As part of our routine maintenance at Etumos, I recently conducted a lead flow audit. Now, if you’re scratching your head wondering what that entails, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Essentially, it’s like giving our marketing ops engine a thorough check-up to ensure everything is running smoothly and efficiently.

Now, fast forward to me sitting in the car dealership waiting for my annual maintenance to be completed (hopefully without any unexpected items on my bill.) As I observed the technicians meticulously tending to each detail of my car’s maintenance, it struck me how similar the process was to conducting a lead flow audit. Sure, my knowledge of auto mechanics might not extend beyond knowing where the gas goes, but when it comes to optimizing marketing operations, I’ve got you covered. So, for those of you considering a lead flow audit or perhaps haven’t even thought about it yet, buckle up as I share what I did, why I did it, and how it can turbocharge your marketing ops processes. And don’t worry, motorheads, I promise not to butcher the car lingo too badly.

Why Roll Up Your Sleeves for a Lead Flow Inspection?

There are 4 main benefits that make this a worthwhile investment:

• Quality Control Check: Just like a skilled mechanic diagnosing a car’s performance, analyzing your entire lead flow ecosystem provides valuable insights into what’s firing on all cylinders and what’s running on empty.
• Spot the Bottlenecks: Shine a spotlight on those pesky bottlenecks hiding in the shadows of your marketing engine. By pinpointing and addressing these roadblocks, you’ll clear the way for smoother transitions and turbocharged lead progression through your pipeline.
• Streamline and Shine: Fine-tune your lead generation, nurturing, and conversion processes for peak performance. With a keen eye for optimization, you’ll maximize efficiency and ensure that every lead receives the attention it deserves.
• Enhance the Customer Experience: Just as a smooth ride enhances the joy of driving, ensuring a seamless journey from lead to loyal customer elevates the customer experience. Let’s ensure their path is as smooth as freshly waxed paintwork.

How do you know it is time to schedule an audit appointment?

If your performance suddenly takes a nosedive, it’s time to pull over and investigate. But lead flow audits aren’t just for emergencies. Major operational changes, new software implementation or a major shake-up on your sales team? Consider it a green flag to conduct an audit.

And even if everything seems to be humming along, a regular check-up can prevent potential breakdowns down the road. Aim for at least an annual tune-up to keep your marketing engine purring like a well-oiled machine.

How to Conduct a Lead Flow Audit: The Driver’s Manual

Now, let’s pop the hood and get our hands dirty. Here’s your step-by-step guide to conducting a lead flow audit:

Review Lead Generation Channels:

Start by reviewing all your lead generation channels – email, social media, paid ads, you name it. Just like a mechanic checks all the vital systems of a car, you need to assess which channels are firing on all cylinders and which ones need a tune-up.

For the purpose of the audit, it may be helpful to narrow down to leads created within a specific date. I chose to look only at leads created within the last year.

Look for trends in lead acquisition such as what channels are generating the most leads, which ones appear to be underperforming and if there have been any significant shifts in lead volume or lead quality over time.

Test Lead Capture Mechanisms:

Next, it’s time to put your lead capture mechanisms to the test. Are your website forms running smoothly or sputtering out?

Look at both form functionality and user experience. For larger organizations, testing all forms may not be a possibility. In this scenario, I would recommend you review any global or highly utilized forms; at a minimum thoroughly review the following:

• Contact or Demo Form
• Content or Asset Download form
• Event Registration Form
• LinkedIn or Facebook Lead Gen Form (if used)

Ensure lead data is captured and new records are being created in the system quickly and accurately. In addition to data captured in visible form fields, make sure you review anything passed to your MAP from hidden fields on the form. Note scenarios where data passed appears to cause sync issues or is incomplete.

Examine Lead Nurturing Processes and Strategy:

Take a close look at your nurture programs. Are they smoothly guiding leads through the sales funnel or leaving them stranded on the side of the road?

Review the lead nurturing workflows and automation sequences in place within your MAP. Review lead flow and quantity of new leads entering each nurture, documenting any issues you encounter with lead volume. Confirm entrance and exit criteria is appropriate for the intent of each nurture stream.

Evaluate the effectiveness of nurturing efforts in moving leads through the sales funnel. Review engagement and performance metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Also, review deliverability metrics and unsubscribe rates.

Inspect the CRM Sync:

Just like a well-oiled transmission, your CRM should seamlessly integrate with your marketing automation platform to ensure accurate data and smooth operations.

If your team is using a lead management system or CRM, confirm leads created from your tests have synced properly identifying any field values or formatting issues leading to sync failures.

Additionally, ensure data accuracy, completeness and visibility for stakeholders to make informed decisions about next steps and to track performance against key metrics.

Sales follow-up and conversion rates:

Finally, take a look at your sales follow-up procedures. Are your sales teams able to rev their engines and respond promptly to leads?

Here, you’ll want to review the process for assigning leads to sales representatives or relevant teams including lead assignment rules, communication protocols for new leads, and handoff criteria. Document areas where transitions are not smooth or where lead leakage occurs.

Also, examine the sales team’s follow-up procedures and response times and outreach frequency for incoming leads. Make sure to include all outreach methods. This will be an especially important step if you’re performing the audit because of alignment issues with the sales team.

Track conversion rates at each stage of the sales process, from lead handoff to closed won or lost, identify bottlenecks or areas where leads stall or fall off.

Conclusion

Like a thorough inspection under the hood, lead flow audits may require some time investment, but the payoff is well worth it. Through a methodical review of your lead flow, you can pinpoint areas for fine-tuning, address any clogs or misalignments, and apply tactics to rev up your lead generation, streamline collaboration with sales, and fine-tune your nurturing approach. The result? Increased conversion rates in a fraction of the time.