develop new clients. Sales cannot cope with the great amount of leads generated by marketing. Our current marketing efforts are producing subscribers to our newsletter, not our service. Think we're using 'what we've done in the past' instead of 'what the market wants to buy now'. Principal / Partner, IT Consulting / Services VP / Director of Business Development, Accounting / Tax / Payroll / Bookkeeping Chief Marketing Officer, Financial / Insurance / Real Estate CEO / President, Accounting / Tax / Payroll / Bookkeeping
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Continued
From referralbased companies
Respondents from companies currently focusing on generating referrals as a way of getting new business gave the following reasons for why they would increase lead generation even more, keep the same emphasis as before, or decrease lead generation efforts in the next few years.

We are a firm of seller/doers and have relied on the luxury of clients calling us based on our excellent reputation. In this challenging market, we now need to focus on Business Development. We have hit a wall in terms of generating organic leads/referrals, and in terms of up selling. Therefore in order to grow we must focus on identifying net new prospect leads. A new strategic plan, new revenue goals, new forecasting process, and for the first time, new individual revenue goals for all partners. There will be a transitional period when the long time partner retires. We have a unique service that is not yet being used by our competition; we want to significantly increase our market share to insulate our profits from future competitive imitation. Having more than one strategy will significantly improve sales. To hit 4 year growth targets, new sales will have to come from new prospects. we have been able to grow organically through our current client base and have not invested in the infrastructure for lead generation Want to generate income from sources other than pure professional services engagements (workshops, special reports, teleseminars, etc) Due to pending changes in how and when audit firms are chosen and length of tenure, we feel the need to jump in with both feet and embrace lead generation techniques before they are necessary. Current practice is no longer working well solely on referrals, like it used to in boom times; but, this means a sea-change in how I do business, so I'm not sure how well it will go. We cannot continue to take passive leads. We will be aggressively switching to a business model where we target leads in specific market sectors. Just receiving leads from referrals is preventing us from getting good margins. VP / Director of Business Development, Architecture, Engineering, Construction VP / Director of Marketing, Marketing / PR / Advertising VP / Director of Marketing, Accounting / Tax / Payroll / Bookkeeping CEO / President, Architecture, Engineering, Construction VP / Director of Marketing, Management Consulting Principal / Partner, Accounting / Tax / Payroll / Bookkeeping VP / Director of Business Development, Financial / Insurance / Real Estate Principal / Partner, IT Consulting / Services VP / Director of Marketing, Accounting / Tax / Payroll / Bookkeeping Principal / Partner, Japanese Business Development Services CEO / President, Marketing / PR / Advertising
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Continued
From Referral-Based Companies (continued) Reasons To Increase Lead Generation Efforts Selected Commentary (Continued)
1. Through the use of a robust CRM software package that allows real-time reporting and strict accountability. 2. Incorporating skill training for the development of strong, loyal relationships with current clients. We are in the process of going public and there will be increased emphasis on good growth. Until now all the leads that came to us where mostly personal or client referrals, and that has kept us busy for the last 2 years. However, not making any efforts in generating leads is something that stops the growth of a professional company. After doing some research and reading on RainToday, I am now planning a committed effort for lead generation from the new year. VP / Director of Business Development, Architecture / Engineering / Construction VP / Director of Business Development, Financial / Insurance / Real Estate CEO / President, IT Consulting / Services

Have 98% market share. Key is retention. VP / Director of Business Development, Financial / Insurance / Real Estate CEO / President, Marketing / PR / Advertising VP / Director of Business Development, Marketing / PR / Advertising Senior Vice President, Client Services, Architecture / Engineering / Construction
My system is working, so unless a spectacular new business model crosses my path, there's no reason to change. Culture resistant to change. Satisfaction with the status quo. Fear of the unknown and fear of greater success. Lack of knowledge on how to improve systems and processes. We are a very focused company and operate in a very small number of markets (5 to 6) and have a very high level of repeat business and referrals.
Reasons To Decrease Lead Generation Efforts Selected Commentary

Because we are gradually winding down our consulting practice as I approach normal retirement age. We are gaining market share in our large clients and that has resulted in increased referrals among different offices within the same firms We have enough current business and agreements to feel financially secure for the next two years. Adding more business would necessitate adding employees, which I do not want to do. Principal / Partner, Management Consulting CEO / President, Training / Executive Education / Coaching CEO / President, Marketing / Advertising / PR
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Voting With Dollars: The $100,000 Question Where To Invest In Marketing & Sales
From a participant: The market seems to be changing faster than anyone can get a grip on it. As a small company with limited budgeting- where do you spend your money? Ask this question to 10 people and you will get 10 different 'sure' answers. - COO, IT Consulting / Services Youve just learned your company has $100,000 of additional funding for its sales and marketing efforts this year. How will you use it? To understand where marketing and sales investment will be leaning in the next two years, we asked participants to put their mouth where their money is so to speak. Here are the areas of marketing and sales for which professional services leaders would increase investment.
(N = 958 uses mentioned)
The $100,000 question
Uses Of Extra $100,000 For Sales & Marketing Build new / rebuild / upgrade website Hire additional staff (see detail below) Host / sponsor / attend trade shows / events Direct mail campaign Create new / upgrade marketing materials / resources Contract with outside provider (see detail below) Seminars Sales training / coaching TV / Radio / Print ads Online marketing Market research Publish book / articles / research PR Webinars General thought leadership Travel to meet face to face with clients / prospects Client / employee incentives / rewards Expand current marketing effort Blogs / podcasts (e)newsletter White papers / case studies Search Engine Optimization / Search Engine Marketing Purchase technology / software Purchase / grow / improve lists Speaking at events / seminars Deploy integrated marketing campaign Join association / organization Develop new products / services
% Mentions 11 10 8 6 5 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1
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Where To Invest In Marketing & Sales, Continued

The $100,000 question (continued) Further detail on: Hiring Additional Staff Roughly 2/5 of this category included hiring business developers, sales staff, cold callers, appointment setters and lead generation experts. Another 2/5 of this category regarded hiring marketing staff, advertising staff, event planners, seminar specialists, or web and technology development specialists. Remaining uses pertained to hiring extra staffing in general to assist with overall efforts. Contract With Outside Provider Roughly 2/5 of this category included hiring a marketing or PR firm to build brand image and create more brand awareness. Nearly 1/5 of this category pertained to seeking professional assistance to enhance the companys online and published media and to increase its website effectiveness. Just over 1/5 of this category included hiring a company that specializes in lead generation services. Remaining uses regarded hiring a copywriter to draft whitepapers, articles, and website content, and hiring a consultant to help increase the companys effectiveness as a whole.
Commentary: Website top answer to the $100k question
Our respondents most wanted to spend their $100k on a new website. Websites carry a special triple whammy regarding their addition to lead generation. A) They generate leads in and of themselves through search engine placement. B) They are the conduit for many other lead generation tactics. Regardless of how a prospect finds out about a firm, they almost always check out, and often make their inquiry through, the website. C) Because websites are always on and everyone can look at them, leaders at service businesses are acutely aware of how they look, what they say, and (often more importantly) what everyone else says about their website Takeaway: Its not surprising that websites are getting, and will continue to get, serious lead generation focus.
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Where To Invest In Marketing & Sales, Continued

Commentary: If everyone else was jumping off a bridge For the most part, advertising in TV /Radio / Print ads (see chart on page 75 for more information) was rated particularly low in effectiveness by most respondents. Still, 4% of respondents noted they would spend their $100k on TV / Radio / Print ads. Many professional service providers flock to traditional advertising and pine over having the budgets to do more. Their competition is doing it. And many say they want to, get our name out there. Takeaway: Before you advertise, know why you want to advertise. Many service firms report not getting the bang for their buck that they hoped to get.
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Selected Verbatim Comments About Use Of $100,000

What the Excellent lead generators would buy Whats behind the spending categories for the additional $100,000? Since the devil is often in the details, weve pulled together ideas given specifically by the Excellent lead generating companies. Heres a peek at where they would put their money.
Staffing:
hire someone to help raises/bonuses for the marketing and biz development staff research the best practices for marketing to recruits / fund projects that increase recruiting results expand capabilities to deliver the work it would bring in hire an accountant and a sales assistant hire sales person hire a full-time marketing person to oversee and coordinate all marketing activities hire someone to assist us in preparing articles and presentations on our areas of expertise train (indoctrinate) existing project managers and consultants in marketing techniques, try to get them to understand the importance of marketing
Speaking / Events:
join a national speakers association fund additional travel to permit national speaking engagements execute 6 in person seminars approach more strategic partners and ask them to host teleseminars with us for their audience host more live events sponsor additional conferences educational seminars plan, hold and promote seminars and fund the appropriate post-event followup develop several new topics and present seminars to interested potential clients seek to attend and speak at leading industry shows and conferences offer programs specifically dedicated to client needs
Online: General Marketing / PR:

invest in newsletter marketing and general communications create a leave behind brochure reinvest in the look and feel of materials and conference tools develop a case study email/direct mail campaign new software for graphics implement a 'multi-mode' marketing approach, custom target post cards- and e-mails invest in cleaning-up our direct mail and email house lists expand direct mail marketing efforts hire public relations firm to get article, news, etc. placement in multiple media venues optimize press releases develop podcasting and/or company radio new website build a bigger on-line community productize more services to deliver over the web search optimize content on the site online catalog get more leads from online lead sources and improve the follow-up sales materials do more paid advertising online online marketing pay-per-click expansion videos and audio on website more web seminars
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Selected Verbatim Comments About Use Of $100,000, Continued

Technology: Save / Invest
invest it in technology to streamline and improve results IT technology e.g. software
hold in an opportunity fund put it in the bank until there is enough internal stabilization to strategically place it at the moment of opportunity.
Content / Intellectual Capital:
build more relevant content that can be used by a teleprospecting group in their direct oneto-one nurturing activities proprietary research on key financial benchmarks in our key niches and sponsor seminars to get these results into the hands of clients/prospects publish authored materials in professional and business editions create a series of our own books on one of the areas of our practice pay a ghost writer to write two major books that have our company name attached to them develop more articles
Selling / Client Relationships:
advertise in local Business Journal and increase frequency of Chamber ad focused advertising in business journals and local publications trial in target market magazines with teaser ads (i.e. lots of adverts saying go to website for free report)
Advertising (Offline):
business development funds for client entertainment/ relationship building activities more travel to prospective clients to meet with them entertainment and gifts implement a client retention/management system business development coaching on a weekly basis travel budget to visit more of our clients bring more clients to our office to show them how we use technology to manage our projects and streamline our services process; it always seems to be effective when we can bring them to our office to show them that we are interested in innovation put it towards anything that would enhance existing relationships and keep us top of mind with our good clients
Referrals:
business trip to all valid and dependable referral sources / clear preparation regarding what the company wants from each referrer
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Trends For Future Use Of Tactics, Strategies, Offers, & Their Content Overview
Whos on board the bandwagons? Participants who had not used particular lead generation tactics, strategies, offers, or types of offer content were asked to indicate their planned usage in the future, with these options: We have not used it, but were seriously considering using it in the next 2 years. We have not used it, and we wont use it in the next 2 years. The following chart displays the tactics and strategies for lead generation by the percentage of respondents who would use them in the next two years.
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Overview, Continued
Percent Of Non-Users Seriously Considering Using Tactics / Strategies In Next Two Years
90 83% - Connecting with press contacts to gain interviews, quotes, and write-ups about our company 82% - Becoming members of professional associations and industry organizations - Speaking at conferences/trade shows - Making 'warm' phone calls (to existing contacts) - Search Engine Optimization for our website 58% - Sending professionally designed direct mail packages to prospects 57% - Participating regularly in blogrelated online conversation 55% - Sponsoring high-profile events or research projects with wellknown organizations in our field 50% - Publishing company-authored content in OTHERS' PRINT publications 44% - Exhibiting at conferences / trade shows 43% - Sending mass letters or postcards to prospects - Mailing PRINTED company newsletter(s) - Search Engine Advertising for our website 42% - Running our own telephonebased events - Making 'cold' phone calls (to new contacts) - Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications 40% - Sending mass emails directly to prospects - Sending emails to prospects via a 3rd party referrer 40 36% - Advertising in print media 79% - Writing and distributing press releases 78% - Emailing ONLINE company l ( ) 76% - Sending individual emails directly to prospects 74% - Publishing company-authored content in OUR OWN ONLINE publications 70% - Publishing company-authored content in OTHER ONLINE publications 70 69% - Joining online communities related to our field - Publishing company-authored content in OUR OWN PRINT publications 60 68% - Running our own in-person events (seminars, conferences, etc.) 67% - Sending individual letters or postcards to prospects 65% - Speaking in OTHERS' live online seminars - Running OUR OWN live online seminars 63% - Publishing a company-authored or company-affiliated blog
80
50
30
20
14% - Advertising on the radio 10 6% - Advertising on TV
0 1
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Overview, Continued
Tying future usage back to current use Two different groups of respondents rated effectiveness (specifically those who had used each tactic) and future use (specifically those who had not used each tactic). With that caveat in mind, it can be helpful to connect these two measures to get a fuller picture of where each tactic is currently and how it might be adopted (or not) in the next couple years. The following table organizes the future use measures above by the four quadrants into which each tactic was slotted according to overall usage versus effectiveness ratings from current users, found in the section titled Evaluating Tactics And Strategies.
% Non-Users Seriously Considering Using In Next 2 Years
No.
Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy
Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE Currently Used By Majority, Average Rating Among Users= At Least Somewhat Effective 1 'Warm' phone calls 82 2 Becoming members of professional organizations 82 3 Individual emails to prospects 76 4 Speaking at conferences/trade shows 82 5 Connecting with press contacts 83 6 Running our own in-person events 68 7 Company-authored content in others' print publications 50 8 Search Engine Optimization 82 9 Company-authored content in our own online publications 74 Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known 10 55 organizations in our field 11 Company-authored content in other online publications 70 12 Company-authored content in our own print publications 69 Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE Currently Used By Less Than 50%, Average Rating Among Users = At Least Somewhat Effective 13 Speaking in others live online seminars 65 14 Running our own live online seminars 65 15 Company-authored or affiliated blog 63 Continued on next page
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Overview, Continued
Tying future usage back to current use (continued)
No.
Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy
Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Currently Used By Majority, Average Rating Among Users = Less Than Somewhat Effective 16 Cold phone calls 42 17 Individual letters or postcards 67 18 Writing and distributing press releases 79 19 Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows 44 20 Mass letters or postcards 43 21 Advertising in print media 36 22 Mass emails to prospects 40 23 Professionally designed direct mail packages 58 24 Joining online communities related to our field 69 25 Emailing online newsletter(s) 78 26 Printed newsletter(s) 43 Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Currently Used By Less Than 50%, Average Rating Among Users = Less Than Somewhat Effective 27 Emails via a 3rd party referrer 40 28 Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications 42 29 Search Engine Advertising 43 30 Participating in blog-related online conversation 57 31 Running our own telephone-based events 42 32 Advertising on the radio 14 33 Advertising on TV 6
Commentary: Where the wind blows
Takeaways From Future Use Trends So whats it all say? Here are some common-sense pointers (quadrant by quadrant) to guide you as you review this future-trend data: More Popular & More Effective: If youre not already using the tactics that are currently widely-used and are also likely to be adopted at higher levels in the near future, you may be the only one. Why? Although mom taught us never to jump off a bridge if everyone else is doing itshe probably never knew about bungee-jumping. There is a reason everyone is jumping to these ultra popular tactics in their mix: they work. If you arent planning on trying some of these tactics, you may want to revisit the possibility just in case mom was wrong.
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Overview, Continued
Commentary: Where the wind blows (continued) Less Popular & More Effective: These tactics are essentially the hidden gems of lead generation. Not everyones using them, but those who are have found them worth the time and money. And they wont be hidden for much longer. Nearly two-thirds of the non-users plan to adopt these tactics in the next two years: Speaking in others live online seminars (65% seriously considering) Running our own live online seminars (65% seriously considering) Company-authored or affiliated blog (63% seriously considering) Online events and blogs arent everyones cup of tea, but youve been warned more and more of your fellow professional services marketers and leaders will be reaching out to new prospects (and maybe your clients) in the near future via online seminars and blogs. More Popular & Less Effective: Most people use them, most people currently rate them less than somewhat effective and yet, more than two-thirds of non-users plan to implement these tactics in the next two years (do I hear mom calling about that bridge jumping thing again?): Writing and distributing press releases (79% seriously considering) Emailing online newsletter(s) (78% seriously considering) Joining online communities related to our field (69% seriously considering) Individual letters or postcards (67% seriously considering) Why join the crowd if, on average, users of these tactics rate them less than somewhat effective? Remember that tactics work together. You might use a personalized postcard and online newsletter to publicize a live event youre holding (a tactic in the more popular, more effective category), gain feedback on event topics via the online communities youve joined, and distribute a press release highlighting how the event impacted a marquee attendees current strategy in your area of expertise. Be smart, do what works for your firm, and do it well and dont forget that you might achieve the best results by making tactics from multiple quadrants work well together. Less Popular & Less Effective: More than half the non-users of Participating in blog-related conversation indicate theyre seriously considering jumping on board in the next couple years. Are they crazy? Take a look at the rise of the company-sponsored or company-affiliated blog up in the Less Popular & More Effective category. Theyre not so crazy anymore. If youre skeptical, consider this: with the right setup, you can easily track what kinds of traffic, inquiries, and leads youre receiving via comments you might make on someones blog online. Through due diligence in your website analytics and a smart lead-capturing setup on your website, you can monitor just how effective that half-hour a day of surfing the blogs has been.
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Overview, Continued
Commentary: Where the wind blows (continued) General Takeaway: Whether youre considering a currently-popular target or one which is a prime target of opportunity for the future, think before you leap. And remember what mom said about bridges.
Who will increase efforts?
Depending on the tactic, several interesting differences can be seen within our comparison groups regarding non-users seriously considering using the tactics in the near future:
LESSER-KNOWN COMPANIES VS. VERY WELL KNOWN COMPANIES

