Recently a client told us, “I want so many leads coming through the marketing team, that the sales team will have to hire more people to keep up.” These are the kind of words we love to hear… a challenge. It was a goal we were excited to meet. Then, she looked at us long and hard, narrowed her eyes, and said, “You have 30 days.” Sigh.

Creating a great Lead Gen Program is a marathon not a sprint. Can we create leads for a client quickly? Of course. But are they marketing qualified leads? Are they sales qualified leads?

First, what is a lead gen program. A lead gen program is the process of attracting and converting prospects into leads. A qualified lead is a determined degree of interest a prospect shows in your company.

Some times, you’ll get that rare sprinter prospect that lands on your site and immediately clicks Get A Quote. But let’s be honest. The chances of that person being a qualified lead are slim. To create a qualified lead (someone who could also become an evangelist for your company!) you need to be ready for a marathon.

During a marathon, your prospect will hit a few key markers, maybe several times.

These will include your website, blog, social media posts, email campaigns, banner ads and other marketing initiatives that may be running (no pun intended).

The longer your prospect continues the marathon with you, the better the prospect gets to know you.

This prospect is becoming a strong lead. Even if the person doesn’t become a customer, he or she could become a person that leads your next customer to you. You’ve established a relationship. With steady nurturing, it’s a relationship that can continue for a long time.

According to a Forrester report, 82% of consumers who purchased, viewed at least 5 pieces of content from the winning company. This is the marathon journey.

There will always be clients who need leads right away and we have solutions to provide a path to create them. But a steady stream of leads running a marathon are the leads that provide longevity for a company. They are as much a part of the company as employees.