I was recently asked where to start once you have decided you want to implement a lead nurturing system. I thought it was a worthy question to write an answer to in a quick blog post.

Here is what you need to begin:

1. Educate yourself on the topic. Here are some sites I visit on a regular basis:
   -  http://b2bmarketingpost.com/ -- search ‘Lead Management’
   -  http://blog.startwithalead.com/weblog/ --search ‘Lead Management’ or ‘Lead Nurturing’
   -  http://www.funnelholic.com/ --Topical pull-down under Categories on right hand side of screen
   -  Download this whitepaper. It is a simple, easy-to-understand guide to lead nurturing.
2. Have a clear and defined vision. This includes high-level strategy like, ‘Improve Customer Experience,’ all the way down to lower level tactics like data requirements and metrics. More than likely, you will be working across divisions, and all stakeholders will need to know exactly what they are contributing to the overall project. If you work for a smaller company, you may not need to work across divisions, but your executives will still need to understand the value and approach.
3. Evaluate your resources. Do you have the people in place to run a successful pilot? Keep in mind, that to start, you are simply evaluating and learning about what a lead nurturing program can bring to the table at your company. Think about scale after you learn from your pilot.
4. Don’t forget about engaging your sales folks! Sit down with a hand full of your sales people and talk to them about the leads they get from marketing. I guarantee you will come away with a wealth of new ideas on how to pass higher quality leads right from the start of your pilot!

In the coming weeks, I’ll continue this post with a 3-phase process to turning your marketing data into a strategic asset.

See you soon!