% Seriously Considering Using LesserVery Well Known Known 77 63 74 56 73 60 71 53 68 53 67 50 63 42 49 19 49 27 49 30 47 30 47 30
Tactic / Strategy Publishing company-authored content in OUR OWN ONLINE publications Publishing company-authored content in OTHER ONLINE publications Joining online communities related to our field Running our own in-person events Speaking in OTHERS live online seminars Publishing a company-authored or affiliated blog Participating regularly in blog-related online conversation Sending emails to prospects via a 3rd party referrer Sending mass letters or postcards to prospects Search Engine Advertising Exhibiting at conferences / trade shows Running our own telephone-based events
OTHER GROUPS
Groups Seriously Considering Using In Next 2 Years BY ABILITY TO GENERATE LEADS Sending emails to prospects via a 3rd 51% Poor lead generators, versus 27-42% others party referrer Sending mass letters or postcards to 54% Fair / Poor lead generators, versus 30% Excellent / prospects Good lead generators Making cold phone calls (to new 55% Fair / Poor lead generators, versus 29% Excellent / contacts) Good lead generators Exhibiting at conferences / trade 51% Fair / Poor lead generators, versus 36% Excellent / shows Good lead generators Continued on next page Tactic / Strategy
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Overview, Continued
OTHER GROUPS (Continued)
Groups Seriously Considering Using In Next 2 Years BY GEOGRAPHY OF CLIENT BASE Mailing PRINTED company 43-51% companies with local, regional, or national client base, newsletters versus 27% companies with international client base Publishing a company-authored or 67-69% companies with national or international client base, affiliated blog versus 55-57% companies with local or regional client base Running OUR OWN live online 72-73% companies with national or international client base, seminars versus 52-59% companies with local or regional client base Speaking in OTHERS live online 71-73% companies with national or international client base, seminars versus 56-61% companies with local or regional client base Search Engine Advertising 56% companies with international client base, versus 38-43% companies with local, regional, or national client base Publishing company-authored 60% companies with local client base, versus 45-52% companies content in OUR OWN PRINT with regional, national, or international client base publications Advertising on the radio 17-20% companies with local or regional client base, versus 811% companies with national or international client base Connecting with press contacts 94% companies with international client base and 84% companies with regional or national client base, versus 71% companies with local client base Participating regularly in blog 61-64% companies with national or international client base, related online conversation versus 47-56% companies with local or regional client base BY COMPANY SIZE Publishing company-authored 85% Independent practitioners, versus 66-79% larger companies content in OTHER ONLINE publications Running our own telephone-based 54% Independent practitioners, versus 32-41% of larger events companies 52% companies with annual revenue < $1 million, versus 34-35% of those with at least $1 million in annual revenue Advertising on TV 13% Large / Very Large companies (250+ professionals) versus 4-8% smaller companies Tactic / Strategy
Future use of offers
What offers are on the verge of adoption by non-users? Whats the outlook for podcasts, ebooks, and other offers currently not widely used among professional services companies? The following chart lists in order the percentage of non-users who are seriously considering using the offers in their lead generation efforts over the next two years.
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Overview, Continued
Non-Users Seriously Considering Using Offers In Next 2 Years

0 Article authored by expert/s in our company (N = 226) White paper (N = 281) Case study on issues in our clients' fields (N = 289) In-Person seminar (N = 271) On-Demand online seminar (N = 514) Online seminar (N = 470) Introductory / Consultative sales call (N = 138) Company-Conducted / Published research (N = 384) Podcast (N = 552) eBook (N = 515) Book (authored by expert/s in our company) (N = 468) Entry-Level service (N = 281) Telephone-based seminar (N = 483) Trial terms for our services (N = 413) 27 62 61 58 57 54 46 44 43 38 68 25 50 75 77 72 72 100
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Overview, Continued
Tying future usage back to current use Two different groups of respondents rated effectiveness (specifically those who had used each offer) and future use (specifically those who had not used each offer). With that caveat in mind, it can be helpful to connect these two measures to get a fuller picture of where each offer is currently and how it might be adopted (or not) in the next couple years. The following table organizes the future use measures above by the four quadrants into which each offer was slotted according to overall usage versus effectiveness ratings from current users, found in the section titled Evaluating Offers And Their Content.
No.
Lead Generation Offer
Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE Currently Used By Majority, Average Rating Among Users= At Least Somewhat Effective 1 Introductory/Consultative sales call 58 2 Article authored by expert/s in our company 77 3 In-Person seminar 68 4 White paper 72 5 Entry-Level service 43 6 Case study on issues in our clients' fields 72 7 Company-Conducted / Published research 57 Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE Currently Used By Less Than 50%, Average Rating Among Users = At Least Somewhat Effective 8 Live online seminar 61 9 Book (authored by expert/s in our company) 44 10 Telephone-based seminar 38 11 eBook (digital form only, authored by expert/s in our company) 46 Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Currently Used By Less Than 50%, Average Rating Among Users = Less Than Somewhat Effective 12 Trial terms for our services (month free, sample software, etc.) 27 13 On-Demand online seminar (i.e. webcast, webinar) 72 14 Podcast 54 Continued on next page
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Overview, Continued
Who will increase efforts? Depending on the offer, several interesting differences can be seen within our comparison groups regarding non-users seriously considering using the offers in the near future:
LESSER-KNOWN COMPANIES VS. VERY WELL KNOWN COMPANIES

% Seriously Considering Using LesserVery Well Known Known 81 65 75 63 57 47 67 50 73 47 43 27 67 46 50 38 49 28 68 41 33 14
Offer Article authored by expert(s) in our company Case study on issues in our clients fields Podcast On-Demand online seminar In-Person seminar Telephone-Based seminar Live online seminar eBook (digital form only, authored by expert/s in our company) Entry-Level service Introductory / Consultative sales call Trial terms for our services
OTHER GROUPS
Groups Seriously Considering Using In Next 2 Years BY GEOGRAPHY OF CLIENT BASE Podcast 59-61% companies with national or international client base, versus 48-50% companies with local or regional client base eBook (digital form only, authored 50-57% companies with national or international client base, by expert/s in our company) versus 35-43% companies with local or regional client base On-Demand online seminar 68-73% companies with national or international client base, versus 53-56% companies with local or regional client base BY ABILITY TO GENERATE LEADS In-Person seminar 73% Fair / Poor lead generators, versus 60% Excellent / Good lead generators Introductory / Consultative sales call 67% Fair / Poor lead generators, versus 48% Excellent / Good lead generators Trial terms for our services 33% Fair / Poor lead generators, versus 21% Excellent / Good lead generators BY COMPANY SIZE Telephone-Based seminar 45% companies with annual revenue less than $1 million, versus 32-34% companies with at least $1 million Book authored by expert/s in our 56% Independent practitioners, versus 32-42% of the larger company companies 54% companies with annual revenue less than $1 million, versus 35-37% companies with at least $1 million Continued on next page Offer
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Overview, Continued
Who will increase efforts? (continued)
Offer eBook (digital form only, authored by expert/s in our company) Groups Seriously Considering Using In Next 2 Years 56% Independent practitioners, versus 40-45% of the larger companies 53% companies with annual revenue less than $1 million, versus 39-43% companies with at least $1 million 36% Independent practitioners, versus 16-29% of the larger companies
Trial terms for our services
Future use of types of content
The types of content below, all currently popular and considered effective, also appeal to the non-users, with more than 2/3 of non-users seriously considering using these kinds of content for their lead generating offers in the next two years.
In Next Two Years % Seriously % Who Considering Won't Using Use 92 80 78 74 73 71 70 68 8 20 22 26 27 29 30 32
Types Of Content Client and Partner testimonials / referrals How-To tips, tactics, and advice Case Studies of how our prospects' types of businesses solve pressing issues related to our area of expertise Best-Practice methodology based on our company's area of expertise Emerging trends in our prospects' fields Content 100% focused on individual prospect's specific situation (i.e. in a consultative sales call) ROI / Financial Justification of contracting for services Research data relevant to our prospects' fields
N= 88 127 194 129 163 105 200 207
119
ANALYSIS SECTIONS BY FIRM DEMOGRAPHICS
120
Analysis By Industry Overview

Industry comparisons Professional services industries often share commonalities in terms of their challenges, goals, company structures, services nature, and other key components. In fact, this commonality is the foundation of RainToday.com: we have much to learn from each other. However, our research bears out that each industry is a little bit special in its historical outlook towards sales, marketing, and lead generation in general as well as in its current approach and attitude toward the future. In this section, youll learn more of the nuances in difference between industries when it comes to professional services lead generation. This section includes: 1. An overview of where industry differences tend to emerge in the data 2. Industry-by-Industry highlights
Growth of annual revenue
The industries below stand out for higher growth rates than others in the past two years, among respondent companies: Percentage Who Grew Annual Revenue By 50%+ In Past Two Years Marketing, PR, Advertising: 38.5% IT Services and Consulting: 38.0% Management Consulting: 32.4% Financial / Insurance / Real Estate Services: 29.8% Training / Executive Education: 24.1% Trends Indicating Similar Growth* Human Resources / OD Consulting: 35.7% Other Consulting / Professional Services: 31.0% Other industries growth occurred more in the 10-49% range than in the highest-growth range. The following chart illustrates how much growth respondents in each industry have seen in the past two years.
* N = 724 total; 31-135 per industry with exception of HR/OD Services and Other Consulting / Professional Services (N = 28-29)
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Growth Profile By Industry (Past 2 Years)

Grew 50% + 70.0% Grew 10-49% Grew <10% No Change / Decreased
Overview, Continued
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
% Respondents 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0%

Mktg, PR, IT Services Adv / Consulting HROD 35.7% 46.4% 7.1% 10.7% 32.4% 33.8% 18.6% 15.2% 38.5% 38.0% 36.7% 12.7% 12.7% 34.8% 11.9% 14.8% Mgmt Other Consulting Consulting 31.0% 41.4% 20.7% 6.9% FIRE 29.8% 42.6% 12.8% 14.9% Training / Exec Ed 24.1% 29.6% 14.8% 31.5%

Acctg, Tax, Etc. 10.3% 62.1% 12.1% 15.5% AEC 10.2% 50.0% 24.6% 15.3% Law 9.7% 45.2% 22.6% 22.6%
Grew 50% +
Grew 10-49%
Grew <10%
No Change / Decreased
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Overview, Continued
Ability to generate leads These four industries appear most confident about their companies overall ability to generate leads, with more than half of respondents indicating they were Excellent or Good at generating leads: % Excellent or Good Financial, Insurance, Real Estate: 63% Architecture, Engineering, Construction: 59% Marketing, PR, Advertising: 57% Accounting, Tax, Payroll, Bookkeeping: 54% See all industries ratings and points of significant difference from each other (circled) in the following chart:
Overall Ability To Generate Leads
- By Industry -
4 (Excellent) 0% Financial, Insurance, Real Estate (N = 52) Architecture, Engineering, Construction (N = 147) Marketing, PR, Advertising (N = 168) Accounting, Tax, Payroll, Bookkeeping (N = 67) Human Resources, OD Consulting (N = 36) Management Consulting (N = 167) Other Consulting and Professional Services (N = 34) Training, Executive Education, Coaching (N = 59) Law Firms / Legal Services (N = 60) IT Services and 1 Consulting (N = 104) 25%
3 (Good) 50%
2 (Fair) 75%
1 (Poor) 100% Mean Rating 35 2 2.69
56
52
36
2.60
17
40
34
2.65
45
37
2.54
42
50
2.50
37
46
10
2.43
38
47
2.41
36
42
15
2.34
35
55
2.45
31
48
20
2.13
A circled number indicates a significant difference from other industries for that rating, at a 95% confidence level.
123
Overview, Continued
Average quality of incoming leads Architecture, Engineering, & Construction companies see higher proportions of sales-ready leads, on average, while IT Services / Consulting companies see lower proportions of sales-ready leads, on average. By industry mean, what percentage typically: Industry* is salesready? requires further nurturing? is disqualified from the sales process?
24.0% 20.5% 22.4% 31.8% 22.2% 23.9% 26.2% 20.8% 36.0%
Financial, Insurance, Real Estate Architecture, Engineering, Construction Law Firms / Legal Services Accounting, Tax, Payroll, Bookkeeping Marketing, PR, Advertising Human Resources and Organizational Development Consulting Management Consulting Training, Executive Education, Coaching IT Services and Consulting
31.8% 30.5% 28.8% 27.6% 24.6% 23.0% 21.0% 20.9% 16.8%
44.2% 49.0% 52.0% 40.6% 53.1% 53.1% 52.8% 58.4% 47.2%
Bolded, underlined numbers indicate a significant difference versus other industries, at the 95% confidence level.
* For this measure the industries of Marketing, PR, & Advertising, Architecture, Engineering, & Construction, Management Consulting, and IT Services & Consulting had statistically valid response bases > 30. All other industry results for this measure indicate trends only, with N = 10-26.
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Top Ways To Generate Quality Leads, Categories Mentioned UNAIDED By Respondents Percentage Response By Industry
Marketing, PR, Advertising (N = 111) 51 32 14 6 28 30 23 14 14 5 11 16 4 Architecture, Engineering, Construction (N = 96) 59 41 17 2 27 16 9 19 14 Management Consulting (N = 119) 65 34 24 6 IT Services / Consulting (N = 61) 54 31 18 5 31 25 30 18 15 10 13 13 8 2 2 2 Accounting, Tax, Payroll, Bookkeeping (N = 47) 62 17 38 6 26 23 13 Training, Executive Education, Coaching (N = 50) 56 28 22 6 Financial, Insurance, Real Estate (N = 37) 59 35 22 3 24 Law Firms / Legal Services (N = 23) 83 52 22 9 26 4 13 26 17 17 17 9 9 4 Human Resources and OD Consulting (N = 24) 71 50 13 8 29 33 25 13 17 29 13 4 8 Other Consulting / Professional Services (N = 21) 57 24 29 5 33 29 29 10 10 10 10 14 5 5 -
Referrals Client / partner referrals General referrals Both Hosting / Attending / Speaking at events Cold calling / telephone prospecting Online marketing (adwords, website traffic, SEO) Networking Thought leadership (writing, speaking) Personal relationships / direct contact Partnering / professional organizations Email marketing / (e)newsletters Repeat business with existing clients Direct mail marketing Public Relations / press releases / relationships Advertising (offline) Trial / free offers Pro Bono / volunteer work / charity Respond to RFP's
41
23 15
44
26 28 10 16 8 8 12 2 2 8 2 4 2 2
32
11 8 8 11 8 22 5 8 3 14 3
25
18 10 6 8 6 4 3 3 3 -
23
9 13 9 9 -
29 20
1 9 7 1 1 3 4
14
3 6 3 3 -
19
2 9 4 4
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Mean Rating Of Lead Generation Challenges By Industry

