Two Data Points Every Lead Should Have
Regardless of the terms used – status, disposition, outcome, state– every lead should have at least two data points associated with it. One regarding validity and one regarding outcome.
In my last post “Clear as Mud: Transparency is Tricky,” I posed a few questions for lead buyers and sellers to think about regarding their business practices. I’d like to touch on the last two buyer questions regarding lead dispositions.
It is my experience that the line between the status and disposition of a lead is often blurred into one hybrid lead outcome. While one lead outcome may seem more manageable, the lack of precision in defining the true state of a lead makes refining and optimizing lead processes much more difficult.
Let us take for instance the outcome “invalid lead – not interested.” Contacting a consumer who is “not interested” does not mean the lead is “invalid.” The status of the lead is valid – which I define as a contactable phone – but the lead was not workable because the disposition is “not interested.”
As I see it, status and disposition are not synonymous and should not be mixed. These two data points should be independent and based on different factors. The status of a lead should be based on the criteria defining validity. The disposition should be based on the outcome of the lead – i.e. the action taken with the lead – thus only end users will have this data point.
For instance, let us define –
Status has the following values:
- Valid – contactable phone number
- Unknown – inconclusive contact (no answer, fax)
- Invalid – non-contactable phone number (invalid, blank, disconnected)
Disposition has the following values based on the listed outcomes:
Equally as important as maintaining these two data points for each lead, is the definition and standardization of their assignment.
Whether your classifications are as basic as the ones I’ve described above or more intricate, it is imperative that you clearly define and document the criteria governing each outcome to ensure accuracy and consistency. This is increasingly important when incorporating a human element – such as a call center agent.
When utilizing a call center, it is often helpful to provide your call center agents with a table in similar fashion to the one displayed above. A standardized set of outcomes mapped to dispositions creates accurate uniformity, which leads to higher precision.
Retaining information on both validity and outcome allows more granular analysis of lead performance and in turn more accurate decision making.
If you are the end user of a lead, then you have the capacity to attain both pieces of information. If you are the lead seller, you will only have data points regarding lead validity based on your parameters, unless you have developed transparency in your partnership. Either way, you’ve got a place to start.
Stay tuned to find out what’s next…
Andi
