MQLs & Stage 0

Purpose: The purpose of creating Stage Zero Opportunities is to track and report on Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) in Armanino’s Dynamics CRM. MQLs identify the strength of the pipeline and are prospected by sales teams such as the SDRs, service line sellers or BDRs. The definition of an MQL is a potential customer that has been reviewed by the marketing team from campaigns and/or events and satisfies the criteria necessary to be passed along to the sales team. An MQL is past the awareness stage at the top of the marketing funnel. (See Image 1: Marketing Funnel) 

Stage Zero Opportunity = MQL in Armanino’s CRM System Stage Zero Opportunities in Armanino’s CRM system are how we evaluate, identify and track MQLs. They are the way that we measure the marketing pipeline for a product or service that should be prospected into with the goal of converting to a Sales Qualified Lead (SQL). This means that there is a true sales opportunity to pursue and would be indicated by the opportunity moving from a Stage Zero to a greater than or equal to Stage One in Armanino’s CRM system.  

Note: If your service line areas/teams are only entering in opportunities at the point of an SQL (Stage 1+ Opportunity), you will not be able to accurately measure conversion ratio of MQLs to SQLs or understand the health of the top of your marketing funnel. 

When are MQLs Identified and Stage Zero Opportunities Created? After the completion of a lead generation marketing campaign, such as a tradeshow, webinar or nurture campaign, you will have varying types of leads you will have generated. Though all leads are uploaded into Armanino’s CRM system as contacts, not all leads qualify as an MQL. 

Note: It is the Project Managers responsibility to review the campaign results and identify which leads qualify as MQLs and would therefore need Stage Zero Opportunities opened in CRM. ALL leads must be uploaded into CRM but only SOME leads qualify as an MQL and therefore need a Stage Zero Opportunity opened in CRM for further prospecting. 

Criteria for Determining MQLs How does a PM determine MQLs? Below is a table outlining best practices for identifying MQLs from your campaigns/events that should be created as Stage Zero Opportunities. 

Note: If you have less than 10 MQLs from your campaign/event, the SDRs can manually enter the Stage Zero Opportunities into CRM. You, as the PM, will need to coordinate communication and switch the task assignment in the WorkFront Project from Drea Jordan to the assigned SDR on that project. 

Flow of Creating Stage Zero Opportunities from Workfront Tasks

(Starting at Hold Sales Strategy Meeting w/SDR team for your campaign) 

Note: There are (3) templates that may be required. 
Accounts/Contacts Template (replaces Attendee List Template) Accounts and Contacts Template
Stage 0 Opportunity Template (New) Stage 0 Import Template
SDR Outreach Template (Same) SDR Outreach Template

WorkFront Tasks & Activities to Create Stage Zero Opportunities

In the WorkFront Project the SDR Support Post-Tradeshow milestones validate that this project has Stage Zero Opportunities that will be created by the PM. 

Production Specialists Tasks Include: 

• Sync Attendee Activities to CRM
  •  The Production Specialist takes the attendee report/list from a webinar/event and creates a closed activity in CRM at the contact level for those that attended.
• Convert Leads to Contacts
  •  The Production Specialist will select all open leads who attended or registered and qualify them, creating both an account and contact for that open lead with the exception of leads that have no company name. 
• Create CRM Unique ID File (Attendees and Registrants)
  •  The Production Specialist will merge the attendees and registrants (did not attend) into one file that will be able to be made into a marketing list. 
• Provide a Post Event/ Post Campaign Contact List to A&I team to Upload into CRM
  •  The Project Manager will provide a list of new contacts not yet in CRM that were acquired from the event/campaign/third party to be uploaded by the A&I team. There is a template in WorkFront called Accounts and Contacts list template to complete. This is an optional task. If no list is required to upload, it can be deleted. 
• Use “CRM Unique ID” File to Complete SDR Outreach Template The Project Manager uses the newly created file by the Production Specialist or A&I team called the CRM Unique ID file to update the SDR outreach template. 
• Hold Sales Strategy Meeting (At least 1 week before event)
  •  This task is used for sharing information with the assigned SDR team member(s) about the messaging and goals of the campaign. The SDR worksheet should be completed by this meeting and include supporting assets that will help in their efforts. At the Sales Strategy meeting, you must include a member of the BD or selling team to help transfer knowledge, give tips on what to listen for in conversations and communicate who is taking discovery meetings. 

