Services
TAYA

They Ask, You Answer Mastery

A coaching & training program that drives unmatched sales & marketing results.

Sales

Sales Performance Mastery

Improve the competencies and close rates of your sales organization.

Web design

Website Mastery

Web design, development & training for your team.

HubSpot

HubSpot Mastery

Everything you need to get the most from HubSpot.

AI Mastery

AI Enablement Mastery

Unlock the power of AI in all aspects of your revenue operations.

Discover how IMPACT’s services can help take your business to the next level. Book a free 30-minute coaching session Book a free 30-minute coaching session
Learning Center
Learning Center

Learning Center

Free resources to help you improve the way you market, sell and grow your business.

Discover how IMPACT’s services can help take your business to the next level. Book a free 30-minute coaching session Book a free 30-minute coaching session

Free Assessment: How does your sales & marketing measure up?

Get Started
Close

Free Assessment:

How does your sales & marketing measure up?
Take this free, 5-minute assessment and learn what you can start doing today to boost traffic, leads, and sales.
Get Started
John Bonini

By John Bonini

Jul 8, 2013

Topics:

Inbound Marketing
Subscribe
Join 40,000+ sales and marketing pros who receive our weekly newsletter.

Get the most relevant, actionable digital sales and marketing insights you need to make smarter decisions faster... all in under five minutes.

Thanks, stay tuned for our upcoming edition.
Inbound Marketing

The Anatomy of a Great Middle of the Funnel Opportunity

John Bonini

By John Bonini

Jul 8, 2013

The Anatomy of a Great Middle of the Funnel Opportunity

 

The Anatomy of a Great Middle of the Funnel OpportunityMistaken identity plagues sales teams everywhere.


And whether you know it or not, you've likely been guilty of an identity crisis or two in regards to your leads at some point in your marketing endeavors.


Passing off leads to sales prematurely is no laughing matter. Not only are you wasting their time on the phone, but they're also plotting against you, as the marketer, for dumping a heap of crap leads in their lap.


Top of the funnel leads are easy to manage. They're still identifying their need and methods of addressing it, so information and resources are their best friend.


Middle of the funnel leads are a bit more delicate. What type of nurturing do they require? Are they simply ready to be touched by sales right now? Have they even re-engaged enough to be considered an opportunity?


It's this back and forth that often leads to many MOFU leads being marked as sales ready prior to them actually meeting the criteria for being so.


Since lifecycle stages are subjective to the marketer and company who determines their sales funnel, I thought I'd highlight the criteria that every MOFU lead should meet prior to being passed off to sales.


The Characteristics of a Middle of the Funnel Opportunity


Educated


This one sounds obvious, but once again, "educated" means something different to every marketer.


It should never be assumed that because a lead has downloaded an ebook you deem essential to your sales process, that they are in fact educated. Who says they even read the entire ebook?


To truly understand whether a lead is appropriately educated, it's important to delve into their behaviors as it relates to your website and content. Are they opening – and clicking – relevant emails?


Have they re-engaged with your brand on their own?


It should be noted that if they aren't digesting more advanced content to move through your sales funnel, they aren't any more "educated."


Consuming five introductory offers doesn't mean a lead has worked to the middle of your sales funnel. If you notice leads moving backwards, meaning they go back to downloaded intro offers after reading something more advanced, this is another sign that they may not be educated enough to be considered for sales.


Volume isn't an indicator here. What type or level of content is a lead consuming?


Never assume a lead is educated. Doing so only makes the sales process that much longer.


Engaged


Not to be confused with social engagement – although this is certainly helpful – look for your leads to engage actively with any communications on your behalf.


How do they respond to your lead nurturing efforts?


Are they clicking through on emails? Not even opening them?


In HubSpot, you can actually create segmented smart lists that contain only leads who have clicked through on an email.


Your lead nurturing campaign is where the great leads are discovered. You just need to be looking for them and using the tools necessary in order to identify them.


How many emails has a particular lead clicked on? Between their level of education and high level of engagement, you almost have a case for qualifying a lead as sales ready.


Behavioral


As I just mentioned, if a lead is educated and displaying a high level of engagement with your brand, here's where it's time to get more granular in your assessment in order to fully identify a lead as an opportunity.