5 = Extremely Challenging; 4 = Very Challenging; 3 = Somewhat Challenging; 2 = Not Very Challenging; 1 = Not At All Challenging Bolded, underlined numbers indicates a significant difference versus several other industries, at the 95% confidence level.
Marketing, PR, Advertising Having time to generate leads Having enough people / the right people to generate leads Finding a strategy, tactic, or offer that works well for us Implementing our plan (even when we agree upon it) Having appropriate skills and knowledge among people charged with generating leads Knowing how to measure our lead generation success Funding lead generation activities Gaining participation from professionals / practitioners Agreeing on which action to take Coordinating efforts between marketing and selling groups Gaining support from company leaders for lead generation activities 3.56 3.37 3.12 3.08 Architecture, Engineering, Construction 3.65 3.45 3.31 3.29 Management Consulting 3.49 3.34 3.32 3.04 IT Services / Consulting 3.51 3.63 3.59 3.16 Accounting, Tax, Payroll, Bookkeeping 3.70 3.60 3.45 3.36 Training, Executive Education, Coaching 3.37 3.19 3.58 3.03 Financial, Insurance, Real Estate 3.38 3.42 3.37 3.00 Law Firms / Legal Services 3.83 3.08 3.33 3.47 Human Resources and OD Consulting 3.58 3.42 3.31 2.83 Other Consulting / Professional Services 3.32 3.29 3.00 3.15
2.90 2.81 3.05 2.67 2.65 2.32
3.13 3.42 2.84 3.26 2.86 2.61
2.89 2.71 2.91 2.71 2.56 2.14
3.33 3.05 3.32 2.99 2.85 2.47
3.18 3.22 2.73 3.42 2.90 2.57
3.20 2.91 3.24 2.64 2.78 2.54
3.08 2.90 2.81 2.96 2.56 2.33
3.53 3.72 2.88 3.47 3.02 2.60
3.00 3.19 3.36 2.64 2.64 2.39
3.18 2.76 2.82 3.06 2.29 2.00
2.17
2.52
2.09
2.46
2.24
2.12
2.25
2.72
1.86
2.29
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Accounting, Tax, Payroll, Bookkeeping Services

Additional highlights of this industry This section includes an overview of selected study results from Accounting, Tax, Payroll, and Bookkeeping Service companies, including: How they differed significantly from other industries (at the 95% confidence level). Unless otherwise noted, significant differences versus other industries are noted by bold and underlined numbers. An overview of their lead generation tactical usage and effectiveness ratings. For industry comparisons of the following measures, see the Overview of this Industry Analysis section: Ability to generate leads Lead generation challenges Average quality of leads Top tactics to generate quality leads, unaided responses Annual revenue growth in past 2 years For a full report of results given only by this industrys participants, please contact RainToday.com at service@raintoday.com or call 508-405-0438.
Sales & marketing budget as % of annual revenue
This measure includes full-time salaries and outsourced sales and marketing activities. Among this industry: 31% allocate less than 2.5% of revenue to marketing / sales. 40% allocate from 2.5% to less than 5% of revenue to marketing / sales. 20% allocate from 5% to less than 10% of revenue to marketing / sales. 5% allocate from 10% to less than 15% of revenue to marketing / sales. 5% allocate 20% or more of revenue to marketing / sales.
Whos expected to generate leads
This industry differs from others significantly regarding whos expected to generate leads for the companys services for: Lead Generators
Professionals (those likely to do the work once its confirmed)
This Industrys Measure

63% (significantly > 4 other industry groups) Continued on next page
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Accounting, Tax, Payroll, Bookkeeping Services, Continued

Current approach to getting new business Among this industry: 25% Most efforts directed toward lead generation (targeting new prospects) 33% Efforts directed half toward lead generation and half toward generating referrals among current and past clients, and among network 42% Most efforts directed toward generating referrals among current and past clients, and among network
This industry differed significantly from other industries regarding target market knowledge being strong or weak in the following ways: Aspect of Market Knowledge
Names of organizations we should target Titles of decision makers within the target organizations

15% Extremely Weak (significantly > 5 other industry groups) 16% Extremely Weak (significantly > 7 other industry groups)
Highlights of Top 3 Tactics (Unaided)
Of all categories respondents volunteered to be their top 3 ways to generate quality leads, here were the 5 most commonly mentioned categories by this industry*: 1. Referrals (62%) 2. Hosting / Attending / Speaking at events (26%) 3. Cold calling / telephone prospecting (23%) 4. Networking (23%) 5. Direct mail marketing (19%) * Percentages indicate portion of respondents whose top way fell into that particular category. For a detailed industry comparison, see table Top ways to generate quality leads in the Overview of this Industry Analysis section.
Evaluation of tactics / strategies (Aided)
The following tables and charts indicate how this industry currently uses various lead generation tactics and strategies. As a reminder, respondents evaluated a comprehensive list of tactics and strategies in this section as provided to them, or aided a different viewpoint than the unaided or volunteered tactics and strategies mentioned above.
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CURRENT USAGE OF TACTICS BY INDUSTRY Accounting, Tax, Payroll, Bookkeeping 54% Excellent / Good at Lead Generation (N = 63-66) 91 100% Becoming members of professional organizations 81 90% 'Warm' phone calls 71 80% Individual letters or postcards 'Cold' phone calls Running our own in-person events (75% - HIGH) Printed newsletter(s) (73% - HIGH) Speaking at conferences/trade shows Advertising in print media (71% - HIGH) 61 70% Writing and distributing press releases Connecting with press contacts Mass letters or postcards Professionally designed direct mail packages Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows Company-authored content in our own print publications (63% - HIGH) Individual emails to prospects (62% - LOW) 51 60% Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field Emailing online newsletter(s) Company-authored content in others' print publications Search Engine Optimization (52% - LOW) Mass emails to prospects (52% - LOW) Joining online communities related to our field 41 50% Company-authored content in our own online publications Company-authored content in other online publications (44% - LOW) Advertising on the radio (43% - HIGH) Search Engine Advertising 31 40% Speaking in others' live online seminars Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications (37% - LOW) Running our own live online seminars Emails via a 3rd party referrer (33% - LOW) Participating in blog-related online conversation Running our own telephone-based events 21 30% Company-authored or affiliated blog (27% - LOW) Advertising on TV Continued on next page
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Accounting, Tax, Payroll & Bookkeeping Services: % Current Usage of Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Vs. Mean Effectiveness Ratings Less Popular More Effective 21 TACTICS Above 50% Usage 12 TACTICS Above 3.0 Effectiveness More Popular More Effective
Very 4.0 Effective 3.5 14 9 13 2932 28 24 22 25 3 8 11 12 23 19 17 18 20 2126 16 7 10 5
Somewhat 3.0 Effective 2.5 15 30 33 Less Popular Less Effective 0%

(25%)

27 31 1.5 More Popular Less Effective 50% % Current Usage Among Participants
(75%)
Not Very 2.0 Effective
Not At All Effective 1.0 Low Usage
100% High Usage
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No. 1 2 4 5 6 7 8 10 12 9 11 14 3 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 13 15 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE 'Warm' phone calls Becoming members of professional organizations Speaking at conferences/trade shows Connecting with press contacts Running our own in-person events Company-authored content in others' print publications Search Engine Optimization Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field Company-authored content in our own print publications Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE Company-authored content in our own online publications Company-authored content in other online publications Running our own live online seminars Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Individual emails to prospects Cold phone calls Individual letters or postcards Writing and distributing press releases Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows Mass letters or postcards Advertising in print media Mass emails to prospects Professionally designed direct mail packages Joining online communities related to our field Emailing online newsletter(s) Printed newsletter(s) Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Speaking in others live online seminars Company-authored or affiliated blog Emails via a 3rd party referrer Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications Search Engine Advertising Participating in blog-related online conversation Running our own telephone-based events Advertising on the radio Advertising on TV Continued on next page
131

The $100,000 question Youve just learned your company has $100,000 of additional funding for its sales and marketing efforts this year. How will you use it? Participants who answered this question offered a total of 958 responses in a variety of categories for spending. Among this industry, the top categories of how companies would use an additional $100,000 for sales and marketing were as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Build new / rebuild / upgrade website (11% of responses) Hire additional staff (11% of responses) Host / sponsor / attend trade shows / events (10% of responses) Direct mail campaign (10% of responses) TV / Radio / Print ads (7% of responses) Seminars (7% of responses)
For more detail on Hire additional staff or Contract with outside provider, see The $100,000 Question section in the main report.
Future use of tactics and offers
Participants who had not used particular lead generation tactics, strategies, and offers were asked to indicate their planned usage in the future, with these options: We have not used it, but were seriously considering using it in the next 2 years. We have not used it, and we wont use it in the next 2 years. Each of the following tactics and offers earned the serious consideration of at least three-quarters (75%) of the non-users among this industrys respondents, regarding using them in the next two years: % Industrys Non-Users Seriously Considering (Per Tactic) 100 100 80 75 75
Lead Generation Tactics & Strategies 'Warm' phone calls Becoming members of professional organizations Search Engine Optimization Writing and distributing press releases Running our own in-person events
Note: Of the lead generation offers evaluated by this industry, none passed the threshold of 75% of non-users seriously considering using them in the next two years.
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Architecture, Engineering, Construction Services

Highlights of this industry This section includes an overview of selected study results from Architecture, Engineering, and Construction companies, including: How they differed significantly from other industries (at the 95% confidence level). Unless otherwise noted, significant differences versus other industries are noted by bold and underlined numbers. An overview of their lead generation tactical usage and effectiveness ratings. For industry comparisons of the following measures, see the Overview of this Industry Analysis section: Ability to generate leads Lead generation challenges Average quality of leads Top tactics to generate quality leads, unaided responses Annual revenue growth in past 2 years For a full report of results given only by this industrys participants, please contact RainToday.com at service@raintoday.com or call 508-405-0438.
This measure includes full-time salaries and outsourced sales and marketing activities. Among this industry: 28% allocate less than 2.5% of revenue to marketing / sales. 34% allocate from 2.5% to less than 5% of revenue to marketing / sales. 33% allocate from 5% to less than 10% of revenue to marketing / sales. 2% allocate from 10% to less than 15% of revenue to marketing / sales. 2% allocate from 15% to less than 20% of revenue to marketing / sales. 1% allocate 20% or more of revenue to marketing / sales.
Leaders of the firm Professionals (those likely to do the work once its confirmed) Professional marketing staff VP-Level marketing staff

90% (significantly > 6 other industry groups) 78% (significantly > 8 other industry groups) 52% (significantly > 7 other industry groups) 24% (significantly > 4 other industry groups) Continued on next page
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Architecture, Engineering, Construction Services, Continued

Current approach to getting new business Among this industry: 16% Most efforts directed toward lead generation (targeting new prospects) 46% Efforts directed half toward lead generation and half toward generating referrals among current and past clients, and among network 37% Most efforts directed toward generating referrals among current and past clients, and among network 2% dont know
Names of organizations we should target Titles of decision makers within the target organizations

64% Extremely / Somewhat Strong (significantly > 4 other industry groups) 32% Neither Strong Nor Weak (significantly > 4 other industry groups)
Of all categories respondents volunteered to be their top 3 ways to generate quality leads, here were the 5 most commonly mentioned categories by this industry*: 1. Referrals (59%, with 41% specified as client / partner referrals) 2. Personal relationships / direct contact (29%) 3. Hosting / Attending / Speaking at events (27%) 4. Partnering / professional organizations (20%) 5. Networking (19%) * Percentages indicate portion of respondents whose top way fell into that particular category. For a detailed industry comparison, see table Top ways to generate quality leads in the Overview of this Industry Analysis section.
The following tables and charts indicate how this industry currently uses various lead generation tactics and strategies, and how it rates them in terms of effectiveness in generating leads. As a reminder, respondents evaluated a comprehensive list of tactics and strategies in this section as provided to them, or aided a different viewpoint than the unaided or volunteered tactics and strategies mentioned above.
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CURRENT USAGE OF TACTICS BY INDUSTRY Architecture, Engineering, Construction 59% Excellent / Good at Lead Generation (N = 131-135) 'Warm' phone calls (99% - HIGH) Becoming members of professional organizations 'Cold' phone calls (95% - HIGH) Individual letters or postcards (88% - HIGH) Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows (82% - HIGH) Individual emails to prospects (79% - LOW) Advertising in print media (79% - HIGH) Speaking at conferences/trade shows Writing and distributing press releases Mass letters or postcards Connecting with press contacts Professionally designed direct mail packages (70% - HIGH) Company-authored content in others' print publications Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field Running our own in-person events (56% - LOW) Search Engine Optimization (55% - LOW) Company-authored content in our own print publications Joining online communities related to our field Printed newsletter(s) Mass emails to prospects (47% - LOW) Emails via a 3rd party referrer Company-authored content in other online publications (39% - LOW) Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications (36% - LOW) Emailing online newsletter(s) 35% (LOW) Company-authored content in our own online publications (35% - LOW) Participating in blog-related online conversation Search Engine Advertising (27% - LOW) Speaking in others' live online seminars (27% - LOW) Advertising on the radio (24% - LOW) Running our own live online seminars (23% - LOW) Running our own telephone-based events (21% - LOW) Company-authored or affiliated blog (17% - LOW) Advertising on TV (14% - LOW) Continued on next page
91 100%
81 90% 71 80%
61 70% 51 60%
41 50% 31 40%
21 30%
11 20%
135
Architecture, Engineering & Construction: % Current Usage of Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Vs. Mean Effectiveness Ratings Less Popular More Effective 19 TACTICS Above 50% Usage 14 TACTICS Above 3.0 Effectiveness More Popular More Effective
Very 4.0 Effective 3.5 15 14 9 25 29 32 30 28 22 27 26 20 21 24 16 31 2.5 13 12 8 23 11 10 7 5 18 3 19 17 6 4
1 2

1.5 33
(25%) (75%)
Somewhat 3.0 Effective
Not Very 2.0 Effective Less Popular Less Effective 0%
More Popular Less Effective 50% % Current Usage Among Participants 100% High Usage
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No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 17 18 11 13 15 12 16 19 20 21 23 24 26 9 14 22 25 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE 'Warm' phone calls Becoming members of professional organizations Individual emails to prospects Speaking at conferences/trade shows Connecting with press contacts Running our own in-person events Company-authored content in others' print publications Search Engine Optimization Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field Individual letters or postcards Writing and distributing press releases Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE Company-authored content in other online publications Speaking in others live online seminars Company-authored or affiliated blog Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Company-authored content in our own print publications Cold phone calls Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows Mass letters or postcards Advertising in print media Professionally designed direct mail packages Joining online communities related to our field Printed newsletter(s) Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Company-authored content in our own online publications Running our own live online seminars Mass emails to prospects Emailing online newsletter(s) Emails via a 3rd party referrer Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications Search Engine Advertising Participating in blog-related online conversation Running our own telephone-based events Advertising on the radio Advertising on TV Continued on next page
137

The $100,000 question Youve just learned your company has $100,000 of additional funding for its sales and marketing efforts this year. How will you use it? Participants who answered this question offered a total of 958 responses in a variety of categories for spending. Among this industry, the top categories of how companies would use an additional $100,000 for sales and marketing were as follows: 1. Build new / rebuild / upgrade website (13% of responses) 2. Host / sponsor / attend trade shows / events (10% of responses) 3. Create new / upgrade marketing materials / resources (10% of responses) 4. Hire additional staff (9% of responses) 5. Contract with outside provider (8% of responses) 6. Sales training / coaching (8% of responses) For more detail on Hire additional staff or Contract with outside provider, see The $100,000 Question section in the main report. Future use of tactics and offers Participants who had not used particular lead generation tactics, strategies, and offers were asked to indicate their planned usage in the future, with these options: We have not used it, but were seriously considering using it in the next 2 years. We have not used it, and we wont use it in the next 2 years. Each of the following tactics and offers earned the serious consideration of at least three-quarters (75%) of the non-users among this industrys respondents, regarding using them in the next two years:
% Industrys Non-Users Seriously Considering (Per Tactic) 100 100 86 86 84 81 79
Lead Generation Tactics & Strategies 'Warm' phone calls Becoming members of professional organizations Individual emails to prospects Speaking at conferences/trade shows Connecting with press contacts Individual letters or postcards Writing and distributing press releases
138
Financial, Insurance, Real Estate Services

