In the last week I’ve met two marketing directors at global B2B companies. Both with similar challenges: in 2009 they need to do more.

Both are looking to us to make the most of their money. So what did I do? I stepped through our lead generation engine approach – how more concentrated investments in sales-aligned marketing can deliver greater results at lower costs.

Why are B2B marketing departments increasingly seeking a longer term lead generation strategy?

First, because we have to work harder now than ever to identify the parts of the market where there is opportunity. It’s still there, arguably more of it than before, but in very different places than a few months ago. Longer term campaigning actually shows you where do market next (Sign up to our IT Boomhunter series via RSS or email to keep abreast of IT market developments as they happen.)

Second, because increased cost-control is changing clients’ and prospects’ behaviour – and sales and marketing approaches need to adapt in line with this. Again, only from longer term campaigning can you see these changes before your competitors do.

Third, because marketing departments themselves are under pressure to find efficiency, increase productivity and deliver bottom line results. This can result in ‘quick and dirty’ campaigns that frustrate the sales team (see this post on selling in harder times) and actually damage your chances of selling (see this interview with Egg’s ex-CIO, explaining why one-off campaigns won’t get a hearing.)

What’s needed is a cool appraisal of the real market conditions, and a programme worked out over the long term to reduce the cost of business acquisition whilst increasing marketing efficacy.

The Marketing Practice’s approach shows that this can be done. How?

It’s not just a theory. We’ve proved it. For example, we’ve been running an executive events series for more than 2 years. Working the same set of data (because we started with a clear idea of everyone in the target audience), we’ve more than doubled the number of attendees at the events every other month, cut by 35% the cost per delegate, and delivered countless opportunities for sales engagement (exciting, because we know that the events are just a means to an end, not an end in themselves).

Or take another example – a lead generation programme running over the last 3 and a half years for a software company. Over this time, we’ve worked online, offline, through events, dinners and conferences and with ongoing teleservice. Always to the same audience, building and refining data across their target markets. These kind of programmes work right from day one and build phenomenal market intelligence.

If you want to know how, we’re running a roadshow featuring case studies of how our “lead generation engine” approach works. Drop us a line now to find out when and where.