Dear Trenchers,

In the B2B marketing space, it's easy to get bogged down in the quest for instant results and lose sight of the bigger picture.

Companies, driven by the need for quick wins and influenced by pressure from stakeholders, often overlook the essence of a well-rounded B2B lead generation strategy.

In this newsletter, we'll debunk some of the biggest myths about B2B lead gen and show you how to build a lead gen strategy that actually works.

What is B2B lead generation?

Most folks think of B2B lead generation as a fishing game. They imagine casting a wide net into the vast ocean of potential customers, hoping to reel in a big catch.

For them, B2B lead gen is any tactic that can be easily scaled to generate direct conversions. Here are a few examples:

• Paid ads to a cold audience promoting a demo/discovery;

• Automated outbound cadences;

• Product-pitching webinars + sales follow-ups;

• Gated content + sales follow-ups

But here's the thing: lead gen in B2B is more like a tailored matchmaking service. It's about finding the right businesses who are genuinely interested in what you offer.

Instead of throwing your net aimlessly, you should carefully curate a list of potential clients who are likely to benefit from your products or services. It's quality over quantity, you’ve surely heard that before.

Put another way, B2B lead gen is definitely not about bombarding every business in sight with irrelevant messages or cold calling every number in your phone book. Instead, it is about understanding your target audience, their pain points, and their needs.

It's like being a detective, gathering clues about what businesses are a perfect fit for what you offer. Or if you want, it's also like planting seeds and taking care of them until they grow into healthy, paying customers.

This involves identifying and reaching out to the right people or businesses who could benefit from what you offer, providing them with valuable information, and guiding them through their decision-making journey until they're ready to buy. 

Here’s why this is important: B2B buyers don't just see an ad, click on it, and book a demo. They go through a complex process of research and consideration before making a purchase decision. That's why it's important to educate and nurture them throughout the buying journey. Build relationships and provide value right from the get-go and then at every stage of the funnel.

This way, when you do reach out, it's like having a conversation with an old friend rather than a pushy sales pitch.

Here’s a table comparing what most B2B companies think lead generation is vs what lead generation actually is:

2. The Three Big Missteps in B2B Lead Generation

a) Assuming the Buyer’s Journey is linear

Every potential customer's journey is unique. It's not always a straight line from "Hey, I know about your product" to "I'm buying it now". Instead, think of it as a winding road with different stops and turns.

Here's why: many decision-makers are usually part of the process. They all have different priorities, metrics they care about, and reasons to either buy or not buy.

Some might be keen on features, while others are focused on the budget. Some might be interested in your product but need more time, while others could be ready to jump in right away.

This means that your approach needs to be flexible and adaptable, catering to the diverse needs of these decision-makers. So, it's not about pushing them down a predefined path, but rather about being there with the right information and support at each “twist and turn” of their unique journey.

b) Assuming there are universal tactics that can easily convert any B2B prospect into customers

Every B2B prospect is different, with their own unique needs, challenges, and decision-making process. What worked wonders for Company A might not even tickle Company B. That's why it's important to take a personalized, nuanced approach to B2B lead generation.

Here are a few tips for personalizing your B2B lead generation efforts:

1. Start by understanding your target audience. What are their pain points? What are their goals? What kind of content and messaging resonate with them? The more you know about your target audience, the better you can personalize your lead-generation efforts.

2. Segment your leads. Once you understand your target audience, you can segment them into different tiers based on their needs, interests, or other factors important to you. This will allow you to target your messaging and outreach more effectively.

3. Use personalized messaging. Personalization goes beyond simply using a customer's first name in an email. It's about understanding their individual needs, interests, and purchase history, and using that information to create targeted messaging that speaks directly to them.

4. Offer valuable content. offer your prospects valuable content that solves their problems or helps them achieve their goals. This could include case studies, blog posts, ebooks, whitepapers, or webinars.

5. Build relationships. B2B sales is a long-term game. It's important to build relationships with leads over time before you try to sell them anything. This means engaging with them on social media, attending industry events, and providing them with helpful information and resources. That is the secret sauce to turning them into happy, long-term customers.

Quick Wrap-Up

A lead isn't just a name in your database. It's a consequence of building brand awareness, generating demand, harnessing word-of-mouth, and delivering a stellar product. Leads become truly interested when they believe your solution is the answer to their challenges.

Remember, lead generation isn't a linear equation, and automated emails and ads alone won't cut it.

PS: Ready to elevate your B2B marketing game? Join our online academy and unlock the keys to B2B marketing success with our comprehensive courses.

You'll be joining a vibrant community of forward-thinking marketers driven by revenue growth.

Here's what you'll gain access to:

• 📚 All our B2B marketing courses including a 6-week ABM playbook, LinkedIn Allbound marketing playbook, and 11 more courses that aren't available to the public

• 💬 Private Slack community to answer all your burning questions

• 📋 Personalized learning plan. Unsure where to start or how to maximize your learning potential? We'll craft a tailored plan based on the time you can dedicate to your education.

• 🔍 Exclusive 'Behind the Scenes' sessions: Gain insights into what's working and what's not as we dissect real campaigns for our clients and ourselves.

• 🎟️ 30% discount for live events and bootcamps.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Upcoming community events

Join our co-founders Andrei Zinkevich and Vladimir Blagojević on Oct 26 sharing our proprietary 12-step framework for developing a modern full-funnel demand generation and account-based marketing strategy.

Join us to discover:

1. How to combine brand awareness, demand generation, demand capturing, and ABM activation in a marketing planning

2. ​How to align marketing strategy with revenue goals and create a unified revenue report with a clear marketing contribution

3. The key pillars of B2B marketing strategy and the 12-step GTM framework

4. ​How to capture a modern buying journey and build your marketing & sales processes around it

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See you in Trenches 😉

Adechina D. ODJO