Lead management in business-to-business sales

Abstract

Methods and systems record and analyze visitors' interactions with a website aimed at turning the visitors into qualified sales leads. Lead scoring may be used, wherein a lead score is based on interactions with content, navigation through a website, and the providing of information from the visitor. Events (e.g., above-threshold lead scores) may prompt a request for information from the visitor. Providing information may increase a profile level and allow access to previously gated website content. Visitor information and/or associated business information may be stored in a user profile. Additionally, interests of the visitor and/or an associated business area may be ascertained. The interests, lead score, and progressive profiles may be used to tailor content and organization of the website, to suggest content and business solutions to the visitor, and to determine if/when a visitor is qualified as a lead, and thus ready for contact from a sales team.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A website data content access progression system for managing interactions of website visitors to generate qualified business leads, the system comprising:
 an interaction gathering engine configured to:
 monitor visitor interactions with a website, 
 record a first interaction of a first visitor with the website, 
 record a second interaction of a second visitor with the website, 
 transmit the first interaction of the first visitor with the website to a lead management system, and 
 transmit the second interaction of the second visitor with the website to the lead management system; 
   the lead management system configured to:
 receive a first piece of information about the first visitor, 
 determine a first category of visitors that the first visitor belongs to based on the first piece of information, 
 determine a second category of visitors that the second visitor belongs to, wherein the second category of visitors is different from the first category of visitors, 
 allocate a first user profile to the first user, wherein the first user profile comprises a first profile-level indicator and a first lead score, 
 allocate a second user profile to the second user, wherein the second user profile comprises a second profile-level indicator and a second lead score, 
 set a first threshold level for the first lead score based on the first category of visitors that the first visitor belongs to, 
 set a second threshold level for the second lead score, wherein the second threshold level is different than the first threshold level, 
 update the first lead score based on the first interaction with the website by the first visitor, 
 update the second lead score based on the second interaction with the website by the second visitor, 
 modify the first profile-level indicator in response to the first lead score crossing a first value, 
 authorize the first visitor access to a first set of additional data content of the website after the first profile-level indicator is modified in response to the first lead score crossing the first value, and 
 determine that the first visitor is a qualified lead when the first lead score crosses the first threshold level; and 
   a first electronic data store configured to:
 store the first user profile, and 
 store the second user profile. 
   
     
     
         3 . The website data content access progression system for managing interactions of website visitors to generate qualified business leads as in  claim 2 , further comprising a second electronic data store configured to:
 store a first list of predetermined relations between a plurality of businesses and a plurality of interests; and   store a second list of predetermined relations between the plurality of interests and a plurality of additional data content of the website.   
     
     
         4 . The website data content access progression system for managing interactions of website visitors to generate qualified business leads as in  claim 3 , wherein:
 the first piece of information is business information linking the first visitor to a first business of the plurality of business; and   the lead management system is further configured to select the first set of additional data content from the plurality of additional data content based on a relationship between the first business and a first interest of the plurality of interests and a relationship between the first interest and the first set of additional data content.   
     
     
         5 . The website data content access progression system for managing interactions of website visitors to generate qualified business leads as in  claim 3 , wherein the plurality of interests corresponds to a plurality of personas that are targeted by a second business. 
     
     
         6 . The website data content access progression system for managing interactions of website visitors to generate qualified business leads as in  claim 3 , wherein the lead management system is further configured to:
 link the first visitor with a first business of the plurality of business based on the first piece of information;   query the second electronic data store containing the first list of predetermined relations between the plurality of businesses and the plurality of interests for interests related to the first business;   receive from the query a first interest; and   insert into the website a hyperlink to a separate website in response to receiving the first interest from the query.   
     
     
         7 . A method for managing interactions between a website and a first visitor and a second visitor to create a qualified business lead, the method comprising:
 recording a first piece of information related to the first visitor;   determining a first category of visitors that the first visitor belongs to based on the first piece of information;   determining a second category of visitors that the second visitor belongs to, wherein there is at least one difference between the second category of visitors and the first category of visitors;   allocating a first user profile to the first visitor, wherein the first user profile comprises:
 a first profile-level indicator, and 
 a first lead score; 
   allocating a second user profile to the second visitor, wherein the second user profile comprises:
 a second profile-level indicator, and 
 a second lead score; 
   setting a first threshold level for the first lead score based on the first visitor belonging to the first category of visitors;   setting a second threshold level for the second lead score based on the second visitor belonging to the second category of visitors, wherein the second threshold level is different than the first threshold level;   updating the first lead score in response to a first interaction with the website by the first visitor;   updating the second lead score in response to a second interaction with the website by the second visitor;   modifying the first profile-level indicator of the first user profile in response to the first lead score crossing a first value;   authorizing the first visitor access to a first set of additional data content of the website after the first profile-level indicator is modified in response to the first lead score crossing the first value; and   determining that the first visitor is a qualified lead when the first lead score crosses the first threshold level.   
     
