For the glory it gets, the internet isn’t omniscient. Information on it isn’t entirely accurate. In fact, the answers that you’re looking for aren’t always on Google. Cases where this happens to serve as a cautionary tale to users.

But then again, it’s not really about the internet is it? It’s really about the limits of where you can go for accessible information. Software leads are just another form of information bundled up for the benefit of your salespeople. You can access this through your own lead generation strategies, outsourced appointment setters, and other mainstream lead sources.

But do these software leads grant omniscience? No.

Remember, your leads are useless unless there’s a good chance of a sale. Much like the basics of testing accurate information on the internet, there are basics to follow when testing a lead’s accuracy. These depend on:

  • Name – No, not just the name of your prospect nor the name of their company. It also includes their overall reputation. Are they a good company to work with? Do they pay their providers? Do they have a history of abusive tech policies?
  • Budget – Does the specific decision maker have the necessary budget? That’s always a basic question. Although, it also has long-term applications. You can’t easily tell if your business model is actually enabling that budget in part or in whole.
  • Needs – How sure are you that they have the need to really make the close? Are they desperate for a solution or just browsing for vendors? They may have the budget but not necessarily the commitment to change their current system.

You can already tell that even the basics don’t tell you everything you need to know to accurately predict a positive sales outcome. That’s why you still need sales reps.

It doesn’t help for your salespeople to be too skeptical of the leads. Instead, they need to remember that the task of probing deeper and understanding more complex buying problems is their job. What you won’t learn from Google and LinkedIn, you might learn from just having a brief phone call conversation. When you want secrets, don’t keep your digging to a search engine. Go out. Network. Ask questions. Stay sharp and mindful. The internet is just one among the many answers to the oldest question: What are you looking for?