Effective Lead Generation Values Quality Over Quantity
By: © Elisabeth Lawrence

"When it comes to lead generation, we value quality over quantity," says Lou Pine, Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of Business Development for Permission Data (www.permissiondata.com). "Today's marketplace is so fragmented that lead generation is no longer about volume, it's about consistently delivering qualified potential customers with rich profiles and verified information."

Pine's premise is reinforced by recent industry research, which found that the generation of quality leads was one of the three best measurements of marketing group performance, and that bringing in qualified leads was one of the top three ways that marketers add value to their organizations.

If lead generation sometimes seems puzzling, Permission Data puts the puzzle pieces together. "We provide campaign placement, management and analysis while collecting, validating, and delivering the consumer information that companies need," says Pine.

The manner in which Permission Data gathers leads places it head and shoulders above other lead generation companies. "Our paradigm is pure, in that we don't incentivize the user or force any offers with pre-checked boxes," says Pine. "Instead, we use 100 percent opt-in co-registration sites." Those can include survey and opinion sites as well as free offers and sweepstakes sites. Their use of specific client-based approaches means that top marketers and Fortune 500 companies turn to Permission Data when they seek to elicit product interest and branding, to test marketing strategies, or to increase ROI.

Permission Data's process of lead generation typically begins with a registration process, during which consumer information is collected. From there, consumers are exposed to targeted advertiser offers, and can, at their own initiation, opt in to learn more about a brand or product. "At that point, the consumer will typically see a customized advertiser survey or other instrument that allows for additional branding and cross-product marketing," says Pine. "This is followed by content that the consumer will find appealing and informative."

The information that is collected throughout the process isn't simply handed over to Permission Data's clients; instead, it goes through the company's TruFilter proprietary data cleansing technology. "TruFilter verifies U.S. Postal Service addresses, area codes and phone prefixes, validates email address syntaxes and domain names, and filters out profanity," says Pine. The technology also aggregates leads, removing duplicates, and assigns a source code to each lead.

But perhaps the best feature of Permission Data's service is the speed and manner in which the leads are delivered to their clients. In a recent survey, over a third of Chief Marketing Officers reported that they don't have sufficient real-time access to leads and prospects. Permission Data can set up a real-time data feed to its clients within 24 hours, and offers customizable file formatting and delivery integration. "We pride ourselves on our ability to provide our clients with volume, quality, simplicity, and speed," says Pine. "We define customer service as the ability to constantly and consistently exceed our customers' expectations."

And when it comes to lead generation, Permission Data defines success.

© 2006 Elisabeth Lawrence