No abstract

The sales lead "black hole"-the 70% of leads generated by marketing departments that sales representatives do not pursue-may result from competing demands on sales reps' time. Using the motivation-opportunity-ability framework, this study considers factors that influence sales reps' pursuit (or lack thereof) of marketing and self-generated leads. The proportion of time that sales reps devote to marketing leads depends on organizational lead prequalification and managerial tracking processes (extrinsic motivation), as well as marketing lead volume (opportunity), and sales rep experience and performance (ability). Consistent with a person-situation framework, individual sales rep factors also should moderate the influence of organizational processes on lead follow-up. Data from 461 sales reps employed by four firms confirm that as sales reps' experience increases, their responses to managerial tracking of lead follow-up and marketing lead volume decrease; responses to the quality of the lead prequalification process increase. As sales reps' performance improves, their response to the volume of marketing leads increases but their response to managerial tracking decreases. The interplay of individual sales reps' abilities and organizational marketing and sales processes explains differences in sales reps' follow-up of marketing leads. The number of marketing leads provided to sales reps can be so large that it is not possible for the sales reps to pursue all of them, even if they desired to do so; thus, the 70% figure reflects inadequacies of marketing as well as the sales function. [I removed the thank you here-I don't think this is such a big deal and we are over-thanking as it is] 2 The full text of the discussion about sales lead leakage at the Northern California Business Marketing Association on March 25, 2009, is available at http://blog.salesleadmgmtassn.com. 3 The considerable spending by B2B firms on lead generation activity makes it evident that they hope such leads get followed up, and the importance of this issue for B2B firms is well illustrated in observations by key industry figures. For example, Brian Carroll, CEO of InTouch, asserts that "leads ignored by sales reps make up about 77% of potential sales lost by the firm," and the Institute for the Study of Business Markets has held two recent conferences on ways to encourage marketing and sales to communicate better. These examples suggest that while practitioners are concerned about the issue we study here, the academic community has largely ignored it. 2Sales reps often argue that many marketing-generated leads (or marketing leads) lack the potential to result in actual sales, so they focus only on what they perceive to be "good leads" (Oliva 2006). However, Hasselwander (2006) asserts that firms often lose "ready-to-buy" customers that sales reps never contact, and Moreau (2006) reports that disagreements about classifying leads can cause sales reps to discard customers that would be highly likely to buy in the future. Both sides have su...

This study establishes the prevalence of RAU among adults in the US and demonstrates that whereas cigarette smoking is associated with lesser odds, low insulin levels might be independently associated with greater odds of RAU.

No abstract

Background and Aims:Sepsis is a major worldwide cause of morbidity and mortality. Most sepsis epidemiologic data are from the Western literature. Sparse data from India describe the epidemiology of infection rather than sepsis which is a host response to infection. This study describes the epidemiology of sepsis in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of an Indian tertiary care hospital.Subjects and Methods:A prospective study conducted between June 2006 and May 2011. All consecutively admitted patients during the 5 year study >=18 years of age were included and data obtained from hospital in-patient records. Variables measured were the incidence of severe sepsis, ICU, hospital, and 28-day mortality, the median length of ICU stay, median Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, infection site, and microbial profile.Results:There were 4711 admissions during the study with 282 (6.2%, 95% confidence interval 2.3, 13.1) admissions with severe sepsis. ICU mortality, hospital mortality, and 28-day mortality were 56%, 63.6%, and 62.8%, respectively. Predominant infection site was respiratory tract. The most common organisms were Gram-negative microbes. The most common microbe was Acinetobacter baumanni. Median APACHE II score on admission was 22 (interquartile range 16–28) and median length of ICU stay was 8 days. Severe sepsis attributable mortality was 85%.Conclusion:Severe sepsis is common in Indian ICUs and is mainly due to Gram-negative organisms. ICU mortality is high in this group and care is resource intensive due to increased length of stay.