As you begin to develop and refine your lead scoring system, it will become important to analyze your overall revenue cycle. This cycle, traditionally called a “funnel,” begins with the creation of your demand generation program and ends with a closed deal and a new customer. The number of steps in between depends on your internal marketing and sales processes.
Revenue Cycle Management
The new lead scoring system will provide a high-level picture of how the revenue cycle is working and whether the process needs to be made more robust by adding additional cycle steps beyond its primary purpose: passing a new lead to sales.
For example, it's easy enough to visualize your current revenue portugal phone number data cycle in a simple diagram. Here, anonymous visitors immediately become leads, then opportunities, and ultimately customers.
The simplest linear diagram of the revenue cycle: anonymous visitor (Anonymous) - lead (Lead) - opportunity (Opportunity) - win (Won).The simplest linear diagram of the revenue cycle: anonymous visitor (Anonymous) - lead (Lead) - opportunity (Opportunity) - win (Won).
Unfortunately, this view of the revenue cycle, while simple, leaves much to be desired. It assumes by default that every new anonymous visitor is being passed on to sales. But what happens to the leads that don’t become opportunities? How many opportunities are lost if they simply fall out of your process? These leads need to be kept alive because they may one day re-emerge with the budget and management support they initially lacked.
No lead will be discarded
The example above ignores an important rule of revenue cycle management: don't leave any leads behind. No lead should ever get stuck in your revenue cycle. Below is another example that puts this philosophy into action.
The new model has a new stage called “Names,” which holds onto prospects as they enter the revenue cycle. You may be able to move some of them straight to sales, and for the rest, you may be able to use “lead nurturing” tactics, such as an educational email campaign, to further engage with them. This is where you’ll apply your lead scoring system to decide when they’re ready to buy.