Analytics & Intelligence Manager’s Tasks Include: 

• Upload Stage 0 Opportunities
  • The Analytics & Intelligence Manager takes the file and uploads to CRM. Tag PM in the Workfront project when task is complete. 

Tradeshow Example: 

• At a tradeshow, you might scan badges of show attendees or receive a list of all show attendees. These would not all automatically be Stage Zero Opportunities/MQL, but you do want all the contacts uploaded into CRM for future marketing. Therefore, you will have tasks to both upload new contact list(s) from the show as well as upload Stage Zero Opportunities/MQL. Stage Zero Opportunities/MQL are Ideal Client Profiles (ICPs) who expressed interest, engaged in conversations with the team at the booth or asked for a follow-up. 
   
• PM to Provide List to be Uploaded to A&I Manager: PM will put ALL contacts/leads into the template to be uploaded by A&I Manager. When template is complete, PM should upload it into the Documents folder and tag the A&I Manager to upload the list to CRM. 
   
• A&I Uploads List(s) to CRM: A&I Manager uploads the contacts/leads into CRM and notifies PM and Productions Specialist when complete. 
   
• Production Specialist Sync activities in CRM Tasks
   
• Production Specialist Converts any Leads to Contacts (if needed)
   
• Production Specialist Creates the CRM Unique ID File PM to populate to created Stage Zero Opportunity template.
   
• PM Uses CRM Unique ID File to populate the Stage Zero Opportunity template and uploads into Workfront. Make sure to include GUID for each account and contact as it was shared. Only one contact per account is a stage zero opportunity.
   
• A&I Manager Uses Populated Stage Zero Opportunity sheet to create Stage Zero Opportunities in CRM.
   
• PM Creates the SDR Prospecting List
  • SDRs use for Outreach prospecting
  • Can include multiple contacts per company if an ICP. 

Create Contact File for Stage Zero/Leads: This is a template that will be used by the PM to identify which contacts need to be made into a Stage Zero Opportunity/MQL. After you fill it in, upload it into the Documents section of the WorkFront project in the SDR Folder. This is the template A&I (Drea Jordan) will use to upload the Stage Zero Opportunities/MQL into CRM. 

Example of Webinar Tasks: 

Chart to Help Identify Your MQLs 

Understanding the Armanino Marketing & Sales Funnel 
This is a graphical representation of Armanino’s Marketing and Sales Funnel that shows the progression of how we drive leads through the funnel to be prospected by the sales teams. Project Managers should review this funnel to help them understand the journey they are trying to take the leads through to ultimately become a SQL/Stage One+ Opportunity

Reporting on Stage Zero Opportunities/MQLs in CRM from Your Campaigns/Events
Once your campaign has run through its cycle and you’ve identified the Stage Zero Opportunities/MQL to be prospected by Sales, continue to monitor the results. You can do this by setting up a view in CRM to pull those Stage Zero Opportunities/MQL from your campaign and see which have been converted to an SQL / Stage One+ Opportunity.

Setting up a view in CRM to use

• Log into Dynamics CRM and Click on Opportunities in the left side bar under Sales
• Select the Funnel Icon in the upper right corner and start a new Advanced Find View
• Add your Advanced Find View criteria you want to search
  • LS Free Text contains your WorkFront project number
• Click ‘Save As’ to name your view and the red exclamation icon to view the Results. 

Tip: Come back to your view by going into Opportunities and select from your list of My Views the new saved Advanced Find View for your campaign. 

What to do with that data
As the Project Manager, you will want to regularly monitor your campaign/event so you can make an educated decision moving forward whether you’d like to repeat, adjust, or kill this campaign/event in the future. What you should be looking at includes: 

• Measuring ROI
  • How many Stage Zero Opportunities/MQL were created and converted?
  • Did you build the pipeline as you expected?
  • What is the value of those opportunities?
  • How many closed and did it have an acceptable ROI?
  • Did it help drive other services/solutions across the firm?
• Did you achieve the desired goal and objective of the campaign/event
  Each marketing campaign/event should have an identified goal and objective you would like your audience to do. For example, creating ‘X’ number of opportunities for bundle services or increasing website traffic to a page to create more awareness and conversions. 

Tip: Refer to the Marketing Playbook for more information on identifying your goal and objective for your campaigns/events.