As B2B buyer preferences change, the marketing to sales handoff has become increasingly complicated -- yet more important than ever. B2B SaaS, FinTech, and IaaS startups can map their most critical marketing to sales handoff decisions into one of four scenarios, visually represented by four quadrants. Learn why the marketing-to-sales handoff has grown increasingly complex, yet even more critical than it was a decade ago, how tech startups, scaleups, and small businesses can map the four most common handoff decisions into four quadrants, and what these marketing to sales handoff scenarios look like.

1. Marketing to
Sales
Handoff and
the Four
Quadrants

3. Your
marketing
and sales
teams
need to collaborate well to
accelerate sales cycles

4. Especially
given how
most people
now research and make
purchase decisions in a
digitally transformed world

5. A seamless
transition
across teams
starts with the highly
impactful thought leadership
content that the marketing
team creates and promotes to
attract and engage leads

6. The
marketing
team will also
accelerate
a portion of those leads into
sales-ready or marketing
qualified leads (MQLs).

7. Your
company
needs
excellent
clarity around
how and when the marketing
to sales handoff happens --
and under what conditions.

8. Suppose
early-stage
leads are
handed off
too early
before a lead is genuinely open
to having a sales conversation

9. Your
company’s
sales teams
can come
across as
overzealous
and annoying

10. Burning the
goodwill that
you worked
so hard to
create with
remarkable
content

11. As well as the
goodwill and
relationship
equity
that your sales and customer
success teams will need to be
seen as subject matter experts
and trusted advisors

12. However,
suppose
leads are
handed off
from
marketing to
sales too late

13. Your
company may
be seen as
unresponsive,
unreliable
and perhaps not worthy of
being included in the
consideration set

14. Handoff
usually gets
defined by
deciding how your company
will address various degrees of
fit and interest.

15. In a perfect
world, your
sales team
would spend
100% of their
time

16. Engaging
with leads
that
Show high signs of interest
or intent in purchasing your
product or service shortly
Perfectly fit your defined
ideal client profile (ICP)
Work within a named,
target account

17. Your
company
needs
excellent
clarity around
how and when the marketing
to sales handoff happens --
and under what conditions.

18. The Four
Quadrants
how and when the marketing
to sales handoff happens --
and under what conditions.
High
Fit
High
Interest
Low
Fit
Low
Interest

19. With high
interest and
high fit
Marketing to sales handoff
needs to happen immediately.
And sales should reach out
immediately.
High
Fit
High
Interest
Low
Fit
Low
Interest

20. With high
interest, but
low fit
(Lead doesn’t perfectly match
the ideal client profile as the
company may be too large or
too small.)
High
Fit
High
Interest
Low
Fit
Low
Interest

21. With high
interest, but
low fit
Sales should take on the role
of order taker. (Lead is ready
to buy now and you believe
that this person and their
company will be successful
with your product or service.)
High
Fit
High
Interest
Low
Fit
Low
Interest

22. With high
interest but
low fit
Few, if any, follow-up efforts
are made.
No concessions on pricing or
terms
High
Fit
High
Interest
Low
Fit
Low
Interest

23. With low
interest, but
high fit
Marketing should prioritize
nurturing this lead until the
lead shows higher signs of
interest and intent to hand off
to the sales team (marketing
qualified lead/MQL).
High
Fit
High
Interest
Low
Fit
Low
Interest

24. The lowest
priority with
both low
interest and
low fit
Your marketing team can offer
group resources -- such as an
email newsletter, eBooks, or
webinar recordings.
High
Fit
High
Interest
Low
Fit
Low
Interest

25. Provide Group
Resources
The Four
Quadrants
High
Fit
High
Interest
Low
Fit
Low
Interest
Marketing
Nurtures Until
Stronger Signs
of Interest
Sales Acts in
Order Taker
Role
Handoff for
Immediate
Sales Contact

26. HOW DOES YOUR COMPANY MANAGE THE MARKETING TO SALES HANDOFF?
HOW DO YOU ADDRESS VARIOUS DEGREES OF FIT AND INTEREST?
LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS.

29. Enroll in
Go-to-Market Strategy 101
(Free 7-Day eCourse)
www.gotomarket101.com