Brian Carroll’s new book, Lead Generation for the Complex Sale, is a must read if you are looking for ways to drive more and better quality leads for your sales team year round. I liked Brian's holistic approach which encompasses people, process and tool investments necesary for effective lead generation. And he even cites Elise Bauer, Pacifica Group partner, on the topic of thought leadership, a critical ingredient in delivering value in each customer communication.

I’ll highlight three of Brian’s contributions which I most appreciated:

• Universal lead definition – bring sales and marketing leaders together to agree on criteria for a “sales ready” lead then hold both accountable for execution.
• Multi-modal – build a portfolio of different approaches (e.g. email, web, phone calls, PR, events, direct mail, referrals, etc.) so you have a steady stream of actionable leads.
• Lead nurturing – engage prospects with relevant, timely, and enticing information from the first point of contact to contract. It’s about conversations not campaigns.

If you take these three concepts (and more) that Brian talks about, you’ll have a lead generation machine in place that will produce far better results from your sales and marketing efforts.