CRM Case Study 3: Building a Scalable Lead Management System
Industry:
B2B SaaS – The client, a rapidly expanding software company, was generating high volumes of leads through inbound and outbound campaigns. However, as the lead flow increased, the sales and marketing teams faced growing pains due to unclear processes, inconsistent data, and inefficient lead follow-up.
Problem:
The client lacked a structured and scalable system to manage leads through the funnel. Key issues included:
- Unclear definitions of lead stages (MQL, SQL, SAL), resulting in confusion and misalignment.
- Manual lead assignment and inconsistent follow-up timelines.
- Duplicate records and incomplete lead data in Salesforce.
- No clear reporting on lead lifecycle performance or conversion bottlenecks.
These gaps created friction between marketing and sales, delayed pipeline growth, and made it difficult to scale outreach efforts.
Solution:
We built a scalable lead management system within Salesforce that aligned marketing and sales, automated key workflows, and enabled accurate lifecycle tracking. The solution included:
- Establishing clear lead stage definitions and handoff rules.
- Automating lead capture, qualification, assignment, and follow-up workflows.
- Creating validation rules and deduplication logic to maintain clean data.
- Implementing lead lifecycle dashboards to measure conversion performance at each stage.
Execution:
- Discovery & Alignment Workshops – Facilitated sessions with marketing and sales leaders to define the ideal lead journey and roles.
- Lead Stage Framework – Defined and documented lifecycle stages (e.g. Raw Lead, MQL, SQL, SAL, Opportunity) with clear entry/exit criteria.
- Automation Setup – Built workflows in Salesforce to automate scoring, stage progression, lead assignment, and task generation.
- Data Quality Controls – Implemented field validation, duplicate detection, and third-party enrichment for better segmentation.
- Performance Tracking – Developed Looker Studio dashboards to track conversion rates, lead velocity, and drop-off points.
- Training & Governance – Delivered enablement sessions and documentation to ensure consistent usage across teams.
Challenges & Roadblocks:
- Misalignment on Stage Definitions – Required cross-functional workshops to reach agreement on lead criteria.
- Tool Fragmentation – Multiple lead sources had different formats and tracking structures that needed normalization.
- User Discipline – Ensuring reps followed the new process and updated lead status correctly took time and oversight.
- Scalability – The system needed to support growth without constant manual adjustments, requiring dynamic rules and logic.
Results:
- Increased MQL to SQL conversion rate by 30% through better alignment and automation.
- Reduced lead response time by 50% via auto-routing and task triggers.
- Improved lead data quality, enabling more effective segmentation and targeting.
- Enabled leadership to make data-driven decisions on campaign performance and funnel optimization.
Dashboard:
Key Takeaways & Learnings:
Dashboards and feedback loops drive continuous improvement, helping teams refine the process as they grow.
A scalable lead management system starts with clear definitions and tight marketing-sales alignment.
Automation ensures speed and consistency, reducing the risk of leads falling through the cracks.
Data cleanliness is critical—enrichment, validation, and deduplication should be built in from the start.
Related Strategy Work:
Business Analysis Case Study 2: Aligning Sales & Marketing Around Lead Lifecycle Strategy