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Lead Generation

Generating leads is not
the same as closing.

A lead is a contact that showed interest. Lead generation is the system that produces them in volume and quality, predictably, instead of by chance.

92%iForrester · 2024The State of Business Buying, 2024 - 92% of B2B buyers begin the purchasing process with at least one vendor already in mind. Average buying committee: 13 people across 2+ departments.forrester.com →
of buyers start with a vendor already in mind
81%i6sense · 2024The B2B Buyer Experience Report 2024 - 81% of B2B buyers have picked a winner before they ever talk to a sales rep. Buyers spend ~70% of the journey identifying a shortlist before reaching out. 94% rank their shortlist in order of preference before any seller contact; 84% buy from the first vendor they speak with.6sense.com →
chose their vendor before talking to sales
10.2iMcKinsey & Company · 2024Five Fundamental Truths: How B2B Winners Keep Growing (9th annual B2B Pulse) - 3,942 B2B decision makers surveyed across 13 countries. Buyers now use 10.2 channels in their journey (up from 5 in 2016). 39% willing to spend $500K+ per order via self-service digital. The "Rule of Thirds" - buyers split evenly between in-person, remote, and digital self-service preferences at each stage.mckinsey.com →
channels the average B2B buyer uses
21xiHarvard Business Review · 2011The Short Life of Online Sales Leads - Companies that contact prospects within 5 minutes of inquiry are 21x more likely to qualify the lead than those waiting 30 minutes. The canonical academic citation for speed-to-lead.hbr.org →
more likely to qualify: contact in 5 min vs 30 min

Definition

Lead generation. The process of attracting companies that fit your profile and capturing their contact so sales can act. The goal is not volume of contacts, it's volume of the right contacts.

The terms

The vocabulary, defined.

Lead
A contact who showed some interest in what you sell and gave you a way to reach them. Not yet a client, and not yet qualified.
Qualified lead (MQL / SQL)
A lead that fits your ideal profile and shows buying intent. MQL: marketing judges it ready. SQL: sales accepts it as a real opportunity.
Inbound vs Outbound
Inbound: the lead finds you (search, content, referral). Outbound: you reach the lead first (email, LinkedIn, calls). A predictable engine uses both.
ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)
The exact definition of which company you sell to best: size, sector, context. Every lead is measured against it. No ICP, no qualification.

Four components

01ICP

Define who you sell to before generating anything. A perfect campaign aimed at the wrong profile produces zero.

02Channels

Be where your buyers already are. The mix depends on the ICP, not on convention.

03Offer

A reason to engage now: relevant content, a clear answer to a real problem.

04Response speed

An interested lead decays fast. Contact within minutes, not days.

Diagnosis

Your lead generation is broken if:

  • ·Leads arrive but rarely turn into deals.
  • ·Everything depends on a single channel.
  • ·You don't know your cost per lead.
  • ·Marketing generates leads sales ignores.
  • ·Responding to a new lead takes hours or days.
  • ·With no ICP, you target everyone and convert no one.

How it's built

Lead generation is the first phase. Then qualify and close. Each makes the next more effective.

01Engage

Attract the right companies and detect who is already looking.

02Enrich

Know who they are, qualify, and route to the right salesperson.

03Expand

Close the deal and grow the account after the sale.

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GTM Engineering • Porto, Portugal