4 Strategies for being effective at B2B Lead Generation
Having a good understanding of B2B lead generation allows you to generate quality leads, close deals faster, and boost your ROI.
Lead generation, therefore, becomes of paramount interest to almost every leader. Even then, the definition of a sales lead has evolved to be different for every company - which might make it complicated. But as a benchmark (and for this article), a sales lead is one that has shown interest in a sales outreach — for example, requested a demo, filled out a contact form, or accepted to connect on a call.
B2B Lead Generation
If you want to get the best results, you definitely want to make sure you’re taking the right approach. Decision-makers are busy and inundated with offers, and getting them to agree to an appointment takes time and effort.
You have to adapt to the right processes and strategies to reach them and convince them that your offer is the solution they need. You will have to start on a preferred channel, and in that, have to speak their language, be persuasive, and interact with them on a deeper level. They need to read your messaging, feel its relevance, give you time, and then have to land up to the meeting to get things started.
Yes, this process is long and tedious. And yes it can be done in-house or outsourced to a B2B lead generation company.
But even when outsourced, you need to make sure your partner is doing what it takes and doing it right. Below, we’ll cover four B2B lead generation strategies learned from years of being in sales so that you don’t have to rediscover the necessary.
Do your research
Research!
The more informed you are, the greater your chances of identifying and reaching out to good fits, and of converting the outreach into an appointment. Your research might involve:
Searching the prospect’s website for tidbits relevant to your pitch
Analyzing the social media presence of the individual you want to speak to
Learn all you can about the company/individual, their needs, interests, and pain points. No decision-maker is going to agree to a meeting just like that. You have to get their attention and offer something of value. For B2B research, LinkedIn is a good place to start.
Make the first outreach count
We’re in the 21st century. More information is available to your decision-maker than ever before. It’s extremely important that you make your first outreach count, as that is going to be the start of your relationship with your future client.
Keep these general tips in mind when contacting a prospect, whether on email or any other social platform:
Be courteous (while being personal - OBVIOUSLY!)
Don’t launch right into a dreary monologue - try staying relevant and timely
Try to generate interest with an upbeat, passionate attitude of mutual discovery
Keep it casual - YES! Stay natural and as not salesy as possible
And for heaven’s sake, don’t use tacky techniques to try to trap the prospect into agreeing to meet.
QUICK TIP: Most salespeople use one method/channel that feels most comfortable to them. But that's not necessarily the method of communication your decision-maker might prefer.
They pick the channel that they respond to, so you need to use all of them. Try and use automation tools and channels to their fullest extent. Whether it’s CRM, email automation tools, LinkedIn, Google Alerts, or other online tools. Salespeople who excel at lead generation incorporate technology into every step of their routine.
Build relationships for B2B
They say sales is a numbers game, but it’s not like the lottery. Don’t try and create a process where your power through your database in the vain hopes that if you simply reach out to enough souls one of them will eventually say "okay."
Building a relationship is key to successful lead generation in the B2B environment. Your decision-makers are human, after all, and creating a bond of trust can help your efforts. Show real interest in your prospects. Try to identify and experiment with how they want to receive information about your offer, be clear and concise, and adjust based on their feedback. It shows you know your stuff and you appreciate their time.
Lead Generation Process - Be Agile
Just because you read to-do’s and best practices, implemented relevant tools, and did everything right, doesn’t mean you get to sit back and watch the leads flow in.
Listen to demo/call recordings, review emails sent, analyze results from your A-B tests, understand what is working and what is not.
Remember, your lead generation strategy, like your product or service, needs to account for and adapt to new features and technologies, market trends, campaign results, or even new sales reps that you hire.
Review outcomes regularly (at least monthly), analyze the data that you have collected, solve issues, re-align your efforts based on real-world feedback, and evolve.
Finally, through all the ups and downs of lead generation, always keep your eye on the prize: an appointment.
Begin Lead Generation
Lead Generation doesn’t have to be a difficult and strenuous process. In fact, it can be a positive experience for both sales reps and prospects. Adopt a few of the strategies we examined above into your process and experiment with different techniques and tools to see what works best for you.
And then let us know the strategies that you find most relevant. Also, for more valuable advice on closing sales, subscribe to our newsletter.
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