Highlights of this industry This section includes an overview of selected study results from Financial, Insurance, and Real Estate Services & Consulting companies, including: How they differed significantly from other industries (at the 95% confidence level). Unless otherwise noted, significant differences versus other industries are noted by bold and underlined numbers. An overview of their lead generation tactical usage and effectiveness ratings. For industry comparisons of the following measures, see the Overview of this Industry Analysis section: Ability to generate leads Lead generation challenges Average quality of leads Top tactics to generate quality leads, unaided responses Annual revenue growth in past 2 years For a full report of results given only by this industrys participants, please contact RainToday.com at service@raintoday.com or call 508-405-0438.
Current approach to getting new business
Among this industry: 42% Most efforts directed toward lead generation (targeting new prospects) 33% Efforts directed half toward lead generation and half toward generating referrals among current and past clients, and among network 25% Most efforts directed toward generating referrals among current and past clients, and among network
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Financial, Insurance, Real Estate Services, Continued

Target market knowledge This industry differed significantly from other industries regarding target market knowledge being strong or weak in the following ways: Aspect of Market Knowledge
General profile of our target market

87% Extremely / Somewhat Strong (significantly > 4 other industry groups)
Highlights of Top Tactics (Unaided)
When respondents in this industry volunteered what they felt were the top lead generation tactics and strategies to generate quality leads, the categories that stood out from responses in other industries included: Top Tactic Category Mentioned
Advertising (offline)
% Of Industry Participants Who Volunteered The Tactic

14% (significantly > 3 other industry groups)
For a detailed industry comparison, see table Top ways to generate quality leads in the Overview of this Industry Analysis section.
Of all categories respondents volunteered to be their top 3 ways to generate quality leads, here were the 5 most commonly mentioned categories by this industry*: 1. Referrals (59%) 2. Cold calling / telephone prospecting (32%) 3. Hosting / Attending / Speaking at events (24%) 4. Email marketing / eNewsletters (22%) 5. Advertising (offline) (14%) * Percentages indicate portion of respondents whose top way fell into that particular category. For a detailed industry comparison, see table Top ways to generate quality leads in the Overview of this Industry Analysis section.
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CURRENT USAGE OF TACTICS BY INDUSTRY Financial, Insurance, Real Estate 63% Excellent / Good at Lead Generation (N = 48-51) 'Warm' phone calls Becoming members of professional organizations Individual emails to prospects Individual letters or postcards Speaking at conferences/trade shows Writing and distributing press releases 'Cold' phone calls Mass letters or postcards (82% - HIGH) Connecting with press contacts Mass emails to prospects (76% - HIGH) Search Engine Optimization (73% - HIGH) Emailing online newsletter(s) Professionally designed direct mail packages (70% - HIGH) Company-authored content in others' print publications Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows Running our own in-person events Company-authored content in our own online publications Advertising in print media Company-authored content in our own print publications (67% - HIGH) Search Engine Advertising (65% - HIGH) Printed newsletter(s) Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field Company-authored content in other online publications Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications (57% - HIGH) Running our own telephone-based events (56% - HIGH) Speaking in others' live online seminars Emails via a 3rd party referrer Joining online communities related to our field Company-authored or affiliated blog (47% - HIGH) Participating in blog-related online conversation Running our own live online seminars Advertising on the radio (40% - HIGH) Advertising on TV (38% - HIGH)
91 100% 81 90%
71 80%
61 70%
51 60%
41 50%
31 40%
141
Financial, Insurance & Real Estate Services: % Current Usage of Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Vs. Mean Effectiveness Ratings Less Popular More Effective 28 TACTICS Above 50% Usage 17 TACTICS Above 3.0 Effectiveness More Popular More Effective
Very 4.0 Effective 6 14 15 24 27 30 2.5 28 32 33 31 26 29 11 10 9 7 12 25 19 23 8 13 5 3.5
4 1 3 18 16 21 22 20 17 2

1.5 Less Popular Less Effective 0%
(25%)

(75%)
100% High Usage
142

No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 24 31 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 25 26 27 28 29 30 32 33 Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE 'Warm' phone calls Becoming members of professional organizations Individual emails to prospects Speaking at conferences/trade shows Connecting with press contacts Running our own in-person events Company-authored content in others' print publications Search Engine Optimization Company-authored content in our own online publications Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field Company-authored content in other online publications Company-authored content in our own print publications Speaking in others live online seminars Joining online communities related to our field Running our own telephone-based events Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE Running our own live online seminars Company-authored or affiliated blog Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Cold phone calls Individual letters or postcards Writing and distributing press releases Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows Mass letters or postcards Advertising in print media Mass emails to prospects Professionally designed direct mail packages Emailing online newsletter(s) Printed newsletter(s) Emails via a 3rd party referrer Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications Search Engine Advertising Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Participating in blog-related online conversation Advertising on the radio Advertising on TV Continued on next page
143

The $100,000 question Youve just learned your company has $100,000 of additional funding for its sales and marketing efforts this year. How will you use it? Participants who answered this question offered a total of 958 responses in a variety of categories for spending. Among this industry, the top categories of how companies would use an additional $100,000 for sales and marketing were as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Hire additional staff (12% of responses) Contract with outside provider (10% of responses) Build new / rebuild / upgrade website (8% of responses) Webinars (8% of responses) TV / Radio / Print ads (8% of responses)
Participants who had not used particular lead generation tactics, strategies, and offers were asked to indicate their planned usage in the future, with these options: We have not used it, but were seriously considering using it in the next 2 years. We have not used it, and we wont use it in the next 2 years. Each of the following tactics and offers earned the serious consideration of at least three-quarters (75%) of the non-users among this industrys respondents, regarding using them in the next two years: % Industrys Non-Users Seriously Considering (Per Tactic) 100 100 100 82 75 75 75
Lead Generation Tactics & Strategies 'Warm' phone calls Individual emails to prospects Search Engine Optimization Connecting with press contacts Becoming members of professional organizations Writing and distributing press releases Running our own live online seminars
144

Future use of tactics and offers (continued)
Lead Generation Offers Article authored by expert/s in our company Introductory/Consultative sales call Case study on issues in our clients' fields In-Person seminar
% Industrys Non-Users Seriously Considering (Per Offer) 91 83 79 77
145
Human Resources & Organizational Development Consulting

Highlights of this industry This section includes an overview of selected study results from Human Resources & Organizational Development Consulting companies, including: How they differed significantly from other industries (at the 95% confidence level). Unless otherwise noted, significant differences versus other industries are noted by bold and underlined numbers. An overview of their lead generation tactical usage and effectiveness ratings. For industry comparisons of the following measures, see the Overview of this Industry Analysis section: Ability to generate leads Lead generation challenges Average quality of leads Top tactics to generate quality leads, unaided responses Annual revenue growth in past 2 years For a full report of results given only by this industrys participants, please contact RainToday.com at service@raintoday.com or call 508-405-0438.
Among this industry: 31% Most efforts directed toward lead generation (targeting new prospects) 36% Efforts directed half toward lead generation and half toward generating referrals among current and past clients, and among network 28% Most efforts directed toward generating referrals among current and past clients, and among network
146
Human Resources & Organizational Development Consulting,

Continued
Of all categories respondents volunteered to be their top 3 ways to generate quality leads, here were the 5 most commonly mentioned categories by this industry*: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Referrals (71%) Cold calling / telephone prospecting (33%) Hosting / Attending / Speaking at events (29%) Email marketing / eNewsletters (29%) Online marketing (AdWords, website traffic, SEO) (25%)
Note: N = 24 among this industry, for this question. Because N < 30, results are not statistically significant but can indicate general trends. * Percentages indicate portion of respondents whose top way fell into that particular category. For a detailed industry comparison, see table Top ways to generate quality leads in the Overview of this Industry Analysis section.
147

Continued
CURRENT USAGE OF TACTICS BY INDUSTRY Human Resources and OD Consulting 47% Excellent / Good at Lead Generation (N = 31-35) Becoming members of professional organizations 'Warm' phone calls Individual emails to prospects 'Cold' phone calls Individual letters or postcards Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows Speaking at conferences/trade shows Company-authored content in others' print publications Writing and distributing press releases Professionally designed direct mail packages Mass emails to prospects Emails via a 3rd party referrer (63% - HIGH) Connecting with press contacts Search Engine Optimization Emailing online newsletter(s) Company-authored content in our own online publications Joining online communities related to our field Mass letters or postcards (56% - LOW) Printed newsletter(s) Running our own in-person events (55% - LOW) Company-authored content in other online publications Company-authored content in our own print publications Advertising in print media Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications Search Engine Advertising Speaking in others' live online seminars Company-authored or affiliated blog Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field Running our own live online seminars Participating in blog-related online conversation Running our own telephone-based events Advertising on the radio Advertising on TV (13% - LOW)
91 100% 81 90% 71 80%
61 70%
51 60%
41 50% 31 40%
21 30% 11 20%
148
Continued
Human Resources & Organizational Development Consulting: % Current Usage of Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Vs. Mean Effectiveness Ratings Less Popular More Effective 23 TACTICS Above 50% Usage 14 TACTICS Above 3.0 Effectiveness More Popular More Effective
Very 4.0 Effective 3.5 33 14 10 15 29 21 28 11 9 5 7 1917 16 13 12 6 8 2 3 4 1
Somewhat 3.0 Effective 2.5 31 32 30 25 24 18 20 2223 27 26

(25%)

(75%)
100% High Usage
149

Continued
No. 1 2 4 5 6 8 9 11 12 10 13 14 15 33 3 7 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE 'Warm' phone calls Becoming members of professional organizations Speaking at conferences/trade shows Connecting with press contacts Running our own in-person events Search Engine Optimization Company-authored content in our own online publications Company-authored content in other online publications Company-authored content in our own print publications Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field Speaking in others live online seminars Running our own live online seminars Company-authored or affiliated blog Advertising on TV Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Individual emails to prospects Company-authored content in others' print publications Cold phone calls Individual letters or postcards Writing and distributing press releases Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows Mass letters or postcards Advertising in print media Mass emails to prospects Professionally designed direct mail packages Joining online communities related to our field Emailing online newsletter(s) Printed newsletter(s) Emails via a 3rd party referrer Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications Search Engine Advertising Participating in blog-related online conversation Running our own telephone-based events Advertising on the radio Continued on next page
150

Continued
The $100,000 question
Youve just learned your company has $100,000 of additional funding for its sales and marketing efforts this year. How will you use it? Participants who answered this question offered a total of 958 responses in a variety of categories for spending. Among this industry, the top categories of how companies would use an additional $100,000 for sales and marketing were as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Hire additional staff (16% of responses) Build new / rebuild / upgrade website (13% of responses) Direct mail campaign (11% of responses) PR (8% of responses) Host / sponsor / attend trade shows / events (8% of responses)
Participants who had not used particular lead generation tactics, strategies, and offers were asked to indicate their planned usage in the future, with these options: We have not used it, but were seriously considering using it in the next 2 years. We have not used it, and we wont use it in the next 2 years. Each of the following tactics and offers earned the serious consideration of at least three-quarters (75%) of the non-users among this industrys respondents, regarding using them in the next two years:
% Industrys Non-Users Seriously Considering (Per Tactic) 100 100 88 86 86 85 82 75 75 Continued on next page
Lead Generation Tactics & Strategies Connecting with press contacts Becoming members of professional organizations Speaking at conferences/trade shows Emailing online newsletter(s) Company-authored content in our own online publications Search Engine Optimization Writing and distributing press releases Company-authored content in others' print publications Speaking in others' live online seminars
151

Continued
Lead Generation Offers Article authored by expert/s in our company In-Person seminar
% Industrys Non-Users Seriously Considering (Per Offer) 88 77
152
Information Technology Consulting & Services

Highlights of this industry This section includes an overview of selected study results from Information Technology Consulting & Services companies, including: How they differed significantly from other industries (at the 95% confidence level). Unless otherwise noted, significant differences versus other industries are noted by bold and underlined numbers. An overview of their lead generation tactical usage and effectiveness ratings. For industry comparisons of the following measures, see the Overview of this Industry Analysis section: Ability to generate leads Lead generation challenges Average quality of leads Top tactics to generate quality leads, unaided responses Annual revenue growth in past 2 years For a full report of results given only by this industrys participants, please contact RainToday.com at service@raintoday.com or call 508-405-0438.
Professional marketing staff Professional selling staff VP-Level selling staff VP-Level marketing staff

48% (significantly > 6 other industry groups) 57% (significantly > 8 other industry groups) 31% (significantly > 6 other industry groups) 24% (significantly > 4 other industry groups) Continued on next page
153
Information Technology Consulting & Services, Continued

Of all categories respondents volunteered to be their top 3 ways to generate quality leads, here were the 5 most commonly mentioned categories by this industry*: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Referrals (54%) Hosting / Attending / Speaking at events (31%) Online marketing (AdWords, website traffic, SEO) (30%) Cold calling / telephone prospecting (25%) Networking (18%)
* Percentages indicate portion of respondents whose top way fell into that particular category. For a detailed industry comparison, see table Top ways to generate quality leads in the Overview of this Industry Analysis section.
154

CURRENT USAGE OF TACTICS BY INDUSTRY IT Services / Consulting 32% Excellent / Good at Lead Generation (N = 82-99) 'Warm' phone calls Individual emails to prospects (92% - HIGH) Becoming members of professional organizations Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows (79% - HIGH) Writing and distributing press releases 'Cold' phone calls Connecting with press contacts Speaking at conferences/trade shows Search Engine Optimization (71% - HIGH) Mass emails to prospects Advertising in print media Joining online communities related to our field Individual letters or postcards (61% - LOW) Running our own in-person events (61% - LOW) Emailing online newsletter(s) Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications (59% - HIGH) Company-authored content in other online publications Mass letters or postcards (57% - LOW) Company-authored content in others' print publications Emails via a 3rd party referrer Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field Company-authored content in our own online publications Speaking in others' live online seminars Running our own live online seminars (53% - HIGH) Professionally designed direct mail packages (52% - LOW) Search Engine Advertising Participating in blog-related online conversation Running our own telephone-based events Company-authored content in our own print publications Company-authored or affiliated blog Printed newsletter(s) (38% - LOW) Advertising on the radio Advertising on TV
91 100% 81 90% 71 80%
61 70%
51 60%
41 50% 31 40%
21 30%
155
IT Services & Consulting: % Current Usage of Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Vs. M ean Effectiveness Ratings Less Popular More Effective 26 TACTICS Above 50% Usage 15 TACTICS Above 3.0 Effectiveness More Popular More Effective
Very 4.0 Effective 3.5 6 8 24 4 5 1819 16 22 21 20 33 11 7 2 15 31 30 23 2517 27 28 10 29 9 13 14 1 3
Somewhat 3.0 Effective 12 2.5 26 32

(25%)

(75%)
100% High Usage
156
No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 14 29 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 27 28 12 26 30 31 32 33
Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE 'Warm' phone calls Becoming members of professional organizations Individual emails to prospects Speaking at conferences/trade shows Connecting with press contacts Running our own in-person events Company-authored content in others' print publications Search Engine Optimization Company-authored content in our own online publications Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field Company-authored content in other online publications Speaking in others live online seminars Running our own live online seminars Search Engine Advertising Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE Company-authored or affiliated blog Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Cold phone calls Individual letters or postcards Writing and distributing press releases Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows Mass letters or postcards Advertising in print media Mass emails to prospects Professionally designed direct mail packages Joining online communities related to our field Emailing online newsletter(s) Emails via a 3rd party referrer Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Company-authored content in our own print publications Printed newsletter(s) Participating in blog-related online conversation Running our own telephone-based events Advertising on the radio Advertising on TV Continued on next page
157

The $100,000 question Youve just learned your company has $100,000 of additional funding for its sales and marketing efforts this year. How will you use it? Participants who answered this question offered a total of 958 responses in a variety of categories for spending. Among this industry, the top categories of how companies would use an additional $100,000 for sales and marketing were as follows: 1. Hire additional staff (14% of responses) 2. Online marketing (10% of responses) 3. Host / sponsor / attend trade shows / events (7% of responses) For more detail on Hire additional staff or Contract with outside provider, see The $100,000 Question section in the main report.
% Industrys Non-Users Seriously Considering (Per Tactic) 100 95 94 90 90 89 88 86 83 80 79 75 Continued on next page
Lead Generation Tactics & Strategies 'Warm' phone calls Speaking at conferences/trade shows Joining online communities related to our field Becoming members of professional organizations Emailing online newsletter(s) Writing and distributing press releases Individual emails to prospects Connecting with press contacts Search Engine Optimization Individual letters or postcards Company-authored content in our own online publications Company-authored or affiliated blog
158

