From a business-to-business perspective, the incentive can take the form of something that is immediately relevant and applicable to the prospect’s business. For example, an industry “white paper,” a timely news story or a “test drive” of your product are all proven examples of value-added incentives. Motivation can also take the form of a industry related quiz or opinion poll where the prospect feels they have a say, and when the results are tallied they will be able to gauge what the industry thinks about important topics.

The key with any incentive is to provide an offer that is consistent with your business and holds a promise of improving the business of your prospects.

To obtain the incentive, prospects simply need to provide information that fits your lead qualification criteria. To capture this information, the direct marketing needs to drive prospects to a marketing-oriented landing page.

Capturing vital data.
Once prospects are engaged, a customized, marketing-oriented landing page can help complete your product story and capture vital prospect information.

Typically, data collection is handled via landing pages (and/or Websites) and traditional business reply cards. It is pivotal that your landing page aligns with all other media in the campaign. For example, the landing page must have complete synergy with the direct mail and other communication elements. If the goal of the direct mail offers an incentive, the landing page must provide the registration and data capture mechanism to support and fulfill this initiative. Similarly, if the goal is to motivate prospects to take a quiz or offer an opinion, the landing page must make this action a priority. In addition, your landing page must provide a natural “click through” destination if prospects arrive at it from email or banner ads.

Above all, the landing page must contain a data capture element that asks questions that align with your lead qualification profile. Some of the most important B-to-B lead qualification questions cover items such as responsibilities, the individual’s role within the decision making process, purchasing cycle information, geography and competitive product usage information.

For instance, if you need to pinpoint a lead role in the decision making process, you must go beyond simply asking for a business title. An effective database has the ability to flag whether or not a lead is a primary decision maker. Another surprisingly basic yet effective way to determine the decision maker is to simply ask.

It is also crucial to ensure that your data capture component collects prospect email addresses and asks permission to use them. Once you have these addresses, you can leverage email as a fast, efficient and cost effective channel for future communications and lead cultivation efforts.

Finally, be sure to limit your initial lead qualification questions to no more than 5 or 6 at a time, so that respondents aren’t overwhelmed or intimidated by providing too much information. Remember, this is only the beginning of your dialogue. Additional questions can be followed up through future lead cultivation activities.