How Lead
Generation has
Changed in 2017

Lead generation is
finding someone who
might be interested in
something you sell…

But whilst the goal is the same …
… the process has changed.

There has been a
shift of power…

The seller once held all the
power. Consumer’s knew
nothing about them and they
knew nothing about the
consumer.
But then came the Internet,
and with it, information...

Now buyers are informed. They
research, make decisions, and often
work through the buying process on
their own accord.
The Corporate Executive Board
estimates buyers examine at least a
dozen sources of information on the
path to purchase. Only 12% of this
information comes from the end
organization.
We call this the ‘Self-Directed Buyer’.

However, there is an abundance of
information now available to
marketers and salespeople.
This is thanks to the rise of social
networks such as Facebook and
LinkedIn.

This has killed the ‘cold call’.
Now you can better identify
your leads and why they are
a good fit for you, all before
even talking to them.

What does this mean for you?

You are now able
to pinpoint leads
who have a
greater chance of
buying from you
based off the
amount of
information you
now have on
them.

But that’s not all
that’s changed…

The lead generation
process now also takes
longer.
It is believed that it can
now take 7-13+ touches
to deliver a qualified
sales lead.
This is due to the
overwhelming amount of
information helping
consumers to make their
own decision.

Therefore we now have the
concept of ‘Lead Nurturing’.
This is the process of building a
continual relationship with
your leads by listening and
responding to their needs
across each stage of their
‘buyer journey’.
The goal is to work them down
the sales funnel until they
become sales qualified leads.

As you can see, lead generation
is static. The process is
constantly changing.
So how can you keep up?

Utilize Social
Media!
Social media and LinkedIn in
particular have given you access to
a powerful database of prospects
with all the information you need
to qualify them as a lead.
Oktopost says 80% of all leads
generated on social media were
through LinkedIn!
Check out our guide to setting up
your LinkedIn for social selling!

Manage Your
Workflows
You should be using email automation
and other CRM tools to build data on
how prospects are interacting with you.
It is through this data that you can determine
how and when to reach out and ‘nurture’
your leads.
Ascend2 believes that 82% of all B2B and B2C
companies are now using email automation
technology.
Our guide to running an outbound marketing
campaign covers this in more detail.

Maintain a Mix
Whilst inbound marketing has really
gained a lot of traction over the last
few years, all good marketing
managers should maintain a mix of
outbound and inbound strategies to
generate leads.
An effective outbound campaign can
push potential leads through the
funnel quicker by being more direct.

Update Your Metrics
New lead generation strategies
require new ways of measuring
their effectiveness.
Check out our guide to evaluating
your lead strategies campaign and
what metrics you should be using
to do so.

Automate!
There are a host of programs out
there now that can automate the lead
generation process for you. This can
make the process faster, more
efficient and more effective.
In fact, 61% of all enterprises are now
using these programs.
Sella is one of these programs. It finds
quality leads for you at a reduced
cost, saving you both money and
time. Find out more at sella.io

Following these tips will help you and your business
to achieving quality, and efficient lead generation.

Thanks for tuning in!