     
         8 . The method for managing interactions between a website and a first visitor and a second visitor to create a qualified business lead as in  claim 7 , wherein the first piece of information is business information linking the first visitor to a business account. 
     
     
         9 . The method for managing interactions between a website and a first visitor and a second visitor to create a qualified business lead as in  claim 7 , further comprising identifying the second visitor as belonging to a second category of visitors based on the first piece of information not being associated with the second visitor. 
     
     
         10 . The method for managing interactions between a website and a first visitor and a second visitor to create a qualified business lead as in  claim 7 , further comprising not determining that the second visitor is a qualified lead until the second lead score crosses the second threshold level, wherein the second threshold level is greater than the first threshold level. 
     
     
         11 . The method for managing interactions between a website and a first visitor and a second visitor to create a qualified business lead as in  claim 7 , further comprising requesting additional information from the first visitor in response to an attempt by the first visitor to access data content of the website that is tagged at a profile level that is higher than the associated profile-level indicator of the first user profile. 
     
     
         12 . The method for managing interactions between a website and a first visitor and a second visitor to create a qualified business lead as in  claim 7 , wherein the first interaction includes a selection by the first visitor of an interest, wherein the interest is linked to a business solution offered by a business associated with the website. 
     
     
         13 . The method for managing interactions between a website and a first visitor and a second visitor to create a qualified business lead as in  claim 7 , wherein the second lead score is updated negatively in response to the second interaction by the second visitor. 
     
     
         14 . The method for managing interactions between a website and a first visitor and a second visitor to create a qualified business lead as in  claim 13 , further comprising:
 updating the second profile-level indicator for the second visitor in response to the second lead score negatively crossing a second value; and   authorizing the second visitor access to a second set of additional data content of the website after the second profile-level indicator is changed in response to the second lead score negatively crossing the second value.   
     
     
         15 . The method for managing interactions between a website and a first visitor and a second visitor to create a qualified business lead as in  claim 7 , further comprising updating the first lead score in response to a third interaction with the first set of additional data content of the website by the first visitor. 
     
     
         16 . A computer-readable medium containing program instructions for managing interactions between a website associated with a first business and a first visitor and a second visitor, to create a qualified business lead, wherein execution of the program instructions by one or more processors of a computer system causes the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:
 recording a first piece of information related to the first visitor;   determining a first category of visitors that the first visitor belongs to based on the first piece of information;   determining a second category of visitors that the second visitor belongs to, wherein there is at least one difference between the second category of visitors and the first category of visitors;   allocating a first user profile to the first visitor, wherein the first user profile comprises:
 a first profile-level indicator, and 
 a first lead score; 
   allocating a second user profile to the second visitor, wherein the second user profile comprises:
 a second profile-level indicator, and 
 a second lead score; 
   setting a first threshold level for the first lead score based on the first visitor belonging to the first category of visitors;   setting a second threshold level for the second lead score based on the second visitor belonging to the second category of visitors, wherein the second threshold level is different than the first threshold level;   updating the first lead score in response to a first interaction with the website by the first visitor;   updating the second lead score in response to a second interaction with the website by the second visitor;   modifying the first profile-level indicator of the first user profile in response to the first lead score crossing a first value;   authorizing the first visitor access to a first set of additional data content of the website after the first profile-level indicator is modified in response to the first lead score crossing the first value; and   determining that the first visitor is a qualified lead when the first lead score crosses the first threshold level.   
     
     
         17 . The computer-readable medium containing program instructions for managing interactions between a website associated with a first business and a first visitor and a second visitor, to create a qualified business lead as in  claim 16 , wherein the first piece of information is business information linking the first visitor to a second business. 
     
     
         18 . The computer-readable medium containing program instructions for managing interactions between a website associated with a first business and a first visitor and a second visitor, to create a qualified business lead as in  claim 16 , wherein either the first interaction by the first visitor or the second interaction by the second visitor is a voluntary submission of personally identifiable information. 
     
     
         19 . The computer-readable medium containing program instructions for managing interactions between a website associated with a first business and a first visitor and a second visitor, to create a qualified business lead as in  claim 16 , wherein execution of the program instructions by the one or more processors causes the one or more processors to carry out the further step of displaying statistical information related to a number of visitors who have visited the website and a percentage of the number of visitors who have been qualified as a lead. 
     
     
         20 . The computer-readable medium containing program instructions for managing interactions between a website associated with a first business and a first visitor and a second visitor, to create a qualified business lead as in  claim 16 , wherein execution of the program instructions by the one or more processors causes the one or more processors to carry out the further step of authorizing a person associated with the first business to adjust the first value and score amounts relating to website interactions. 
     
     
         21 . The computer-readable medium containing program instructions for managing interactions between a website associated with a first business and a first visitor and a second visitor, to create a qualified business lead as in  claim 16 , wherein execution of the program instructions by the one or more processors causes the one or more processors to carry out the further step of authorizing a person associated with the first business to adjust threshold levels assigned to different categories of visitors.