BtoB corporate web sites are vastly underperforming in terms of lead generation, new research shows. A vast majority (80%) of BtoB organizations surveyed indicated that their web sites are not performing to maximum lead generation potential, according to the 2011 Demandbase National Marketing and Sales Study, released today.

While more than half (60%) of respondents reported that they know and understand their prospects well, marketers are still struggling to understand how prospect behavior correlates to lead generation.

Demandbase partnered with Focus Expert Network to conduct the study via online channels in May 2011. Based on the results of the survey, corporate web sites remain the primary hub to harness customer interest driven by online marketing activities.

The Sales Development Representative (SDR) role in BtoB organizations is considered critical because these team members spend the most amount of time with prospects.

The skills required for inbound follow-up are different from targeted outbound prospecting, therefore splitting the SDR team, can help BtoB organizations “divide and conquer” efforts, according to Jason Hekl, Principal of Demand A Lot Marketing. Hekl shared key strategies for marketers looking to convert prospects into customers in a recent webinar hosted by True Influence titled, “DIY Demand Generation: Scrappy Marketing Strategies for Filling the Funnel Faster.”

According to Hekl, the success of demand generation hinges on the efficient allocation of inbound and outbound marketing responsibilities among team members.

By Alicia FIorletta, Associate Editor

It wasn’t quite Donald Trump’s boardroom, but four industry experts were put on the firing line this week as part of the MarketingSherpa B2B Summit 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts, September 26-28. During the panel titled Lead Gen Apprentice – Quick Hit Tactics to Boost Your Lead Gen, the panelist gave three-minute pitches on their lead gen solution to “the CEO.”

With the television program “The Apprentice” as the panel’s inspiration, moderator Dan Burstein, Director of Editorial Content for MECLABS Primary Research, presented real-life scenarios for the experts to provide quick-hitting tips and tricks on how to maximize lead gen efforts regardless of team size and budget. Panelists included: Cheemin Bo-Linn, CMO, NetLine; Jon Miller, VP of Marketing at Marketo; Jim Williams, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Eloqua; and Bryan Brown, Director of Product Strategy at Silverpop.

By Bruce Wagoner, Digital Wavefront

Too often companies silo marketing from sales when it relates to goals, strategies and tactics. In reality, they belong under the same roof and need to be collaborative, especially throughout the lead nurture effort.

By Bruce Wagoner, Digital Wavefront

Too often companies silo marketing from sales when it relates to goals, strategies and tactics. In reality, they belong under the same roof and need to be collaborative, especially throughout the lead nurture effort.

Eloqua today released the “Real World Marketing Syllabus,” designed as an educational guide to delivers lessons and lectures from real-world marketing experts. Structured like a college course, the syllabus covers a diverse range of topics — from startup marketing to the role of SEO — with resources developed by leading marketers working in today’s constantly evolving marketplace.

Combining content curation and original work, the Real World Marketing Syllabus brings together articles, videos and podcasts on key marketing topics, including personal branding, demand generation, startup marketing and content marketing.

More than 40,000 marketing and sales professionals gathered in San Francisco, CA Aug. 30- Sept. 2 for Salesforce.com's Annual Dreamforce Conference. DemandGen Report editors caught up with the major players in the automation space to learn what's new and where the market is headed.

Part 1 of 2:

• Joe Payne, CEO, Eloqua
• Umberto Milletti, CEO, InsideView
• Adam Needles, Chief Strategy Officer, Left Brain DGA
• Sam Weber, CEO, Genius.com
• Ryan Allis, CEO, iContact
• Mike Volpe, CMO, Hubspot
• Raghu Raghavan, CEO, Act-On Software

Play Videos

Salesforce.com announced yesterday its acquisition of Assistly, an instant customer-service help desk built for the cloud.

Salesforce.com acquired Assistly for approximately $50 million in cash, net of cash acquired, according to a press release. Salesforce.com also assumed Assistly’s unvested options and will issue restricted stock units to certain Assistly shareholders.

Assistly was founded in 2009 by Alex Bard (CEO); Gary Benitt (COO); Brad Birnbaum (CTO); and Jeremy Suriel, (Chief Architect). Company investors include Bullpen Capital, Index Ventures, salesforce.com, Social Leverage and True Ventures.

Nurtured BtoB sales leads are nearly nine times more likely to result in sales appointments than cold calls, according to a recent internal study conducted by Sales Engine International, a BtoB integrated marketing and sales acceleration firm.

For the study, Sales Engine International tapped into the same BtoB marketing sales “road map” that it implements for clients. The company used itself as an example to analyze how marketing can be leveraged to drive sales appointments. Paul Rafferty, Founder and CEO of Sales Engine, noted that that the company’s predictions of the number of nurtured leads to sales was more pronounced than expected.

Nurtured BtoB sales leads are nearly nine times more likely to result in sales appointments than cold calls, according to a recent internal study conducted by Sales Engine International, a BtoB integrated marketing and sales acceleration firm.

For the study, Sales Engine International tapped into the same BtoB marketing sales “road map” that it implements for clients. The company used itself as an example to analyze how marketing can be leveraged to drive sales appointments. Paul Rafferty, Founder and CEO of Sales Engine, noted that that the company’s predictions of the number of nurtured leads to sales was more pronounced than expected.