% Industrys Non-Users Seriously Considering (Per Offer) 96 92 90 87 86 79
Lead Generation Offers Case study on issues in our clients' fields Article authored by expert/s in our company White paper Introductory/Consultative sales call On-Demand online seminar (i.e. webcast, webinar) Online seminar
159
Law Firms / Legal Services

Highlights of this industry This section includes an overview of selected study results from Law Firms / Legal Services companies, including: How they differed significantly from other industries (at the 95% confidence level). Unless otherwise noted, significant differences versus other industries are noted by bold and underlined numbers. An overview of their lead generation tactical usage and effectiveness ratings. For industry comparisons of the following measures, see the Overview of this Industry Analysis section: Ability to generate leads Lead generation challenges Average quality of leads Top tactics to generate quality leads, unaided responses Annual revenue growth in past 2 years For a full report of results given only by this industrys participants, please contact RainToday.com at service@raintoday.com or call 508-405-0438.
Professionals (those likely to do the work once its confirmed)

160
Law Firms / Legal Services, Continued

General profile of target market Names of organizations we should target Titles of decision makers within the target organizations

17% Extremely Strong (significantly < 3 other industry groups) 5% Extremely Strong (significantly < 7 other industry groups) 10% Extremely Strong (significantly < 5 other industry groups)
Of all categories respondents volunteered to be their top 3 ways to generate quality leads, here were the 5 most commonly mentioned categories by this industry*: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Referrals (83%, with 52% specified as client/partner referrals) Hosting / Attending / Speaking at events (26%) Networking (26%) Thought leadership (writing / speaking) (17%) Personal relationships / direct face-to-face contact (17%) Partnering / professional organizations (17%)
161

Evaluation of tactics / strategies (Aided) The following tables and charts indicate how this industry currently uses various lead generation tactics and strategies, and how it rates them in terms of effectiveness in generating leads. As a reminder, respondents evaluated a comprehensive list of tactics and strategies in this section as provided to them, or aided a different viewpoint than the unaided or volunteered tactics and strategies mentioned above.
CURRENT USAGE OF TACTICS BY INDUSTRY Law Firms / Legal Services 42% Excellent / Good at Lead Generation (N = 49-52) 91 100% Becoming members of professional organizations 81 90% Speaking at conferences/trade shows (90% - HIGH) 'Warm' phone calls Company-authored content in others' print publications (86% - HIGH) Connecting with press contacts Running our own in-person events (84% - HIGH) Writing and distributing press releases Company-authored content in our own print publications (82% - HIGH) Individual emails to prospects Individual letters or postcards 71 80% Advertising in print media (73% - HIGH) 61 70% Mass letters or postcards Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field Search Engine Optimization Company-authored content in our own online publications Company-authored content in other online publications (64% - HIGH) 51 60% 'Cold' phone calls (60% - LOW) Emailing online newsletter(s) Professionally designed direct mail packages Speaking in others' live online seminars (60% - HIGH) Joining online communities related to our field Mass emails to prospects Printed newsletter(s) 41 50% Participating in blog-related online conversation Search Engine Advertising Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications Emails via a 3rd party referrer Company-authored or affiliated blog Running our own telephone-based events 31 40% Running our own live online seminars Advertising on the radio 21 30% Advertising on TV Continued on next page
162
Law Firms & Legal Services: % Current Usage of Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Vs. Mean Effectiveness Ratings Less Popular More Effective 24 TACTICS Above 50% Usage 14 TACTICS Above 3.0 Effectiveness More Popular More Effective
Very 4.0 Effective 3.5 14 31 15 24 25 30 29 16 32 33 Less Popular Less Effective 0%

(25%)
13 11 8 19 20
9 10 21
6 12 5 3 18 17 7
Somewhat 3.0 Effective 2.5 28 27 22 26 23

1.5 More Popular Less Effective 50% % Current Usage Among Participants
(75%)
100% High Usage
163

No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 12 13 14 15 31 8 11 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 32 33 Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE 'Warm' phone calls Becoming members of professional organizations Individual emails to prospects Speaking at conferences/trade shows Connecting with press contacts Running our own in-person events Company-authored content in others' print publications Company-authored content in our own online publications Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field Company-authored content in our own print publications Speaking in others live online seminars Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE Running our own live online seminars Company-authored or affiliated blog Running our own telephone-based events Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Search Engine Optimization Company-authored content in other online publications Cold phone calls Individual letters or postcards Writing and distributing press releases Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows Mass letters or postcards Advertising in print media Mass emails to prospects Professionally designed direct mail packages Joining online communities related to our field Emailing online newsletter(s) Printed newsletter(s) Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Emails via a 3rd party referrer Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications Search Engine Advertising Participating in blog-related online conversation Advertising on the radio Advertising on TV Continued on next page
164

The $100,000 question Youve just learned your company has $100,000 of additional funding for its sales and marketing efforts this year. How will you use it? Participants who answered this question offered a total of 958 responses in a variety of categories for spending. Among this industry, the top categories of how companies would use an additional $100,000 for sales and marketing were as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. Sales training / coaching (29% of responses) Build new / rebuild / upgrade website (16% of responses) TV / radio / print ads (10% of responses) Publish book / articles / research (6% of responses)
% Industrys Non-Users Seriously Considering (Per Tactic) 100 88 87 82 81 80 78 76 75 Continued on next page
Lead Generation Tactics & Strategies Becoming members of professional organizations Running our own in-person events Running our own live online seminars Company-authored content in our own online publications Emailing online newsletter(s) Speaking at conferences/trade shows Writing and distributing press releases Search Engine Optimization Connecting with press contacts
165

% Industrys Non-Users Seriously Considering (Per Offer) 79 76
Lead Generation Offers Online seminar On-Demand online seminar (i.e. webcast, webinar)
166
Management Consulting
Highlights of this industry This section includes an overview of selected study results from Management Consulting companies, including: How they differed significantly from other industries (at the 95% confidence level). Unless otherwise noted, significant differences versus other industries are noted by bold and underlined numbers. An overview of their lead generation tactical usage and effectiveness ratings. For industry comparisons of the following measures, see the Overview of this Industry Analysis section: Ability to generate leads Lead generation challenges Average quality of leads Top tactics to generate quality leads, unaided responses Annual revenue growth in past 2 years For a full report of results given only by this industrys participants, please contact RainToday.com at service@raintoday.com or call 508-405-0438.
Leaders of the firm (CEO, Managing Director, Principal, etc.)

167
Management Consulting, Continued

Of all categories respondents volunteered to be their top 3 ways to generate quality leads, here were the 5 most commonly mentioned categories by this industry*: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Referrals (65%, with 34% specified as client/partner referrals) Hosting / Attending / Speaking at events (41%) Networking (25%) Cold calling / telephone prospecting (23%) Thought leadership (writing / speaking) (18%)
168

CURRENT USAGE OF TACTICS BY INDUSTRY Management Consulting 44% Excellent / Good at Lead Generation (N = 150-158) 91 100% 'Warm' phone calls (97% - HIGH) Becoming members of professional organizations 81 90% Individual emails to prospects 'Cold' phone calls Speaking at conferences/trade shows 71 80% Individual letters or postcards Writing and distributing press releases 61 70% Mass emails to prospects Running our own in-person events (68% - HIGH) Mass letters or postcards Connecting with press contacts Joining online communities related to our field Emailing online newsletter(s) Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows Company-authored content in others' print publications Company-authored content in other online publications (61% - HIGH) 51 60% Professionally designed direct mail packages Company-authored content in our own online publications Advertising in print media Search Engine Optimization (55% - LOW) Emails via a 3rd party referrer Printed newsletter(s) Company-authored content in our own print publications Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field 41 50% Speaking in others' live online seminars Search Engine Advertising Participating in blog-related online conversation Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications Running our own telephone-based events 31 40% Running our own live online seminars Advertising on the radio Company-authored or affiliated blog 21 30% Advertising on TV Continued on next page
169
Management Consulting: % Current Usage of Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Vs. Mean Effectiveness Ratings
p a
4.5 3.5 14 13 15 31 30 29 2.5 28 26 27 23 21 32 1.5 Less Popular Less Effective 0%
(25%)
Extremely 5.0 Effective
n e x t
6 10 12 8 9 5 3 18 19 17 16 22 20 7 11 25 24 4
o n
Less Popular More Effective
C o n t i n u e d
25 TACTICS Above 50% Usage 13 TACTICS Above 3.0 Effectiveness
More Popular More Effective
Very 4.0 Effective 1 2

33 More Popular Less Effective 50% % Current Usage Among Participants
(75%)
100% High Usage
170

No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 13 14 11 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 15 28 29 30 31 32 33 Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE 'Warm' phone calls Becoming members of professional organizations Individual emails to prospects Speaking at conferences/trade shows Connecting with press contacts Running our own in-person events Company-authored content in others' print publications Search Engine Optimization Company-authored content in our own online publications Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field Company-authored content in our own print publications Speaking in others live online seminars Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE Running our own live online seminars Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Company-authored content in other online publications Cold phone calls Individual letters or postcards Writing and distributing press releases Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows Mass letters or postcards Advertising in print media Mass emails to prospects Professionally designed direct mail packages Joining online communities related to our field Emailing online newsletter(s) Printed newsletter(s) Emails via a 3rd party referrer Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Company-authored or affiliated blog Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications Search Engine Advertising Participating in blog-related online conversation Running our own telephone-based events Advertising on the radio Advertising on TV Continued on next page
171

The $100,000 question Youve just learned your company has $100,000 of additional funding for its sales and marketing efforts this year. How will you use it? Participants who answered this question offered a total of 958 responses in a variety of categories for spending. Among this industry, the top categories of how companies would use an additional $100,000 for sales and marketing were as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. Build new / rebuild / upgrade website (14% of responses) Host / sponsor / attend trade shows / events (8% of responses) Seminars (8% of responses) Hire additional staff (7% of responses)
% Industrys Non-Users Seriously Considering (Per Tactic) 100 92 86 84 84 84 81 78 78 78 77 Continued on next page
Lead Generation Tactics & Strategies 'Warm' phone calls Connecting with press contacts Speaking at conferences/trade shows Company-authored content in our own online publications Writing and distributing press releases Search Engine Optimization Emailing online newsletter(s) Running our own live online seminars Speaking in others' live online seminars Company-authored content in other online publications Running our own in-person events
172

% Industrys Non-Users Seriously Considering (Per Offer) 100 89 85 75
Lead Generation Offers Article authored by expert/s in our company White paper Case study on issues in our clients' fields On-Demand online seminar (i.e. webcast, webinar)
173
Marketing, Public Relations, & Advertising

Highlights of this industry This section includes an overview of selected study results from Marketing, PR, and Advertising companies, including: How they differed significantly from other industries (at the 95% confidence level). Unless otherwise noted, significant differences versus other industries are noted by bold and underlined numbers. An overview of their lead generation tactical usage and effectiveness ratings. For industry comparisons of the following measures, see the Overview of this Industry Analysis section: Ability to generate leads Lead generation challenges Average quality of leads Top tactics to generate quality leads, unaided responses Annual revenue growth in past 2 years For a full report of results given only by this industrys participants, please contact RainToday.com at service@raintoday.com or call 508-405-0438.
Among this industry: 39% Most efforts directed toward lead generation (targeting new prospects) 37% Efforts directed half toward lead generation and half toward generating referrals among current and past clients, and among network 24% Most efforts directed toward generating referrals among current and past clients, and among network 1% dont know
174
Marketing, Public Relations, & Advertising, Continued

Target market knowledge This industry differed significantly from other industries regarding target market knowledge being strong or weak in the following ways: Aspect of Market Knowledge
General profile of target market Titles of decision makers within the target organizations Names of organizations we should target

87% Extremely / Somewhat Strong (significantly > 4 other industry groups) 68% Extremely / Somewhat Strong (significantly > 4 other industry groups) 60% Extremely / Somewhat Strong (significantly > 3 other industry groups)
Of all categories respondents volunteered to be their top 3 ways to generate quality leads, here were the 5 most commonly mentioned categories by this industry*: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Referrals (51%, with 32% specified as client/partner referrals) Cold calling / telephone prospecting (30%) Hosting / Attending / Speaking at events (28%) Online marketing (AdWords, website traffic, SEO) (23%) Email marketing / (e)newsletters (16%)
175

CURRENT USAGE OF TACTICS BY INDUSTRY Marketing, PR, Advertising 57% Excellent / Good at Lead Generation (N = 143-159) 91 100% Warm' phone calls 81 90% Becoming members of professional organizations Individual emails to prospects 'Cold' phone calls 71 80% Individual letters or postcards Speaking at conferences/trade shows Mass letters or postcards Writing and distributing press releases 61 70% Search Engine Optimization (67% - HIGH) Mass emails to prospects Joining online communities related to our field Professionally designed direct mail packages Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows Emailing online newsletter(s) 51 60% Connecting with press contacts Company-authored content in others' print publications Company-authored content in our own online publications Advertising in print media (55% - LOW) Emails via a 3rd party referrer Company-authored content in other online publications Search Engine Advertising Participating in blog-related online conversation Printed newsletter(s) 41 50% Running our own in-person events (50% - LOW) Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications Company-authored content in our own print publications Speaking in others' live online seminars 31 40% Company-authored or affiliated blog Running our own telephone-based events Running our own live online seminars Advertising on the radio 21 30% Advertising on TV
176
Marketing, Advertising & Public Relations: % Current Usage of Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Vs. Mean Effectiveness Ratings Less Popular More Effective 24 TACTICS Above 50% Usage 22 TACTICS Above 3.0 Effectiveness More Popular More Effective
Very 4.0 Effective 3.5 31 12 29 30 2523 1924 22 10 5 7 13 11 18 8 3 17 2 14 9 15 6 4 1
Somewhat 3.0 Effective 2.5 21 27 28 26
16 20

33 32 1.5 Less Popular Less Effective 0%
(25%)

(75%)
100% High Usage
177

No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 17 18 23 25 29 30 10 12 13 14 15 31 16 19 20 21 22 24 26 27 28 32 33 Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE 'Warm' phone calls Becoming members of professional organizations Individual emails to prospects Speaking at conferences/trade shows Connecting with press contacts Running our own in-person events Company-authored content in others' print publications Search Engine Optimization Company-authored content in our own online publications Company-authored content in other online publications Individual letters or postcards Writing and distributing press releases Professionally designed direct mail packages Emailing online newsletter(s) Search Engine Advertising Participating in blog-related online conversation Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field Company-authored content in our own print publications Speaking in others live online seminars Running our own live online seminars Company-authored or affiliated blog Running our own telephone-based events Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Cold phone calls Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows Mass letters or postcards Advertising in print media Mass emails to prospects Joining online communities related to our field Printed newsletter(s) Emails via a 3rd party referrer Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications Advertising on the radio Advertising on TV Continued on next page
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The $100,000 question Youve just learned your company has $100,000 of additional funding for its sales and marketing efforts this year. How will you use it? Participants who answered this question offered a total of 958 responses in a variety of categories for spending. Among this industry, the top categories of how companies would use an additional $100,000 for sales and marketing were as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Build new / rebuild / upgrade website (12% of responses) Hire additional staff (11% of responses) Host / sponsor / attend trade shows / events (8% of responses) Direct mail campaign (7% of responses) Create new / upgrade marketing materials / resources (6% of responses)
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% Industrys Non-Users Seriously Considering (Per Tactic) 84 84 83 83 81 81 76 76 76 75 75 % Industrys Non-Users Seriously Considering (Per Offer) 83 81 76
Lead Generation Tactics & Strategies Connecting with press contacts Search Engine Optimization 'Warm' phone calls Individual emails to prospects Speaking at conferences/trade shows Emailing online newsletter(s) Company-authored content in other online publications Becoming members of professional organizations Individual letters or postcards Company-authored content in our own online publications Company-authored or affiliated blog
Lead Generation Offers Case study on issues in our clients' fields Article authored by expert/s in our company White paper
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Training, Executive Education, & Coaching Services

Highlights of this industry This section includes an overview of selected study results from Training, Executive Education, & Coaching Services companies, including: How they differed significantly from other industries (at the 95% confidence level). Unless otherwise noted, significant differences versus other industries are noted by bold and underlined numbers. An overview of their lead generation tactical usage and effectiveness ratings. For industry comparisons of the following measures, see the Overview of this Industry Analysis section: Ability to generate leads Lead generation challenges Average quality of leads Top tactics to generate quality leads, unaided responses Annual revenue growth in past 2 years For a full report of results given only by this industrys participants, please contact RainToday.com at service@raintoday.com or call 508-405-0438.
Among this industry: 25% Most efforts directed toward lead generation (targeting new prospects) 42% Efforts directed half toward lead generation and half toward generating referrals among current and past clients, and among network 31% Most efforts directed toward generating referrals among current and past clients, and among network 2% dont know
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Training, Executive Education, & Coaching Services, Continued