Using whatever marketing automation software you have at your disposal, start analyzing what your leads are doing on your website.


What pages are they visiting?


Quantify that. After all, wouldn't a lead who visits your pricing page be a bit more valuable than one who is simply viewing your homepage?


How often are they coming back to your website? Are they doing so on their own?


Monitor a lead's behavior, as this is a huge indicator as to whether they're actually serious about your brand, or simply gathering information.


Demographics


Lastly, while this may sound obvious, is a particular lead even meeting the demographics your company deems necessary for a successful sales process?


Think of the information you're attempting to gather on your lead capture forms.


It could anything from geographic, industry type, company size, or even age.


Don't waste your sales team's time and resources by delivering leads that don't even align with the demographics your company has identified as essential.


Again, while this may seem obvious, it's also easy to overlook when a lead seems to meet all the other criteria. Educated. Engaged.


However, demographics ensure they're qualified to work with you.

Free Assessment:

How does your sales & marketing measure up?
Take this free, 5-minute assessment and learn what you can start doing today to boost traffic, leads, and sales.

Related Articles

The Hidden Costs of a Cheap Website

November 29, 2023
Vin Gaeta Vin Gaeta

Your Website in 2024: The Future of Trends, Tech, and Traffic

November 1, 2023
Vin Gaeta Vin Gaeta

How to Humanize Your Content While Using AI

September 11, 2023
Mandy York Mandy York

What is the Inbound Marketing Funnel? (+ Examples)

July 27, 2023
Anj Bourgeois Anj Bourgeois

Inbound Marketing vs. Content Marketing: What's the Difference? 

July 3, 2023
Brian Casey Brian Casey

Word-of-Mouth is Fragile; Here's How to Build Market Durability

May 10, 2023
Marcus Sheridan Marcus Sheridan

9 Best Customer Feedback Tools for Businesses of Every Size

March 27, 2023
Ramona Sukhraj Ramona Sukhraj

How to Ghostwrite Content for a Subject Matter Expert

March 20, 2023
John Becker John Becker

What Happens When You Don't Have Buy-in for Your Inbound Strategy?

March 9, 2023
Ramona Sukhraj Ramona Sukhraj

How To Set Content Marketing Goals for Growth

December 29, 2022
Brian Casey Brian Casey

Inbound Marketing for Logistics Companies (Transportation and Warehousing)

December 8, 2022
John Becker John Becker

How Much Does Inbound Marketing Cost in 2023?

November 28, 2022
Ramona Sukhraj Ramona Sukhraj

How To Grow Your Email List: 13 Savvy Tips To Try in 2023

November 22, 2022
Ramona Sukhraj Ramona Sukhraj

Content Marketing in 2024: Principles, Platforms, and Content Distribution

November 8, 2022
Marcus Sheridan Marcus Sheridan

7 Inbound Marketing Strategy Mistakes that Will Cost You in 2024

October 19, 2022
Kevin Phillips Kevin Phillips

Inbound Marketing for Construction Companies

June 11, 2022
Kimberly Marshall Kimberly Marshall

What is the Inbound Marketing Methodology?

June 8, 2022
Allison Melnik Allison Melnik

Inbound Marketing for Staffing Agencies

May 28, 2022
Kimberly Marshall Kimberly Marshall

Green Energy Inbound Marketing Strategy: The DIY Approach to Getting More Customers

May 7, 2022
John Becker John Becker

IMPACT+ for Business vs. the They Ask, You Answer Mastery Program

April 15, 2022
Kimberly Marshall Kimberly Marshall

Inbound Marketing for Franchises: Attracting Your Audience

March 25, 2022
Carolyn Edgecomb Carolyn Edgecomb

3 Surefire Signs Your Content Is Hitting the Wrong Audience

March 18, 2022
Ramona Sukhraj Ramona Sukhraj

Inbound Marketing for Higher Education

March 11, 2022
Kimberly Marshall Kimberly Marshall

Starting a Business Blog? Features and Best Practices for Success in 2022

March 10, 2022
Ramona Sukhraj Ramona Sukhraj

11 Books Every Black Sales and Marketing Professional Should Read in 2022

March 5, 2022
Hannah Woods Hannah Woods