B2B lead generation: from target customer to order
B2B lead generation starts with the question of whom you want to win. Content, channels and tools follow, and a clear process defines how an enquiry turns into a conversation and a conversation into an order.
The questions before the channels
- Which companies fit your offer, by industry, size and occasion
- Who decides there, who has a say and who buys
- Which problem your offer solves for these people
- How you can tell that a contact is ready for a conversation
- Who takes over an enquiry, and by when
Content and channels
In B2B several people decide on a purchase, and they do their research long before they get in touch. In this phase you reach them with content that answers their questions: specialist articles, case descriptions, comparisons and webinars.
The channels follow the target customers. Search ads reach people with a concrete question, LinkedIn reaches decision makers by role and industry, and trade fairs and associations are important places for a first conversation with mid-sized companies. Assess each channel by reach, fit with the target group and cost per enquiry.
What helps in practice
- Start with one target segment and one channel and review both after three months
- Record every enquiry in the CRM with its source, so you can see which channel brings orders
- Accompany contacts who are not ready to buy yet with content and email sequences, based on their consent
- Agree on a scoring that defines when sales takes over
- Review the cost per enquiry and per order every month
How we work on it
I have built lead generation myself, with the marketing automation for a globally active mid-sized company and with the move from outbound to inbound at Lavazza, which raised conversion in field sales by 300%. For teams there is a two-day training on lead generation and performance marketing, and for building it up in your own company there is marketing and sales consulting.
Does that sound like your situation?
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