Highlights of Top 3 Tactics (Unaided) Of all categories respondents volunteered to be their top 3 ways to generate quality leads, here were the 5 most commonly mentioned categories by this industry*: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Referrals (56%) Hosting / Attending / Speaking at events (44%) Online marketing (AdWords, website traffic, SEO) (28%) Cold calling / telephone prospecting (26%) Thought leadership (writing / speaking) (16%)
CURRENT USAGE OF TACTICS BY INDUSTRY Training, Executive Education, Coaching 42% Excellent / Good at Lead Generation (N = 56-57) 91 100% Individual emails to prospects (93% - HIGH) Becoming members of professional organizations 81 90% 'Warm' phone calls Speaking at conferences/trade shows Individual letters or postcards 71 80% Running our own in-person events (79% - HIGH) 'Cold' phone calls Writing and distributing press releases Mass emails to prospects (72% - HIGH) Connecting with press contacts 61 70% Mass letters or postcards Search Engine Optimization Company-authored content in others' print publications Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows Emailing online newsletter(s) Joining online communities related to our field Company-authored content in our own online publications Continued on next page
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CURRENT USAGE OF TACTICS BY INDUSTRY (Continued) Training, Executive Education, Coaching 42% Excellent / Good at Lead Generation (N = 56-57) 51 60% Professionally designed direct mail packages (52% - LOW) Emails via a 3rd party referrer 41 50% Advertising in print media (49% - LOW) Company-authored content in other online publications Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications Company-authored content in our own print publications Search Engine Advertising Company-authored or affiliated blog (46% - HIGH) Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field Participating in blog-related online conversation Speaking in others' live online seminars 31 40% Printed newsletter(s) (38% - LOW) Running our own telephone-based events 21 30% Running our own live online seminars Advertising on the radio Advertising on TV Continued on next page
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Training & Executive Education: % Current Usage of Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Vs. Mean Effectiveness Ratings Less Popular More Effective 19 TACTICS Above 50% Usage 17 TACTICS Above 3.0 Effectiveness More Popular More Effective
Very 4.0 Effective 14 13 3.5 31 30 9 7 85 18 32 2.5 26 23 27 10 29 21 28 19 25 4 2 22 20 16 11 6 12 15 4
1 2 17 3

1.5 33 Less Popular Less Effective 0%
(25%)

(75%)
100% High Usage
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No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 18 11 12 13 14 15 30 31 16 17 19 20 22 23 24 25 27 10 21 26 28 29 32 33 Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE 'Warm' phone calls Becoming members of professional organizations Individual emails to prospects Speaking at conferences/trade shows Connecting with press contacts Running our own in-person events Company-authored content in others' print publications Search Engine Optimization Company-authored content in our own online publications Writing and distributing press releases Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE Company-authored content in other online publications Company-authored content in our own print publications Speaking in others live online seminars Running our own live online seminars Company-authored or affiliated blog Participating in blog-related online conversation Running our own telephone-based events Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Cold phone calls Individual letters or postcards Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows Mass letters or postcards Mass emails to prospects Professionally designed direct mail packages Joining online communities related to our field Emailing online newsletter(s) Emails via a 3rd party referrer Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field Advertising in print media Printed newsletter(s) Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications Search Engine Advertising Advertising on the radio Advertising on TV Continued on next page
185

The $100,000 question Youve just learned your company has $100,000 of additional funding for its sales and marketing efforts this year. How will you use it? Participants who answered this question offered a total of 958 responses in a variety of categories for spending. Among this industry, the top categories of how companies would use an additional $100,000 for sales and marketing were as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Host / sponsor / attend trade shows / events (14% of responses) Build new / rebuild / upgrade website (10% of responses) Hire additional staff (10% of responses) Publish book / articles / research (8% of responses) TV / Radio / Print ads (6% of responses)
Participants who had not used particular lead generation tactics, strategies, and offers were asked to indicate their planned usage in the future, with these options: We have not used it, but were seriously considering using it in the next 2 years. We have not used it, and we wont use it in the next 2 years. Each of the following tactics and offers earned the serious consideration of at least three-quarters (75%) of the non-users among this industrys respondents, regarding using them in the next two years: % Industrys Non-Users Seriously Considering (Per Tactic) 90 88 80 77 76 75
Lead Generation Tactics & Strategies Speaking at conferences/trade shows Search Engine Optimization Becoming members of professional organizations Company-authored content in our own online publications Company-authored content in other online publications Individual emails to prospects
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Other Consulting / Professional Services

Highlights of this industry This section includes an overview of selected study results from Other Consulting & Professional Services companies, including: How they differed significantly from other industries (at the 95% confidence level). Unless otherwise noted, significant differences versus other industries are noted by bold and underlined numbers. An overview of their lead generation tactical usage and effectiveness ratings. For industry comparisons of the following measures, see the Overview of this Industry Analysis section: Ability to generate leads Lead generation challenges Average quality of leads Top tactics to generate quality leads, unaided responses Annual revenue growth in past 2 years For a full report of results given only by this industrys participants, please contact RainToday.com at service@raintoday.com or call 508-405-0438.
Professional selling staff VP-Level selling staff

53% (significantly > 6 other industry groups) 32% (significantly > 5 other industry groups) Continued on next page
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Other Consulting / Professional Services, Continued

Current approach to getting new business Among this industry: 35% Most efforts directed toward lead generation (targeting new prospects) 35% Efforts directed half toward lead generation and half toward generating referrals among current and past clients, and among network 29% Most efforts directed toward generating referrals among current and past clients, and among network
Titles of decision makers within the target organizations Names of organizations we should target

68% Extremely / Somewhat Strong (significantly > 4 other industry groups) 68% Extremely / Somewhat Strong (significantly > 3 other industry groups) 32% Extremely Strong (significantly > 5 other industry groups)
Of all categories respondents volunteered to be their top 3 ways to generate quality leads, here were the 5 most commonly mentioned categories by this industry*: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Referrals (57%) Hosting / Attending / Speaking at events (33%) Cold calling / telephone prospecting (29%) Online marketing (AdWords, website traffic, SEO) (29%) Direct mail marketing (14%)
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Evaluation of tactics / strategies (Aided) The following tables and charts indicate how this industry currently uses various lead generation tactics and strategies, and how it rates them in terms of effectiveness in generating leads. As a reminder, respondents evaluated a comprehensive list of tactics and strategies in this section as provided to them, or aided a different viewpoint than the unaided or volunteered tactics and strategies mentioned above.
CURRENT USAGE OF TACTICS BY INDUSTRY Other Consulting / Professional Services 44% Excellent / Good at Lead Generation (N = 30-31) 91 100% Becoming members of professional organizations 81 90% 'Warm' phone calls 'Cold' phone calls Individual letters or postcards 71 80% Individual emails to prospects (77% - LOW) Speaking at conferences/trade shows 61 70% Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows Search Engine Optimization Advertising in print media Mass letters or postcards 51 60% Writing and distributing press releases Professionally designed direct mail packages Joining online communities related to our field Mass emails to prospects Emailing online newsletter(s) 41 50% Company-authored content in our own online publications Company-authored content in others' print publications Running our own in-person events (47% - LOW) Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications Search Engine Advertising Emails via a 3rd party referrer Connecting with press contacts 31 40% Printed newsletter(s) Company-authored content in other online publications (40% - LOW) Company-authored content in our own print publications Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field Speaking in others' live online seminars Running our own telephone-based events 21 30% Participating in blog-related online conversation Running our own live online seminars 11 20% Company-authored or affiliated blog (17% - LOW) Advertising on the radio (17% - LOW) Continued on next page
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Other Consulting & Professional Services: % Current Usage of Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Vs. Mean Effectiveness Ratings Less Popular More Effective 16 TACTICS Above 50% Usage 11 TACTICS Above 3.0 Effectiveness More Popular More Effective
Very 4.0 Effective 3.5 13 10 12 2.5 14 31 27 22 20 21 15 32 26 25 18 7 29 28 24 23 11 5 9 19 8 3 16 17 6 4

1.5 Less Popular Less Effective 33 0%
(25%)
Not At All Effective 1.0 30 Low Usage

(75%)
100% High Usage
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No. 1 2 4 8 9 19 5 6 10 11 13 3 16 17 18 20 21 22 23 24 25 7 12 14 15 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Lead Generation Tactic / Strategy Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE 'Warm' phone calls Becoming members of professional organizations Speaking at conferences/trade shows Search Engine Optimization Company-authored content in our own online publications Exhibiting at conferences/trade shows Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & MORE EFFECTIVE Connecting with press contacts Running our own in-person events Sponsoring high-profile events/research with well-known organizations in our field Company-authored content in other online publications Speaking in others live online seminars Quadrant: MORE POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Individual emails to prospects Cold phone calls Individual letters or postcards Writing and distributing press releases Mass letters or postcards Advertising in print media Mass emails to prospects Professionally designed direct mail packages Joining online communities related to our field Emailing online newsletter(s) Quadrant: LESS POPULAR & LESS EFFECTIVE Company-authored content in others' print publications Company-authored content in our own print publications Running our own live online seminars Company-authored or affiliated blog Printed newsletter(s) Emails via a 3rd party referrer Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications Search Engine Advertising Participating in blog-related online conversation Running our own telephone-based events Advertising on the radio Advertising on TV Continued on next page
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The $100,000 question Youve just learned your company has $100,000 of additional funding for its sales and marketing efforts this year. How will you use it? Participants who answered this question offered a total of 958 responses in a variety of categories for spending. Among this industry, the top categories of how companies would use an additional $100,000 for sales and marketing were as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Direct mail campaign (17% of responses) Hire additional staff (17% of responses) Contract with outside provider (9% of responses) TV / Radio / Print ads (9% of responses) Build new / rebuild / upgrade website (6% of responses) Online marketing (6% of responses)
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% Industrys Non-Users Seriously Considering (Per Tactic) 100 100 93 86 86 85 83 83 82 80 75 75 75
Lead Generation Tactics & Strategies Search Engine Optimization Becoming members of professional organizations Emailing online newsletter(s) Speaking at conferences/trade shows Individual emails to prospects Joining online communities related to our field Company-authored content in other online publications Writing and distributing press releases Connecting with press contacts Speaking in others' live online seminars Company-authored content in others' print publications Individual letters or postcards 'Cold' phone calls
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Analysis By Firm Size Overview

Introduction What do an independent practitioners company (possibly not even $1 million in revenue) and a firm with 250+ practitioners (likely upwards of $100 million in revenue) have in common? You might say, Not much. Yes, there are some differences between the little guys and the larger, globally known and established firms and how they go about lead generation. But they also share some things in common. In this section, well explore the differences in lead generation measures through the lens of firm size, as determined by: 1) Numbers of professionals employed by the company a. Independent = 1 professional (20% of participants) b. Small = 2 to 49 professionals (55% of participants) c. Medium = 50 to 249 professionals (14% of participants) d. Large / Very Large = 250+ (11% of participants) 2) Annual revenue in most recent fiscal year a. Less than $1 million (43% of participants) b. $1-9.9 million (34% of participants) c. $10-99.9 million (16% of participants) d. $100 million or more (7% of participants)
Ability to generate leads
First of all, whos good at lead generation? The following chart appears also in the main report, showing that self-reported ability to generate leads skews slightly toward companies with more professionals: Percentage rating their companies Excellent or Good: 37% Independent 52% Small 65% Medium Interestingly, 49% of the Large / Very Large group rates themselves as Excellent or Good. The ability curve for this group more closely resembles the perfect bell of total respondents overall. The following chart illustrates the groups ratings in details.
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Overview, Continued
Company's Overall Ability To Generate Leads

- By Number Of Professionals In Company 75 Poor Fair Good Excellent
% Respondents
50
50
53 42 37 31
32
44 44
25 14 10 5 11 3 Small (N = 407) Medium (N = 101) 12 8 5
Independent (N = 147)
Large / Very Large (N = 80)
= A statistically significant difference, at a 95% confidence level
Challenges to lead generation
When youre in a larger firm, you might have opportunities and resources far beyond what an independent has available to him or her. However, that privilege also brings complexity. Larger companies tend to experience challenges at a higher rate than independents / smaller companies, with few exceptions. The only rated issue more challenging to independents / small companies is to find a strategy / tactic that works for us. The following chart shows how the mean rate of challenge for all issues rated varies by firm size.
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Mean Ratings Of Company Lead Generation Challenge Level

- By Number Of Professionals, Sorted According To "Total" Results Independent Significant Differences Of Interest (See numbers below) 1 - More challenging for Independent Practitioners than for other groups 2 to 8 - The bigger the organization, the stronger the challenge All Differences Also True For Annual Revenue Groups ("Less than $1M" to "$100M+") Small Medium Large / Very Large
Overview, Continued
5.0
Extremely Challenging
4.5
4.0
Very Challenging
3.5

