Do you know the origin of the phrase “catch-22”? It comes from a satirical novel (and later a movie and miniseries) about a fighter pilot who wants to stop flying dangerous missions. Unfortunately, his superiors keep increasing the number of missions he has to fly before he is eligible to go home.
Catch-22 is a bureaucratic rule that at first seems to offer him some hope. The rule says that if a pilot continues risking his life, he is considered insane and thus should be removed from combat. But the catch is that if he asks to stop flying, he has proven that he is sane and thus must continue flying.
It’s dark — but also very funny.
In B2B sales, there’s a similar catch-22 centered around lead generation. Teams are under constant pressure to feed the funnel. But as you get more leads, the quality usually goes down. And ironically, the volume of sales can actually decrease.
It’s the classic sales paradox: the more you chase, the more elusive true growth is.
Making a systemic change
This catch-22 isn’t a marketing challenge or a numbers game. It’s a systemwide problem that sales ops is uniquely positioned to solve.
So how do you solve it?
It starts by taking a step back and reshaping how the pipeline works. We recommend a four-step process:
- Highlight the hidden cost of more: To begin, you need to help your team understand that just adding more leads doesn’t usually lead to more sales. Chasing raw lead count burns rep time, drives up acquisition costs, and actually lowers close rates. It may not take much work to convince your co-workers of this reality — if management has been pushing them to fill the funnel, they’ve probably already experienced these results for themselves.
- Flip the question: Instead of asking “How do we get more leads?” reframe the issue as “How do we create a pipeline that grows itself?” That might mean using predictive analytics and artificial intelligence to improve your targeting. It might mean working with marketing to improve messaging and tactics. It might mean tapping into your customer networks. Or it might mean reprioritizing to better use your limited resources.
- Leverage the leverage points: Have you mapped out your sales pipeline? Doing so can help you expose simple areas for improvement. For example, you might be able to do some earlier disqualification or improve your targeting.
- Build urgency: Make sure your team understands the importance of acting quickly. Waiting to adapt is like pouring water into a bucket with a hairline crack: the longer you wait, the bigger the loss. You don’t need to wait until you have a perfect solution for the need for additional leads. Start by making small tweaks to the system and watch them compound over time.
Learn more
If you’re ready to make some real changes that can help you boost your quantity of leads without sacrificing quality, we have some resources that can help:
- Building a Better Sales Pipeline offers proven strategies and tactics for minimizing pipeline leakage and disqualification waste. It can help you create a self-filling funnel that not only delivers leads but also turns leads into sales.
- Attracting and Capturing Better Leads dives deeper into how to draw in higher-value prospects. It explains how to use data to inform your decisions and find the valuable leads you need.
At the end of the Catch-22 book, the main character realizes that he really does have the ability to break free. Rather than staying mired in the same no-win situation, he escapes to Switzerland. In a similar way, you’ll never solve the lead gen catch-22 by staying within the system as it currently stands. Only by breaking free and trying something new can you find a way out of the circular logic and achieve the success your company is looking for.
Building a Better Sales Pipeline
How do we develop a more efficient and more effective sales pipeline? And how do we drive improvement in a way that is more consistent, predictable, and scalable?
Attracting and Capturing Better Leads
Isn't it frustrating when sales gets the blame for poor performance when the quality of leads is the real problem. In this on-demand webinar, learn about a number of strategies and tactics for maximizing the quantity, quality, and value of your sales leads.
