Please note that the views and opinions in this blog represent the ideas of Jeff Ogden, the Fearless Competitor and in no way represent the view and opinions of my employer, Aplicor.

I was asked that question by my new manager, Chuck Schaeffer, CEO of Aplicor — the software as a service provider of award-winning CRM and ERP software. It was a great question and undoubtedly a question a lot of marketers face.  I thought it would be helpful to share some best practices with my readers.  I hope you find it helpful.

Let’s say a senior sales executive at a large software firm downloads your white paper.  Then later, she downloads an eBook.  Would you change the lead nurturing process she is on?  Probably not.

(Here’s an a key point about sharing your content – make it easy and simple.  Don’t do what Oracle did.  I wanted to get a sales challenge white paper from Oracle, but I found the process and form so cumbersome and intrusive, I abandoned it.  Ironically, do a Google search and you can access the white paper directly.  Shame on you, Oracle.  Really bad job by a very large software firm.)

While you would not change your lead nurturing program for a simple action, there are situations where you would.  A good example is a change of buying stage.

Let’s say after downloading your content, multiple people start searching for pricing in Google and using the built in search on your website.  That probably indicates that this company is no longer in the Awareness phase but it rather in a late buying stage.  So you want to adapt your lead nuturing process to the stage this prospect is in. 

You might want to share a third party analyst report on your company’s position or an award your company has won.  (Please note that Aplicor’s won more awards than anyone.)

If you wish to learn more about demand generation, I invite you to download the highly acclaimed white paper, How to Find New Customers.    For a great book on these issues, check out Ardath Albee’s e-Marketing for the Complex Sale.

If your company is facing a major ERP upgrade or major sales challenges, I hope you’ll consider Aplicor.