Last week, representatives from boberdoo.com attended LeadsCon East 2016 which was held in the Hilton Midtown in New York City. This is an annual event that brings together lead buyers, lead sellers and all the other companies operating in the same ecosystem.
LeadsCon East 2016
We were one of the exhibitors at the conference and were happy to talk to old clients, new clients and possible future clients. Our Sales and Marketing Manager, Scott Hettman also had a chance to be on one of the panels, discussing selling and monetization of Leads. Overall LeadsCon East 2016 was an interesting conference and we thought we would share our biggest takeaways that stemmed from both the exhibit hall as well as the various panels and open discussions that were held.
1. Educating the lead is essential
Lead Sellers often think of their buyers as the ultimate customers. Their needs are of course a priority for a seller, because without them, there would be no business. It is however important to consider the leads themselves as customers as well. Without the leads, our entire industry would not exist. And whether you generate leads yourselves or buy them from a 3rd party vendor, it’s important to consider that the better experience the lead has and the more they feel like they are part of the process, the higher quality that lead becomes. A dissatisfied lead who feels that their information was taken from them without any value will be unlikely to convert leading to devaluation of your leads in the future. The takeaway here is that it’s important to think of all the stakeholders when running a lead business.
2. Lead Quality, what it is and is it important?
At LeadsCon 2016, many discussions revolved around the tools companies could use to ensure lead quality. There are multiple ways to do so, from checking whether the lead phone number is in the right format, all the way to whether it actually belongs to the lead. The important question here is whether any of this is important. There are obviously a lot of fake leads out there, but that’s part of the business isn’t it? Well, there are certainly a lot of companies that operate with that thought process however whether you are a lead seller, a lead buyer or an aggregator, by not considering lead quality, you’re only doing a disservice to yourself. By eliminating low quality/fake leads, there are several benefits you will get. First will be that if you sell leads, you will increase your reputation, and will be able to monetize your leads better with future buyers. You will also hold a competitive advantage in the marketplace, because high quality leads will always be needed. Finally you will contribute to the leads themselves having a better experience. If there are less resources dedicated to taking care of the fake leads, it will be easier to make sure the real leads are given as much attention as needed.
3. History of the lead industry
There were discussions about how the lead industry developed. In the past years, it used to be more intimate and consist of smaller relationships. With the growth of the industry in general and the introduction of things such as ping post, there’s been a lot of new ways companies have been able to grow and succeed in the business. However there are certain pitfalls when dealing with less personal relationships. Leads are sold multiple times, by multiple buyers to multiple people. Ping post, the technology that has revolutionized the lead industry has certainly helped this along. It is really important to consider that as our companies and the industry itself keeps growing at an exponential pace, that we make sure the grow in a sustainable manner. It is crucial to know that the future of the industry will be shaped by the decisions we make today.
4. An Open Space to discuss ideas is crucial
One of the key questions that is often asked about LeadsCon is whether it’s worth the price to attend. In our opinion, this is a decision that really has to be made by the individual. Different organizations will see different values from attending the conference and it’s a crucial business decision to make. There is one benefit of LeadsCon, which was especially true of LeadsCon East 2016, that is important to discuss: “The Open Space to discuss ideas”. The Leads industry can seem very big, but at the same time it’s very intimate. There are a core group of people that will be at every conference. This is important because a young industry like the lead gen industry can be shaped by the discussions and the ideas that come out of these conferences. There are a lot of different ways we can move forward and being able to voice our ideas and decide together is an important part of being in this community.
5. Meeting People you work with face-to-face is really great
To end on a lighter note, it is worth mentioning that one of the greatest parts of attending conferences such as these is the ability to actually meet your clients and people you work with on the daily bases. Being in the United States, where the sprawling geography rarely offers us the chance to meet in person, the few opportunities such as these are really great ways to connect. Modern technology from email to VOIP to Skype have certainly made it easy to communicate over long distances, but at the end of the day, nothing will replace in person communication.
boberdoo is a software a service provider for the lead generation industry. Along with LeadsCon East 2016, we have attended and exhibited at dozens of lead-related conferences in the past and are always happy to share our experiences with the lead generation community. If you have any questions about boberdoo, our software or even our experience within the lead generation industry, feel free to reach out!