The 4 B2B Lead Generation Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make

Regardless of whether you're new to B2B lead generation, or you're just living in the past, there are just some mistakes you can't afford to make. 

Take to heart the following four best practices to ensure a healthy B2B lead gen strategy:

1) Define your ideal client profile (company) and buyer personas (individuals within that company)

Small business is an incredibly broad category to target. If you're part of a very large, well-resourced Fortune 1000 marketing team, marketing to millions of small businesses may be practical. For everyone else, focus on generating leads from the highest-value target audiences for your particular business.

2) Focus your lead generation on a proportional value exchange

If you're trying to motivate a small business to fill out a form on a website landing page, make sure the value you promise in return for contact information is proportional. For example, if you're generating leads from a one-page downloadable checklist, your lead generation form would likely include one to four contact properties (First, Last, Email, etc.) However, if you're offering a free 30-minute consultation with an industry expert (with high perceived value), your form and lead generation would be more robust because the perceived value is so much higher.

3) Segment your leads by buyer persona and lifecycle stage

If you plan to do lead nurturing or outreach, be sure you know who each person is and where they are contextually in their buyer's journey.

4) Ask an open-ended question on your lead generation forms

For anyone on your sales team that wants to immediately understand what's going on in the mind of a prospect, in their own words, be sure to ask, for example, "What's the biggest challenge you're facing with _______________?"

What's the biggest mistake you see being made with B2B lead generation? Let me know in the comments below.

And if you're serious about improving your B2B lead generation, be sure to enroll now in our free 7-day eCourse: Go-to-Market Strategy 101 for B2B SaaS Startups and Scaleups.