1 2 3 4 5 6
Funding Having Gaining Agreeing lead appropriate participation on which generation skills / from action to knowledge activities professionals / take practitioners
3.0
Somewhat Challenging
2.5
2.0
Not Very Challenging
1.5
8
Gaining support from Coordinating company efforts between leaders for marketing and selling groups lead gen activities
1.0
Not At All Challenging
Having time to generate leads
Enough Finding Implementing Knowing people / strategy / our plan how to right tactic / offer (even when measure people to that works we agree our generate for us upon it) success leads
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Overview , Continued
Target market knowledge Independents and firms with less than $1 million in revenue indicate weaker knowledge of their target market than larger groups for several aspects: Knowledge Rated Extremely / Somewhat Strong: General profile of target market 66% Independents versus 75-90% larger groups 72% <$1 million versus 81-85% larger groups Names of organizations to target 34% of Independents versus 56-70% larger groups 42% <$1 million versus 62-83% larger groups Names of decision makers 23% of Independents versus 30-41% larger groups 25% <$1 million versus 32-44% larger groups
Usage of lead generation tactics
Across the board, Independents and Small firms tend to have used fewer lead generation tactics and strategies than have the Medium and Large / Very Large firms. (Trends by annual revenue size also reflect this difference.) # Tactics Used By Majority Of Group (over 50%) 12 by Independents 19 by Small firms 24 by Medium firms 29 by Large / Very Large firms The following tables illustrate which tactics and strategies have been more or less frequently used by each group, and how those levels compare with each other by firm size.
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Overview, Continued
Independents (N = 146-147) Making 'warm' phone calls (to existing contacts) Becoming members of professional / industry organizations Sending individual emails directly to prospects (78% - LOW) Making 'cold' phone calls (to new contacts) (73% - LOW) Sending individual letters or postcards to prospects Speaking at conferences / trade shows (66% - LOW) Sending mass letters or postcards to prospects (60% - LOW) Writing and distributing press releases (58% - LOW) Sending mass emails directly to prospects (53% - LOW) Publishing company-authored content in OTHERS PRINT publications (52% - LOW) Connecting with press contacts to gain interviews, quotes, and write-ups (52% - LOW) Joining online communities related to our field Emailing ONLINE company newsletter(s) (50% - LOW Search Engine Optimization (50% - LOW) Sending professionally designed direct mail packages to prospects (48% - LOW) Advertising in print media (48% - LOW) Running our own in-person events (47% - LOW) Exhibiting at conferences / trade shows (46% - LOW) Mailing PRINTED company newsletter(s) (45% - LOW) Publishing company-authored content in OTHER ONLINE publications Publishing company-authored content in OUR OWN ONLINE publications Sending emails to prospects via a 3rd party referrer Participating regularly in blog-related online conversations Publishing a company-authored or company-affiliated blog (39% - HIGH) Publishing company-authored content in OUR OWN PRINT publications (39% LOW) Sponsoring high-profile events or research (35% - LOW) Speaking in OTHERS live online seminars Search Engine Advertising Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications Advertising on the radio (27% - LOW) Running our own telephone-based events (27% - LOW) Running OUR OWN live online seminars (24% - LOW) Advertising on TV Continued on next page
91 100% 81 90% 71 80%
61 70% 51 60%
41 50%
31 40%
21 30%
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Overview, Continued
Small (N = 407) Making 'warm' phone calls (to existing contacts) Becoming members of professional / industry organizations Sending individual emails directly to prospects Making 'cold' phone calls (to new contacts) Writing and distributing press releases (71% - LOW) Speaking at conferences / trade shows Sending individual letters or postcards to prospects Sending mass letters or postcards to prospects (64% - LOW) Connecting with press contacts to gain interviews, quotes, and write-ups (63% - LOW) Advertising in print media (61% - LOW) Sending mass emails directly to prospects Exhibiting at conferences / trade shows Search Engine Optimization Publishing company-authored content in OTHERS PRINT publications (58% - LOW) Emailing ONLINE company newsletter(s) Sending professionally designed direct mail packages to prospects Publishing company-authored content in OUR OWN ONLINE publications Running our own in-person events Joining online communities related to our field Sponsoring high-profile events or research (48% - LOW) Publishing company-authored content in OUR OWN PRINT publications (47% LOW) Mailing PRINTED company newsletter(s) (45% - LOW) Publishing company-authored content in OTHER ONLINE publications Speaking in OTHERS live online seminars Search Engine Advertising Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications Sending emails to prospects via a 3rd party referrer Participating regularly in blog-related online conversations Running OUR OWN live online seminars Running our own telephone-based events Advertising on the radio (29% - LOW) Publishing a company-authored or company-affiliated blog Advertising on TV Continued on next page
91 100% 81 90% 71 80%
61 70%
51 60%
41 50%
31 40% 21 30%
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Overview, Continued
Medium (N = 101) Making 'warm' phone calls (to existing contacts) Becoming members of professional / industry organizations (99% - HIGH) Writing and distributing press releases (88% - HIGH) Speaking at conferences / trade shows (87% - HIGH) Connecting with press contacts to gain interviews, quotes, and write-ups (86% - HIGH) Exhibiting at conferences / trade shows (81% - HIGH) Running our own in-person events (81% - HIGH) Sending individual emails directly to prospects Sending individual letters or postcards to prospects Making 'cold' phone calls (to new contacts) Advertising in print media (77% - HIGH) Sending mass letters or postcards to prospects (76% - HIGH) Publishing company-authored content in OTHERS PRINT publications (76% - HIGH) Publishing company-authored content in OUR OWN PRINT publications (73% HIGH) Sending professionally designed direct mail packages to prospects (72% - HIGH) Sponsoring high-profile events or research (71% - HIGH) Mailing PRINTED company newsletter(s) (61% - HIGH) Sending mass emails directly to prospects Search Engine Optimization Sending emails to prospects via a 3rd party referrer Emailing ONLINE company newsletter(s) Publishing company-authored content in OTHER ONLINE publications Publishing company-authored content in OUR OWN ONLINE publications Joining online communities related to our field Speaking in OTHERS live online seminars Search Engine Advertising Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications Publishing a company-authored or company-affiliated blog Running OUR OWN live online seminars Running our own telephone-based events Advertising on the radio Participating regularly in blog-related online conversations Advertising on TV
91 100% 81 90%
71 80%
61 70%
51 60%
41 50%
31 40%
21 30%
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Overview, Continued
Large / Very Large (N = 80) Making 'warm' phone calls (to existing contacts) (99% - HIGH) Speaking at conferences / trade shows (98% - HIGH) Exhibiting at conferences / trade shows (94% - HIGH) Writing and distributing press releases (94% - HIGH) Making 'cold' phone calls (to new contacts) (94% - HIGH) Sending individual letters or postcards to prospects (91% - HIGH) Becoming members of professional / industry organizations Publishing company-authored content in OTHERS PRINT publications (88% - HIGH) Connecting with press contacts to gain interviews, quotes, and write-ups (86% - HIGH) Sending mass letters or postcards to prospects (84% - HIGH) Running our own in-person events (84% - HIGH) Advertising in print media (83% - HIGH) Sending individual emails directly to prospects Sending professionally designed direct mail packages to prospects (78% - HIGH) Mailing PRINTED company newsletter(s) (75% - HIGH) Publishing company-authored content in OUR OWN PRINT publications (75% HIGH) Search Engine Optimization (74% - HIGH) Sponsoring high-profile events or research (74% - HIGH) Publishing company-authored content in OUR OWN ONLINE publications (71% HIGH) Sending mass emails directly to prospects Publishing company-authored content in OTHER ONLINE publications (65% - HIGH) Emailing ONLINE company newsletter(s) (64% - HIGH) Advertising in ad-supported websites and online publications (61% - HIGH) Joining online communities related to our field Sending emails to prospects via a 3rd party referrer Speaking in OTHERS live online seminars (60% - HIGH) Running our own telephone-based events (54% - HIGH) Running OUR OWN live online seminars (51% - HIGH) Search Engine Advertising Advertising on the radio (45% - HIGH) Participating regularly in blog-related online conversations Publishing a company-authored or company-affiliated blog (40% - HIGH) Advertising on TV (34% - HIGH) Continued on next page
91 100%
81 90%
71 80%
61 70%
51 60%
41 50% 31 40%
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Overview, Continued
Effectiveness of tactics / strategies Although firm size does not illuminate many differences in how effective the companies find their lead generation tactics and strategies to be, the following differences do emerge: Mean Effectiveness Rating (5 = Extremely Effective, 4 = Very Effective, 3 = Somewhat Effective, 2 = Not Very Effective, 1 = Not At All Effective) Rated More Effective By Smaller Companies Emailing ONLINE company newsletters For those with annual revenue < $10 million, mean rating = 2.89 to 2.91 For those with revenue $10 million or more, mean rating = 2.52 to 2.65 Rated More Effective By Larger Companies Making cold phone calls (to new contacts) For Independents, mean rating = 2.23 For all other groups, mean rating = 2.55 to 2.63 Making warm phone calls (to existing contacts) For Independents, mean rating = 3.30 For all other groups, mean rating = 3.60 3.88 For those with annual revenue < $1 million, mean rating = 3.46 For those with revenue $1 million or more, mean rating = 3.63 3.82 Exhibiting at conferences and trade shows For Independent and Small companies, mean rating = 2.40 2.74 For Medium and Large / Very Large companies, mean rating = 3.00 3.07 Advertising in print media For Independent and Small companies, mean rating = 2.10 2.28 For Medium and Large / Very Large companies, mean rating = 2.59 2.65 For those with annual revenue < $10 million, mean rating = 2.23 2.32 For those with revenue $10 million or more, mean rating = 2.56 2.67 Sponsoring high-profile events or research For Independent and Small companies, mean rating = 3.00 3.12 For Medium and Large / Very Large companies, mean rating = 3.37 3.52 Writing and distributing press releases For Independents, mean rating = 2.69 For all other groups, mean rating = 2.93 3.01
202
Overview, Continued
Effectiveness of tactics / strategies (continued) Becoming members of professional associations / organizations For Independent and Small companies, mean rating = 3.16 3.23 For Medium and Large / Very Large companies, mean rating = 3.61 3.69 For those with annual revenue < $10 million, mean rating = 3.24 3.25 For those with revenue $10 million or more, mean rating = 3.56 3.59
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BACKGROUND & PARTICIPANT DEMOGRAPHICS
204
Background & Participant Demographics Survey Methodology

Collection Data sets for Whats Working In Lead Generation were collected via an online survey instrument created by Wellesley Hills Group and RainToday.com. The majority of respondents heard about the survey via RainTodays free weekly e-newsletter, Rainmaker Report or a separate invitation email. Respondents were screened to ensure that only B2B professional service executives responsible for the lead generation budget and success of their companies were invited to participate in the survey. 1,441 professionals entered the survey; 1,032 proceeded through screening; and 731 completed the survey in total (roughly 60 questions). Respondents who completed the survey received a results summary of the data.
Analysis
Surveys were tabulated by Florida Atlantic University market research professor Mark Eisner of Eisner and Associates. Respondent group results were tested at 5% risk levels, for 95% confidence of significant differences. Most observations within the study refer to significant differences in the data tested between groups defined by specific demographic information or other information gathered in the survey. Only respondent groups consisting of 30 or more responses were tested for significance. The base number of responses for particular questions is notated with N = ___ in corresponding charts and data tables throughout the study. When results are discussed from base groups with fewer than 30 responses, they are referred to as trends or otherwise indicated in the discussion. Analysis and commentary are provided by Mike Schultz, Publisher of RainToday.com, John Doerr, Principal of the Wellesley Hills Group, and Andrea Meacham Rosal, Chief Content Officer of RainToday.com.
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About The Participant Firms

Industries The B2B professional services firms in this study came from the following industries: % Respondents Industry (N = 1,240) Marketing, PR, Advertising Services Architecture / Engineering / Construction Services Management Consulting IT Services / Consulting Accounting, Tax, Payroll, Bookkeeping Services Training / Executive Education Financial, Insurance, or Real Estate Services / Consulting Law Firms / Legal Services HR / Organizational Development Consulting Other Consulting / Professional Services 20% 18% 17% 11% 8% 7% 7% 6% 4% 4%
Mix of Services
Companies represented in this study offer services that are: % Respondents (N = 1,353) 70% 21% 10%
Services Offerings 100% B2B Mostly B2B with some B2C Equal mix of B2B and B2C
Among respondents whose companies provide at least some B2C services, only those who could answer Yes to Will you be able to complete this survey by responding only regarding your companys B2B activities? were invited to participate.
206
About The Participant Firms, Continued

Titles Respondent titles fell into the following categories: % Respondents (N = 1,025) 29 23 11 7 6 4 3 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 5
Title CEO / President Principal / Partner VP / Director of Marketing Managing Director / Managing Partner VP / Director of Business Development VP / Director of Sales Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Marketing Manager Chief Business Development Officer (CBDO) Consultant / Practitioner Sales / Business Development Manager Founder / Owner Marketing Coordinator Marketing Specialist / Analyst Other Sales / Marketing
Area of company
Respondents were representing areas of the company as follows (N = 1,039):
A service line or business unit within your company 8% Other 1% A regional/local office of your company 7%
Your company as a whole 84%
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Location Respondents companies were located in the following countries: Country United States Canada United Kingdom Australia Other (See Detail) Countries represented in Other include: Argentina Austria Bangladesh Belarus Botswana Brazil China Denmark Dominican Republic France Germany India Ireland Italy Japan Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Nigeria Pakistan Russia Singapore South Africa Trinidad & Tobago Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine Vietnam % Respondents (N = 735) 82 7 7 5 8
With additional areas/definitions mentioned: Asia Pacific Central Europe EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) Global Middle East South America
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Number of fulltime professionals Respondents company sizes ranged from independent practitioners to more than 10,000 full-time professionals: Number Of Full-Time Professionals 1 (Self) 2 to 9 professionals 10 to 49 professionals 50 to 249 professionals 250 to 499 professionals 500 to 999 professionals 1,000 to 9,999 professionals 10,000 or more professionals Median Number Of Professionals = 9.3 % Respondents 20 32 23 14 4 2 4 1
Annual revenue in most recent fiscal year
The participating companies annual revenue in B2B professional services in the most recent fiscal year at the time of the survey collection was: Revenue (Millions)
50 to 99.9 , 3% 25 to 49.9, 4% 10 to 24.9, 9% 5 to 9.9, 9% 1 to 4.9, 25% 100 or more, 7% Less than 1, 43%
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Participating Companies
2octave 3n National Notification Network 451 Consulting A Mano Fisios A.J. Martini, Inc. A+ Top Rated Insurance ABR, Inc. ABRG Absher Construction Company Acara Access Group, LLC ACSF Ancora Acumen Adecco ADI Group, Inc. Adland USA Adler PPT AdminConcepts AECOM AESI, Inc. AffluNet Services Afni, Inc. Agilis Associates Alan Halford Consulting Albert Kahn Associates Alchemy Corporate Property Advisors Alexander, Aronson, Finning Allen Austin Executive Search Consultants Alliance Consulting Group Alliance Data AMEC AMES A/E
Anspach Meeks Ellenberger Apostasy, Ltd. Applied Technology Group AQCEL Consulting Archstone Consulting Arizona State University Arketi Group Arnold & Finlay Aronson / Heintz Associates, LLC Arthur BIZ Atlantic Consultants Atos Consulting ATS ATSheridan & Associates, LLC Audacity Guy Productions Axiot Ltd B2B Sales Consulting Limited B2Buzz Baker Botts, LLP Baker Tilly Baldwin & Clarke Corporate Finance, Inc. Ballew and Associates, Inc. Bardane, Inc. Barnes Dennig Bashey, Hutchinson & Walter, PLLC Basler Group, Inc. BB Marketing Plus BDRI Beacon Consulting Group Beals associates, PLLC Bearing Point Becker Consulting Services
Bentley Architects & Engineers Bermultinational Limited Bernardon Haber Holloway Architects Berry Dunn Bert Doerhoff CPA, P.C. Better Cost Control Beyond Point B, LLC Binary Vibes Pvt, Ltd BizVision Financial Services, Inc. Blais & Associates Economic Development Consulting Blake Dawson Waldron Bloom Group Blue Star Print - Australia Blueberry Business Group, Ltd. Bluepool, Inc. Consulting Blum Shapiro & Co. P.C. BMG Bolen Communications Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC Bookkeeping Express BottomLine Marketing Boyden Interim Management BP Media Group BPCO Group Bradley & Bradley Brand Buddies Brand Chemistry BrandSavvy, Inc. Bransgroves Lawyers Braver Group Brintech Brooks Bell Interactive
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Participating Companies, Continued

Brooks Borg Skiles BSC, Ltd Build Your Firm Business Advancement, Inc. Business Development Group, Inc. Business Diagnostics & Solutions Business Growth, Ltd Business Intelligence Solutions Business Process Consulting, LLC Butcher & Gundersen Bentz Whaley Flessner CAI Cambridge Healthtech Associates Capaccio Environmental Engineering, Inc. Capgemini Capital Tax & Accounting Services, Inc. CARC, Inc. Carollo Engineers Carter & Burgess, Sacramento Catena Consulting Engineers Cathy Moore Catseye Global CBDS, Ltd CDM Celstream Technologies Centrica CertifiedMail, Inc. Chadwick Martin Bailey Champlin/Haupt Architects Charles, Charles &Associates Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, LLP Chesber, Inc. CHG Chiefadvisors, LLC CISTMS CKMedical, Ltd CLARITY Advisors to Management Clarkston Consulting Clear Thinking Group, LLC Clifton Gunderson, LLP Clockwork Design Group, Inc. Closerlook, Inc. CMG CMK Architects Collaborative Peoples' Resources Communication Arts Group, Inc. Communication Facilitation Complex Communications Concord Computer Services Confidential Connecting Point Communications Consistacom, Inc. Constructive Communication, Inc. Consulting Development, Ltd Coppertoppe CoreStrata Cornerstone Group of Companies Cost Containment Strategies Cowan, Bolduc, Doherty & Company, LLC Cowan, Gunteski & Co., P.A. CPActuaries Creative Qualitative Crossing the Chasm, LLC CS&L CPAs Cummings Group Curt Deckert Associates, Inc. CxT Group, Inc. D&B D. Kerry Laycock, LLC DAMICON, LLC Damron Communications Daniel Kuznitz & Associates DASSE Design, Inc. Data Conversion Laboratory Dataseek Dated Events David DeLong & Associates, Inc. David Evans and Associates, Inc. Davies Engineering, Inc. Davis, Kingsley & Company DDI Electronic Engineering & Manufacturing Dean Mason & Company, Inc. Dearborn Engineers & Constructors DecisionPath Consulting Dees Engineering Degenkolb Engineers DeHavilland Associates Deloitte Delve Group Demopoulos Associates Dent Baker & Company, LLC
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Design Workshop, Inc. Dewar Consulting, LLC Dinkum Interactive Direct Connections International DirectMarketing Diversified Learning Partners Dixon Environmental DMBPA DMG Consultancy DMJM H&N DMM Group Dorman Management Consulting Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP DTA World Wide Duke Corporate Education Dunaway Associates, Inc. Dunn Associates, Inc. Durrette Bradshaw, PLC EAP Technology Eartheon Ecosystem Solutions Pty, Ltd Edgar, Dunn & Company Edge, Inc. Edge Learning Institute EDSA EH&E EI Team, Inc. Eide Bailly Elgin Surveying & Engineering, Inc. eMagine eMarket2 Enablihng Space EnerNOC, Inc. Enterprise Business Solutions, LLC ERE, LLP ESM Consulting Engineers, LLC Evans Hagen & Company Everon Technology Services, LLC Excel in Marketing, LLC Excellence In Motivation Expense Management Solutions Expense Reduction Analysts Expert Communications Extraprise Facility Programming and Consultants FCS GROUP FGM Architects Planners First Wellesley Fisher Vista, LLC Fletcher Tilton & Whipple, PC FMA FPMSI Freedman Solomon & Company CPA's, P.A. Freeman Marketing Research Fulcrum Studios, Inc. Fullhouse G. Temple Associates, Ltd. Ganek Architects GASAI Geek Housecalls, Inc. GEI Consultants Gelmtree, LLC Gelst General Business Consultants General Business Solutions, Inc. Gilbert Consulting Gilbert Heintz & Randolph, LLP Gilshenan & Luton Lawyers Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla, P.C. GL Co. Glenn Rasmussen Fogarty & Hooker Global Boost Global executive search Global LT GNU Group GNU2 Consulting, Inc. Go Pensions Goetting & Associates Goss Gould & Pakter Associates, LLC GP Worldwide GPD Group GPmicro, Inc. Graystone Associates, Inc. Great Numbers! LLC Greener Consulting Greenfield Architects, P.C. Greenfield Enterprises Griffioen Consulting Group, Inc. Group2 Growth Solutions Provider Grubb and Ellis Grunley-Walsh, LLC Guthmiller Accounting, Ltd H. B. Maynard and Company, Inc. HAH Associates Management Consulting Haley Marketing Group
212

