The truth is that there are many lead generation companies out there with plenty of five-star rankings and glittering reviews. But just because these agencies are ranked top in search engine results doesn’t mean that they are perfect for your needs.
In most cases, rankings and reviews vary from one source to another and fluctuate from one season to another. Therefore, any serious media buyer won’t take the rankings and reviews as the be-all and end-all consideration when looking for the best lead generation firm. Instead, they only use them as the starting point.
So, what are some of the top qualities that differentiate the best lead generation companies from the rest? Read on to discover some of the critical factors that will make the greatest difference between a successful partnership and a complete disaster.
1. Transparency
One of the most important things that separate excellent lead generation companies from the rest is being true to their partners. A transparent agency will be frank with you whether the news at hand is good or bad.
You will know what their plans are and what to expect in short-term and long-term. They will also guide you on how to measure the success or failure of their work.
Since the game of lead generation is so complicated, and often things may not always go as planned, lead generation agencies have mastered the art of turning a negative picture into false hope. Most of them will only expose the good stuff and never talk about the bad stuff.
You need to be aware of this phenomenon and learn how to use it to sort different lead generation companies.
2. Industry Knowledge and Expertise
Another key characteristic that distinguishes the best lead generation companies from the rest is that they usually have a deep understanding of their clients’ industries and how they can navigate it to help them succeed.
As such, many lead buyers are always looking for lead generation firms that specialize in generating leads in one industry. For instance, attorneys will be looking for a lead generation company that specializes in attorney lead generation.
Specialized agencies usually have a deep understanding of their business model, sales process, and product specifics. They know how to design, launch, and manage winning pay-per-call campaigns.
3. Close Collaboration
Once you hire a lead generation firm, it starts to act like your company’s de facto in-house marketing team. The team needs to know everything about your business goals, existing campaign strategies, industry trends, product/service changes, and any upcoming events your business will host or be involved in.
Therefore, you should be looking to hire people who are willing to schedule regular meetings with you to discuss your account, content, campaigns, and everything about your business.
In turn, you should also be aware of everything they are doing for your business. For instance, if they are running a content marketing strategy, you need to know what it is and how to provide some input to help them move forward smoothly.
They should be open to discussing the overall performance of the running campaigns, any plans in the pipeline and monitor campaign results with your dedicated account manager.
You need to feel like your account manager is right next to you, even if you are in two different states or countries.
4. Lead Nurturing
In today’s highly competitive business world, lead generation doesn’t end with “generation.” It has to cover the lead nurturing element as well to help you maximize your return on investment.
Therefore, a good lead generation firm will go a step further and provide you with sales-ready leads by nurturing all leads generated at the top of the sales funnel to the extent where they are ready to buy your products or services.
The company must devote extra time and effort to the lead generation strategy to help build and foster relationships with prospective clients.
5. Agility and Flexibility
Nothing is constant in today’s digital marketing landscape. Things are constantly changing, and opportunities come and go pretty quickly. That is why most companies are constantly gravitating towards lead generation companies that can help them keep up with the pace.
Today, close to 50% of all top-performing lead generation firms believe that speed of delivery is becoming a crucial factor in winning new projects.
Furthermore, approximately 63% of client-side decision-makers believe that producing and deploying marketing assets pretty quickly is a top priority and a game-changer.
6. Quality over Quantity
Most lead generation companies face unexplainable pressure to deliver results, and so most of them strive to deliver quantity over quality. Unfortunately, having quantity over quality is almost of zero importance to you and your business.
Typically, you want a lead generation company that can deliver highly exclusive and relevant leads- the ones with the best chance of converting into high-paying clients.
We aren’t saying that a lead generation firm can’t deliver high-quality leads in large quantities. But the first goal should be to focus on a strategy that generates high-quality exclusive leads and then figure out how the quantity can be gradually increased over time.
7. Robust Project Management and Campaign Tracking Tools
The best-in-class lead generation companies have the ability to leverage the right tools for managing different projects and monitoring results 24/7. A significant number of lead buyers still complain that most lead generation companies don’t maintain accountability despite constant reminders to company CEOs and other executives.
In a 2019 HubSpot Agency Growth Report that polled over 1,000 lead generation agencies worldwide, it is clear that there is a significant project management and tracking challenge among agencies.
Approximately 80% of the surveyed agencies said they use project management software but couldn’t figure out what they needed to do to improve reporting and accountability. The same agencies also cite the need to have a better project management tool.
Agency owners agreed that most agencies need to implement effective rank analytics and reporting software to better run and manage their businesses.
8. Good Lead Generation Companies Are Constantly Looking for Ways to Improve
The only constant factor in the digital marketing industry is that things will always change. What worked five years ago probably won’t yield results today. It means that if the lead generation company doesn’t update their strategies and techniques, it will no longer deliver desirable results.
Therefore, a good agency will constantly strive to improve, adopt new strategies and integrate the latest tools into their marketing campaigns. They always want to stay ahead of the curve and are always looking to innovate.
If an agency is willing to try out new things to achieve better results, it shows that they value their customers and are working hard to deliver the best results possible. Their hard work will also place your business in a good position to succeed.
PALO Is Fully Committed to Its Clients and Ready to Serve You!
The lead generation company you choose should be fully committed to you. It should aim to provide you with high-quality exclusive leads that will form a solid foundation for your business for many years to come.
At PALO, we fully understand our duty to you and work around the clock to ensure we fulfill our promise. We have been doing this for over a decade and have assembled a great team of highly experienced pay-per-call experts ready to propel your business to the next level.
So, if you are looking for ways to drive more quality leads and get more business appointments, talk to us today!
