It's a common problem: the leads you're generating aren't driving the sales numbers you're looking for.

The common solution: generate more leads. It seems like simple math. More potential leads go in the system, more sales come out. Current CRM research tells a different story.

The fact is that your business likely has more leads than it can handle already. Many leads never get reached, and many aren't ready to buy. Sales reps don't have the information they need to make a connection. Adding more fuel to the mix is not going to create a fire.

What's more likely to happen:

• System overload. More leads get missed, and reps need more time to contact them.
• He said, she said. Needless conflict between marketing and sales over lead quality.
• Wasted money. Return on investment shrinks as the cost of lead generation outpaces the conversion rate.

Unfortunately, some of the most typical solutions don't really address the problems:

Hire more sales reps
Research reveals that new hires will take 10 months to reach full production, and 80 percent of their time will not be spent on revenue generation.

Create an automated lead scoring system
While some leads will make it through the system, others will just sit there, leaving you with the same problem generating leads that go essentially untouched.