B2B lead generation: why more leads isn’t the answer
Most B2B marketing teams are asked for more leads. Few are asked whether the leads they already get are the right ones – or why so many never become sales conversations.
In this guide
Lead generation looks simple on a dashboard. More campaigns, more forms, more leads. Yet many B2B teams hit their lead targets and still hear the same thing from sales: the leads aren’t good enough.
The problem is rarely effort. It’s targeting, offers and handover – the parts of B2B lead generation that are hardest to see from inside a busy marketing team.
Definition
What is B2B lead generation?
B2B lead generation is the process of attracting and capturing interest from businesses that could buy from you – through channels such as direct marketing, email, landing pages and LinkedIn advertising – and passing qualified leads to sales.
The problem
Side note: “lead generation” here covers B2B direct marketing, email, landing pages and LinkedIn advertising.
Five questions B2B teams struggle to answer
- Are we reaching the right decision-makers – or just the easiest audiences?
- Why do so many leads never become sales conversations?
- Which channels bring pipeline, not just form fills?
- Is our offer worth a busy prospect’s time?
- What does a lead actually cost us – and what is it worth?
More leads won’t fix a lead quality problem.
Why it stalls
Why B2B lead generation stalls
Most teams are working hard. Four things usually hold results back.
- Broad targeting.Campaigns reach plenty of people, but not enough of the right ones.
- Weak offers.“Contact us” and generic downloads rarely earn a busy decision-maker’s attention.
- Leaky landing pages.Good traffic lands on pages that don’t convert – or don’t track properly.
- Poor handover.Leads reach sales too early, too late or without the context to follow up well.
Figure 1
Where B2B lead generation leaks
- Who are we really trying to reach?Are we on the right channels?How do we reach buying committees?
- Why would they respond?Is it relevant to their role?Does it stand out?
- Does the landing page convert?Is tracking accurate?Is the form asking too much?
- When is a lead ready for sales?What context does sales get?Who follows up – and how fast?
Leads drop out at every level – the gaps between them are where good prospects are lost.
How Tonic helps
B2B lead generation, from first touch to sales conversation
Tonic creates B2B lead generation for brands that sell to businesses – including technology companies like Microsoft and Oracle NetSuite. We bring strategy, creative and technology together, so targeting, offers, landing pages and handover are planned as one programme rather than four separate jobs.
And because we’re an independent agency of senior specialists, you work directly with the people doing the work – not layers of account staff passing briefs along.
Explore our lead generation services- Direct marketing that gets noticedCreative B2B direct marketing that earns attention from busy decision-makers – as we did for Microsoft’s Get Mobile campaign.
- Landing pages built in-houseDesigned and developed by the same team, with tracking set up properly – so good traffic turns into measurable leads.
- LinkedIn and email, joined upCampaigns across LinkedIn advertising and email that hand over cleanly to nurturing in Salesforce Marketing Cloud or Marketo.
When we meet
Where a conversation with us starts
Every market, audience and sales team is different, so we begin by talking rather than prescribing. In a first conversation we’ll look together at:
- Who you need to reach – the decision-makers and buying committees that matter.
- Where leads are leaking – from first touch to sales conversation.
- What would make prospects respond – offers and channels worth testing.
- How sales and marketing connect – including how leads are nurtured after first contact.
Lead generation work.
Lead generation FAQs
What is a qualified lead?
A qualified lead is a prospect who fits your target customer and has shown enough interest to be worth a sales conversation. Marketing and sales should agree the definition, often splitting it into marketing-qualified (MQL) and sales-qualified (SQL) leads.
Which channels work best for B2B lead generation?
It depends on who you need to reach and what you’re offering. LinkedIn advertising is strong for targeting by role and industry, email and direct marketing reach known contacts, and landing pages turn interest into enquiries. Most programs combine several.
How much does a B2B lead cost?
It varies widely by market, channel and offer, so there’s no standard figure. Judge cost per qualified lead or per sale rather than cost per lead – a cheap lead that never converts costs more than it seems.
Why aren’t our leads turning into sales?
Usually because of targeting, offers or handover. Leads may not fit your ideal customer, the offer may attract the wrong people, or follow-up may be too slow. These problems are hard to see from inside the team.
What’s the difference between lead generation and lead nurturing?
Lead generation captures interest from potential buyers; lead nurturing builds that interest over time until a prospect is ready for sales. Generation without nurturing means many leads go cold, so both need to work together.
Guides. Further reading
Thinking it through? Start here.
Guide · Marketing automationMarketing automation: why most platforms are underused
Why leads go cold in Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Marketo.Read the guide
Guide · Working with agenciesChoosing a marketing agency: why most briefs go wrong
The problems that follow teams from agency to agency.Read the guide
Guide · SEO and GEOAI search visibility: why most brands can’t measure it
Why AI answers are so hard to track, and what it means for your brand.Read the guide
Work with us
Hitting lead targets but not sales targets?
Tonic The Agency is a full service independent agency in Surry Hills, Sydney, founded in 2010. We create B2B lead generation – direct marketing, email, landing pages and LinkedIn advertising – for brands like Microsoft and Oracle NetSuite.