The onus of revenue generation has always fallen on the lot of the sales and marketing function. Marketing does the groundwork in identifying target markets, crafting the narrative, conveying the message, and eventually distilling qualified leads for sales. Meanwhile, sales is out on the field, pursuing these MQLs to capture and close deals.

The entire process involves multiple stages and the buyer journey consumes significant time.  Given the complexity, predicting the outcome of the MQLs is not easy. Sales might dismiss some leads as disqualified, while others are lost (lose interest after some time). Still others are not in-market and may need further nurturing. And a few convert. Often the final conversion rate from lead to customer is disappointing in spite of best efforts.

For business leaders, the challenge is to put into place processes, culture, and initiatives that enable higher conversions to fuel revenue growth.

What can you, as a leader, do to make the buyer cycle time shorter, and improve conversion rates? How do you improve collaboration and communication? How can a business leader influence sales and marketing to generate higher revenue? Which are the areas where you can bring about change to influence better outcomes?

Here are some things that you can do -