The Practice and Process of Generating and Qualifying Mindful B2B Leads

What are leads? It's important not to forget that first and foremost leads are people. Yes, they may be a means to the ends of working with a company, but if we only see leads as a necessary step to landing a project, then we've likely been unconsciously in the habit of stepping on the very people with whom we should be establishing good relationships.

Generating and qualifying mindful leads involves so much more than mere fixation on the goal of landing a deal; rather, it includes the humility that we don't really know what may or may not come out of our new professional relationships if we are in fact willing to give them the opportunity to ripen in the way in which their ripening can be maximized.

What does all of this mean? At Mindful Life, Mindful Work, Inc. we very seldom target a given company or industry with our mindful services. Rather, as relationship 'experts' we put our relating to practice directly in the business world... our lead generation efforts are designed to connect and relate with individual professionals who are aligned and passionate about the type of work that we offer, and we've found this the best way to grow nurturing relationships... people first, companies maybe.

After all, if we are to end up working with a company, won't it go most smoothly if we have a real relationship with at least one employee that feels aligned with our mindful work? We've all surely heard of benefitting from aligning with an internal champion! But how do we find these champions and what qualities do they have... internally, externally, professionally, professionally? What subtle signals are they sending that we can pick up?

When generating lead lists, it's important to 'qualify' folks at every touchpoint... within our every choice be as conscious as possible in our determinations. If we do this, by the time we get a chance to talk with someone, they've already made 3-10 'filters', and are thus very likely to be a good conversation and possibility for true working alignment. We're on the lookout for work projects that are inspiring and the right 'fit' after all.

Of course there are obvious things like is the lead a decision-maker with discretionary budget; and although we've found these sorts of obvious designators helpful, we've also found that they're not initially the most important thing. To find the right champion, we must qualify our search (on LinkedIn for example) by 'asking' for what we truly want in a lead. Do we want a manager, a director, a vice president, or someone in the c-suite? Do we want them to have a personal connection to mindful services or to be in a specific company function? How do we actually want to position our services... as leadership development, performance improvement, wellness, some combination of these, or something entirely outside of these designations?

Additionally, what back-end systems do we have in place to practice 'mindful lead generation'? What CRM are we using to keep track of our efforts? How are we coordinating our team if multiple folks are engaged in the process? How does our lead generation sit in relation to our related activities like marketing, general business development, and sales? What schedules have we established for frequency of contact? Are we truly coordinated with all of these things in a way that has reliable consistency? Just like sales, lead generation and qualification is an engine that must run efficiently if we hope to achieve sustainable success... are we treating it as such?

A simple search on LinkedIn will help narrow the field, but is that enough to get started? Ultimately the answer is yes, but if we really want to engage and connect with the right professionals for our offerings, we must dig deeper... if we want to dig a hole for a well, we don't dig numerous 3-foot deep holes; instead, we dig one really deep hole to find water. Water in this metaphor is successful outcomes, and in order to achieve them we need to dig methodically and with great alignment... alignment with our own passion, meaning, and purpose, while simultaneously being mindful and skillful as to the characteristics and potential needs of our target leads.

When we filter and sift at each and every choice-point, we'll arrive at what is 'right'... we'll arrive in conversations with the right people at the right time, even when it doesn't always feel that way or work out how we would have hoped. The practice and process of generating and qualifying mindful leads is like tending to a garden. We care enough to prepare the soil, plant the seeds, care for them in dormancy, shelter them from harsh conditions, etc. And still, sometimes there's not enough sunlight or rain, or frost comes sooner than expected, or a bunny or a rat has other ideas! Yet, sometimes there is fruit... and it's delicious!, because we truly gave our love and care to the entire process.

Tend to the garden of leads with a humility and awareness that honors the process of discovery and you'll be destined for success... the success, satisfaction, and warm feelings that can only come from something grown at home. In this process, remember to balance head with heart, to balance rational and calculated choices with our gut feelings and trusting what feels intuitively right along the way. For a bird to fly it needs two wings... your rational skills supply of these and your social-emotional intelligence supplies the other.

Generating and qualifying mindful leads is a practice... practice well, practice often.

Please share your thoughts on this topic in the comments below.

Please also let us know if there is a specific topic you'd like to see addressed in a future edition of this newsletter.

And... for those wanting to grow mindful(ness) cultures in organizations, a new mastermind, think tank group is currently forming (beginning June 18th, 2022). This curated group is limited to thirty (30) professionals, some of whom are internal to companies and some external, all with the common goal of growing how companies utilize and leverage mindfulness-informed thinking, practices, and services. Group Details Here

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Jonathan Reynolds is founder and CEO of Mindful Life, Mindful Work, Inc., a San Francisco based leadership development company providing services that address the intersection of self-awareness and team performance. Since 1997, Jonathan has trained extensively in the discipline of mindfulness, and his work with leaders emphasizes simple and practical ways to improve performance, efficiency, and workplace cultures by integrating mindfulness sensibilities.

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