When Should a Brand Invest in Outside B2B Lead Generation Services?

By Matt Pilon, Content Specialist

From a small bootstrapped startup to a large B2B organization, marketing and selling products and services to business buyers can bring many challenges.

B2B lead generation is a strategy that drives ideal customers to a company's products and services using paid and organic inbound tactics that speak to a buyer's challenges and aspirations.

Only 56% of B2B companies report that they generate enough qualified leads

(Ironpaper, 2021) 

Brands may wonder when it's time to invest in outside B2B lead generation services. Here are some common challenges that may help answer that question:

There's a Disconnect Between Marketing and Sales

Is the marketing department serving up leads that sales is struggling to convert, or perhaps even simply ignoring?

That could point to several problems, including failing to properly qualify leads that come in or failing to nurture leads that convert. 

A disconnect between marketing and sales could speak to an even more fundamental problem: An inability to produce content that speaks to buyers.

This is a common challenge for many brands:

• Only 56% of B2B companies report that they generate enough qualified leads. (Ironpaper 2021) 
• Only 14% of marketers send content to converted leads speaking to their challenges, even though nearly 40% report higher success rates when they speak to those challenges. (Ironpaper 2021) 

However, these challenges could indicate that outside B2B lead generation services are needed.

Specifically, finding an agency that can detail a plan to bridge this gap and speak to prior success in solving these challenges is essential.

Besides better connecting marketing and sales functions, a full-service B2B marketing firm can also identify gaps in content strategy and help hone the lead qualification processes.

Falling Short of Conversion Goals

Subpar marketing content engagement rates, revenue falling short of expectations, a failure to produce enough quality leads, or struggling to capitalize on the leads that do emerge?

The numbers don't often lie.

While these symptoms can stem from any number of maladies, ineffective sales and marketing practices are likely culprits.

A B2B lead generation agency should be able to help pinpoint what's causing the problem, whether it's inaccurate buyer personas, overly autobiographical content, slow sales follow-up, suboptimal lead forms or landing page design, or any number of other potential errors that can be easy to make but not so easy to spot.

Inefficient Processes and Revenue Attribution

Many brands automate their marketing campaigns and lead tracking but can't confidently say how much revenue is attributable to individual campaigns.

That's a problem. Luckily it's a problem that an excellent B2B lead generation services provider can help solve.

A full-service B2B marketing firm can help adopt, deploy, and optimize effective customer relationship management software like Salesforce or HubSpot.

These powerful tools allow for automated campaigns, more rigorous message testing, and better tracking of contacts, not to mention the ability to tie revenue to specific sales and marketing efforts.

Struggling to Replicate Marketing Results at Scale

Most B2B marketing teams have some results to be proud of – campaigns or other efforts that drove lots of engagement and brand awareness.

But many also struggle with inconsistency, with a few too many valleys between the peaks.

It's certainly understandable. In fact, 35% of B2B companies say the success of their lead generation efforts fluctuates over the year, according to a recent Ironpaper survey.

There are often time and resource constraints, so marketing departments prioritize what they feel they must, sometimes to the detriment of performance. 

A B2B lead generation services agency can help make sense of what's working and why and help apply those insights to broader marketing and sales efforts, allowing successes to scale as desired.

Stressed by Ever-Changing Platforms

Advertising and social platforms are constantly evolving, and those changes can offer new opportunities, but only for marketers who stay on top of them and have the expertise to leverage them properly.

For example, not every marketing team was ready to pivot when Google phased out its text ads in favor of responsive search ads last summer. Some teams struggle to stay abreast of the newest integrations impacting LinkedIn or other crucial platforms.

That knowledge is a must in today's marketing world, but it takes time, effort, and expertise to follow and leverage these evolutions well.

Many B2B lead generation services are steeped in these platforms every day, better positioning them to act prudently for clients when changes come.

The Lead Database is a Mess

Even for some larger companies, the contact database is figuratively held together with tape and bubble gum, perhaps on a rarely used or updated spreadsheet.

Others have invested in a proper CRM, but it's been implemented in a way that's not useful to the marketing or sales teams.

The process of fixing this problem can seem overwhelming, particularly with in-house resources that may be stretched thin already.

A good B2B lead generation services firm with proper technology stack expertise should be able to fix this problem that beguiles in-house staff.