HALO Business Advisors Hamilton Group HBLA Certified Public Accountants, Inc. HCG Health Capital Consultants Henderson Architect Hiab, Inc. Higginbotham Highliner Group Hill Schwartz Spilker Keller, LLC Hill, Barth & King, LLC Hitachi Consulting Hoard Clients System HOK Visual Communications Holden Advisors Holder Construction Coimpany Holland & Davis, LLC Hollis Chase & Associates Hopper Dennis Jellison Horovitz, Rudoy & Roteman Hotham Associates HRA Solutions HRshopper HSA Engineers & Scientists Hudson Financial Solutions Hunter & Associates, PA Hydro Designs, Inc. Hyperactive Communications ipCapital Group Idea Catchers Group, LLC Image Builders Impact Systems, Inc. Improving People Incentive Logic, Inc. Inom Limited Insight Security & Investigations Integrated Management Solutions, Inc. Integrated Marketing Solutions, LLC Integro Insurance Brokers InterControllers, Inc. Interim Executives U.S., LLC International Marketing Solutions Intetics Co. InTouch, Inc. INVICTUS Solutions Group Invisible Marketing Inxight Information Companies, LLC IRS Solutions ISR Insight ITBusinessEdge ITSMA Ivy Architectural Innvovations, PC J.E. Mittler & Company Jack & Associates Jack B. Keenan, Inc. Jackson Kelly Solutions, LLC Jan Riley, Inc. Johnson Stephens Consulting, Inc. Jon Oliver & Associates Jonathan Steele Company KBA Group, LLP Keith Warren Limited Keyne Insight, Inc. Kathleen Greer Associates KL Consulting Kleinfelder KNH, Inc. Knightsbridge Solutions Koch Hazard Architects KoMarketing Associates, LLC Kosovsky Pratesi & Co. Kranz Communications Krex Consulting KS Associates Kudzu Graphics La Visual, Inc. Lahey Consulting, LLC Lahive & Cockfield Lake Corporation Landry & Bogan, Inc. Lanzo, Lutz & Associates Larson Binkley, Inc. Laurel and Associates, Ltd. Laurentian Group Law Offices of Bernard C. Dietz, PC Leadership Capital Group Leadership Management Group Leadership Strategies Leads Source LEAPJob Lei J Incorporated Leppert Business Systems, Inc. Level 9 Lewis-Michael & Associates, Inc. Lidings Law Firm Lindsay Exhibit Group, Inc. Linkage
213

LexisNexis Logarithmic Impact Lorglen Management Services L.Robert Kimball & Associates Luminare Lydon Fetterolf Corydon M Group Communications Training M. I. B. Chock, LLC M/E Engineering, P.C. Macquarie Wealth Management Mahlum Architects Major Client Selling Management Vectors, Inc. Mapping Analytics Mark Mauriello, PC Marketing Acumen Marketing Leverage, Inc. Marketing Mentors, Inc. Marketing To Mexico MarketSharp Matris Associates, Inc. McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff, LLP MC Marketing Communications, Inc. McCord & Associates Medical Device Consultants MDS Diseno Consultoria ME Mesirow Financial Consulting Metagio Meyers Norris Penny Mezzanine Business Consulting MHTN Architects MicaBlue Creative Michael Graves CPA, Inc. Mighty Oak Ministries Mind-n-Money Mintleaf Studio Pty, Ltd MKM Book Services MMIC MMM Design Group Mohagen/Hansen Architectural Group Mohr Partners Moreland Associates Morningstar Multimedia Morris-Anderson MSH Associates MST Consulting, Inc. MulvannyG2 Architecture Naden/Lean, LLC Nash Lipsey Burch National Cable Splicing Certification Board Nerica NetElixir, Inc. NetPartnering Networks Newagen Group, LLC NewStar Financial, Inc. NexCore Group Niski Communications Noble Erickson Inc. Nolte Associates, Inc. Norlight Telecommunications Norton Associates NSA Corp. NTH Consultants, Ltd. Nth Degree Events OBD Omnium Worldwide Inc O'Neill Direct Marketing Oneocean, Ltd Open Access Consulting, Inc. PACE Palladium PanRight Productions Parsons Brinckerhoff Construction Services, Inc. Partners for Creative Solutions, Inc. Partners Usrey Pate Engineers, Inc. Pathfinder Consulting Services Payment Services, Inc. Peacock Publishing Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P. Performance Benefit Solutions Perot Systems BPS Personalized Info-Media, Inc. Peter S. Cook Petra Geotechnical, Inc. Phoenix Management Services Pinnacle Business Development Plancorp, Inc. PLC Networks, Inc. PMA, LLC PMZ Marketing PNC Positive Interactions Positive Response Posternak Blankstein & Lund Powers Law Offices, P.C. Pratt Computing Precision Websites Presentations Plus
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Primary Intelligence Primary Point, Inc. Prime Engineering, Inc. Primus Global Resources Professional Service Industries Profit Revolution Pty, Ltd Project Innovations, Inc. Prophet Strategies Protiviti, Inc. PSI PageSoutherlandPage Pulse Corporation Purchasing Services, Inc. Pyramid Consulting Q3 Technologies Quiet Storm Solutions Limited Randy J Elder, CPA, PC Raphael Sammaa Brand Counsel Real Web Devices Realized Performance Relationship Audits & Management Report Source ResearchWorks Resolve Associates Reveille Consulting Group RGHeins & Associates Ricca Newmark Design Richmond & Associates Risk Management Associates, International, LLP Robertson Training Group Robinson, Noble & Saltbush Robust Designs Rockwell Automation Ropes & Gray, LLP Rotman School of ManagementMBA RPA Associates Inc. RSI Logistics RSM McGladrey, Inc. RTKL S&ME, Inc. Sabath Supply Chain Consultants SalesChannel Europe SARL SalesFUSION SalesStars/CAS Systems Salisbury Management Services Sam Schwartz Engineering, PLLC San Filippo & Associates, LLC Sanford Group Marketing Consultants SC Associates Schilling & Maure Schulz & Consulting SCT Group Second Story Solutions Sector, Inc. Sequent Learning Networks SESS Midwest Shaw Resources Sherman Group, Inc. Sierra Systems Consulting Group Silicon Valley--Japan Connections Silverton Consulting, Inc. Smart Marketing SmithGroup Snelling Staffing Services, LLC Solid Oak Consulting, LLC Spardata SponsorLogic, Inc. Spryance SRGPE SSOE, Inc. St. Meyer & Hubbard Stellar Systems, Inc. Steven Dunn Stradley Ronon Strategic Asset Alliance Strategic Direction Resources, Inc. Strategies for Business Ownership Strategy & Communications Strategy 2 Market Stratelogics Strauss Event & Association Management Stroud, Pence & Associates, Ltd. Studio Graphique Success Enterprises Consulting Superfund Sure Marketing Systems Pty, Ltd Synovate Loyalty Systema Corporation Tacamor, Inc. Tailored Technologies, LLC Talkwerks TARGIT Tax and Financial Services TBL Technologies Pty, Ltd TBS USA TC Architects TD Banknorth
215

TDI Team Telecom, LLC Technology Management Assoc. Inc. TEM Associates, Inc. Terry Griffin Design TESTCo text-centric The Geddes Group Thales ThatWhitePaperGuy The Advocates, P.L. The Beech Consultancy The Coaches The Collateral Resource Group The Design Alliance Architects The DR Group The Etica Group, Inc. The Florida Growth Coach The JS Group The LaMarche Group, Inc. The Last 3 Feet The Leverich Group The Links Estates The Marketing Station, LLC The Performance Group The ProAction Group The Proteus Organisation The Renaissance Group (tm) The Seneff Law Office The Simple Solution Virtual Assistance The Systems House The Trane Company The Ultimate Sales Executive Resource The Yeomen Group Theatre Projects Consultants Think! Inc. Thomas J. Dyer Company Three Step Consulting Thrive Networks, Inc. Tier Solution Titan Software Sales TLC TMP Associates, Inc. Topline Solutions, Inc. TPG Trade Boost Pty, Ltd Transcription Matchmaker Transonic Traub Design Associates Triad Advisors Group, LLC Trigger Marketing Works Total Typing Solutions UCI Architects, Inc. Ungaretti & Harris University of North Carolina Unleashed Unstuck Marketing Urja Communications UtiliTech V.I.P. Litigation Funding, LLC V.SOP Design Venture Drive Consulting Vimbrio Vink Teague & Associates Virtual Services Vistage International VOA Associates Inc. W.M.Angell & Associates Wade Trim Transportation Walker Printing Co. Walsh Engineers Welch Consulting Western Architectural Wheat Scharf Associates Wellesley Hills Group Wilke Studio Willie Publishing Co. Wilson Marketing Group, Inc. Windridge Consulting Wipro Wolcott Group Wolf Greenfield Woods Peacock Engineering Consultants, Inc. Workforce Now WorkMatters WOW! WINDOWS Display & Design Ltd. Write It Well WSA WSP Environmental Strategies Xancam Consulting, Ltd. Xerox Yuishin Fleet Management ZAHN Consulting, LLC
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ABOUT RAINTODAY.COM & THE REPORT AUTHORS
217
About RainToday.com
RainToday.com - the website RainToday.com is the premier online source for insight, advice, and tools for growing your professional services business. Based in Framingham, Massachusetts, RainToday.com's core offerings include: Free articles by well-respected marketing, sales, and service business experts such as David Maister, John Doerr, Patrick McKenna, Suzanne Lowe, Mike Schultz, and Charles Green on core topics in selling and marketing professional services Interviews with world-renowned services marketers, rainmakers, and firm leaders Best practice and benchmark research such as How Clients Buy: The Benchmark Report on Professional Services Marketing and Selling from the Client Perspective, The Business Impact Of Writing A Book: Data, Advice, And Lessons From Professional Service Providers Who Have Done It, and How To Become A Thought Leader, by the analysts and experts at RainToday.com Research Premium content, products and tools designed specifically for helping service providers to grow their firms Webinars, seminars, and conferences for rainmakers and service marketers
Rainmaker Report the newsletter
Rainmaker Report, the flagship free newsletter of RainToday.com, brings 5 new pieces of content each week to rainmakers and services marketers worldwide. Visit http://www.raintoday.com to subscribe.
RainToday Research
The RainToday Research team produces best practices and benchmarking research to help marketers, sellers, and leaders of professional services firms to grow their business. The RainToday Research team also delivers custom market and client research studies for individual organizations. For a complete list of available research titles, visit http://www.raintoday.com.
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About The RainToday Research Team

Mike Schultz As Publisher of RainToday.com, Mike Schultz is responsible for leading the worlds foremost content publication on growth strategy, marketing, and selling for professional services firms. Mike is also a Principal with the Wellesley Hills Group and consults to professional services firms worldwide. He has written articles, case studies, and research reports on marketing and selling for professional services. Prior to joining the Wellesley Hills Group and RainToday.com, Mike was Director of Training and Education Partnerships for Linkage, Inc. At Linkage, his primary responsibilities were leading the companys public and in-house seminar divisions, growing revenue and profit by over 800% in his tenure with the firm. Mike has also served as a marketing and sales process and strategy consultant with the boutique firm Product Knowledge Systems. Mike holds an MBA in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from Babson College. Email Mike at mschultz@raintoday.com. John Doerr As a Principal with the Wellesley Hills Group, John consults with professional services firms in the area of growth strategy, marketing and lead generation, and business development. Before the Wellesley Hills Group, John served as the President of Management Centre Europe, the largest panEuropean management and leadership training company, as President of AMACOM Publishing, and Senior Vice President at American Management Association. John is a frequent public speaker and prolific author, and holds an MBA, magna cum laude, from the Graduate School of Management at Boston University. He is also a contributing editor with RainToday.com. Email John at jdoerr@whillsgroup.com. As Chief Content Officer of RainToday.com, Andrea oversees the content, Andrea Meacham Rosal and day-to-day operations of the site, as well as Rainmaker Report, the sites flagship weekly newsletter. She is responsible for the online publishing sites growth, product quality, marketing initiatives, content, and continuing value to service firm marketers and business developers worldwide. Andrea has worked as a consultant, writer, marketer, and researcher within professional service firms and non-profit organizations. She has written numerous articles, white papers, e-books, and major market research reports on a number of business and management subjects. Andrea holds an MBA from the John M. Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, with emphasis in organizational leadership, marketing strategy, and entrepreneurship. Email Andrea at amrosal@raintoday.com.
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About RainToday.com
RainToday.com is the premier online source for insight, advice, and tools for service business rainmakers, marketers, and leaders. Based in Framingham, Massachusetts, RainToday.coms core offerings include:
Free Articles: Written by industry practitioners and experts, RainToday.com offers the most up-to-date and relevant free resources How-to Guides and Tools: Purchase how-to guides and tools built to aid professional service marketers and business developers to be more effective and grow their revenue Research Reports: Best practice and benchmark research by the analysts at RainToday.com Research Weekly Newsletter: The Rainmaker Report is RainToday.coms free weekly newsletter providing resources to help professional service providers generate more revenue and grow their firms Interviews: Original interviews conducted by RainToday.com staff with world-renowned services marketers, rainmakers and firm leaders Case Studies: Real life case studies focusing on service firms growth and success and how they got there Webinars, Seminars, and Conferences: Designed for Rainmakers and service marketers
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Whats Working in Lead Generation

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Whats Working In Professional Services Lead Generation

Whats Working In Lead Generation

Whats Working In Lead Generation

2007 RainToday.com & Wellesley Hills Group, LLC

Whats Working In Lead Generation

Whats Working In Lead Generation Table of Contents

Whats Working In Lead Generation

Table of Contents, Continued

2007 RainToday.com & Wellesley Hills Group, LLC

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2007 RainToday.com & Wellesley Hills Group, LLC

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How To Use This Report

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Whats Working In Lead Generation

Insight #1: Brand Matters

Impact of reputation reach

Continued on next page

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Insight #1: Brand Matters, Continued

Caveat: Dont build brand for brands sake

2007 RainToday.com & Wellesley Hills Group, LLC

Whats Working In Lead Generation

Insight #2: Know Your Target Market

Target market knowledge

% Rating Target Market Knowledge As "Extremely" or "Somewhat Strong"

Aspect Of Target Market Knowledge

Continued on next page

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Whats Working In Lead Generation

Insight #2: Know Your Target Market, Continued

% Rating Target Market Knowledge As "Extremely" or "Somewhat Strong"

Continued on next page

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Whats Working In Lead Generation

Insight #2: Know Your Target Market, Continued

Caveat: Not all prospects are created equal

2007 RainToday.com & Wellesley Hills Group, LLC

Whats Working In Lead Generation

Insight #3: Cold Calling Works

The top ways to generate quality leads

The great debate: to call or not to call

2007 RainToday.com & Wellesley Hills Group, LLC

Whats Working In Lead Generation

Insight #3: Cold Calling Works, Continued

Roughly 25% of new business is brought in this way.

70% of correspondents are interested in our services.

Continued on next page

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Insight #3: Cold Calling Works, Continued

Defining the target audience.

Continued on next page

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Insight #3: Cold Calling Works, Continued

Caveat: Have realistic expectations

2007 RainToday.com & Wellesley Hills Group, LLC

Whats Working In Lead Generation

Insight #4: Integrate Your Tactics

The most effective tactics