I spent a couple of days at LeadsCon in Vegas this February. It was my very first LeadsCon, so it was a bit of an indoctrination – even though I've known about online lead generation for a few years and actually participate in it, on a very limited basis, with my company's Web site.  I spent much of my time absorbing the atmosphere and developing a deeper understanding of the online lead-generation industry. Clearly, the players there have many hurdles to leap, some of which they understand and some of which they see but don't really understand.
The key players definitely understand their privacy issues and government examination of their industry's data-security-sharing practices, and several companies spent a lot of money talking about proprietary software designed to improve the quality of leads generated online. What very few in the online space seem to grasp is the old accountant's adage: “Garbage in; garbage out.”  It doesn't matter how hard you try at improving a low-quality lead; it's still a low-quality lead.
This is not a value judgment on the worth of a very large industry. Rather, it's a commentary on where this industry is looking for solutions. You can only work with what your processes give you, and the online lead-gen process as a rule, except for some notable exceptions (that in fact prove the rule), seems to me to be driven by "me-first" processes. The word that comes to mind is "greed."  
As the CEO of an offline per-inquiry (lead-gen) advertising agency, I know something about greed. From time to time, I've let it serve as my master, and invariably it's ended poorly for me, my company and those associated with the transactions. The funny thing is, I knew better but forged ahead with my "me-first" attitude and behavior anyway. And I got burned in the process. My conscience told me I'd suffer the consequences, but, like Daffy Duck, I said, "Consequences, schmonsequences, as long as I make money."  And I made money – but also had people question my integrity and my motivations.
So I changed. Now I look to be of service first.  If I can't be of service, I decline the business and refer it elsewhere – to someone who can be of service, who can add value to the transaction.
I don't see the “being of service first” ideal being the prime motivator in the online lead-gen world; I see the greedy, ”me-first” mentality alive and kicking.  As I've pointed out, I know enough about what that looks like to comment authoritatively on it.  And as I said, I've found some notable exceptions to this me-first attitude, and we do a lot of business with them. I'm sure there are others who conduct business this way.
As I see it – and again, this doesn't make it right; it only demonstrates some level of observation – the emphasis in much online lead generation is on improving the quality of a lead only after it's entered the system. I think the industry would serve itself better by seeking ways of improving the lead-generating process at the outset, so that those leads entering the funnel are a cut above. Then you can apply improvement principles and have superior leads!  My agency, Higher Power Marketing, has several clients for whom we run radio ads, sending those consumers to branded, trackable Web sites.  Those clients rave about the quality of our radio leads, paying seven-to-10 times what they would pay for an online lead.
So as I left LeadsCon, I got to thinking that I'd like to head a company that did nothing but add value to the online lead-gen process by serving as a bridge – helping companies that want higher-quality online leads use offline lead-gen principles to help increase their lead quality.
Quality is the real issue, not quantity. Quality is nearly non-existent online, and in many corners isn't even a concern.  The premise being: “This is what online lead-gen is. This is as good as it gets.” There are online companies touting that they can help improve quality, but I get the sense that it’s more smoke and mirrors, whereas offline media provide high-quality leads as a baseline characteristic.
Does this make me sound like a pompous know-it-all? I hope not. It's just what I see as an opportunity to offer some help and guidance to an industry that is awash in inefficiencies and doesn't, to my eye, see a way out.
Peter Feinstein is president and chief executive officer of Phoenix-based Higher Power Marketing. Reach him with questions or comments at 1-888-501-5544 or pf@hpowermarketing.com.

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