How to Get the Most B2B Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) - An Interview with Laurie Hood

My latest guest is an amazing marketing leader and the first CMO on my show!Laurie Hood, a proud Clemson University grad, studied economics and computer science before starting her marketing career.Laurie entered the tech marketing arena right out of college. She forged her way through the ranks at many well-known corporations and now holds the position of Chief Marketing Officer at Mobilewalla, a data and artificial intelligence company headquartered in Atlanta, Ga. As a B2B SaaS marketing executive, Laurie’s team uses various marketing channels to get the message about her product out, such as social, SEO, paid ads, webinars, and industry conferences.“We get tremendous success with paid social,” she says. But, “I’m very much about quality, not quantity, so when I send a lead to my seller, I want to be sure that the prospect knows who Mobilewalla is and that receiving a phone call from us is not going to seem weird.”Highlighting the importance of adequately moving a prospect down the sales funnel.AwarenessInterestDesireCloseBut the tried and true way to receive MQLs usually comes from in-person events, such as industry conferences, because of the value of face-to-face interactions. Back to her quality-over-quantity approach, Laurie’s team differentiates prospects by hot, warm, and cold leads during field marketing efforts after receiving a business card.“What I don’t want is to get 1,000 business cards, and 950 of them just wanted our giveaway,” Laurie explains. Hot leads go directly into Salesforce, then get assigned to sellers, and become SQLs. Warm and cold leads are added to a separate list and receive nurture campaigns, and as these warm and cold leads convert through nurture, they eventually become SQLs.An excellent way to bring awareness and generate demand, especially at conferences, is through thought leadership presentations, she explains. A few key things that help you succeed:Don’t make your presentation a sales pitchIdentify qualified speakersKnow your audienceAbout the third point, depending on the situation, certain industry audiences appreciate speakers who are practitioners, not managers. Laurie is known to have asked junior-level employees to speak at events to build a bridge and relatability between her audience and the organization a senior-level executive may not be able to achieve. “Everyone has something to contribute,” Laurie says. “You just have to get your people on the right topic with the right group.”A great lesson in leadership! Talking about lessons, one of the most important lessons Laurie learned during her successful marketing career is to be empathetic with non-marketers and back up efforts with data to help them understand why she implements specific strategies and tactics. To get in touch with Laurie to talk marketing or learn more about Mobilewalla, connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at [email protected] next time.