How Do You Generate Leads in Sales?

By: Jack Reamer |

January 12, 2024 |

Did you know that according to 85% of B2B companies, lead generation is the most important marketing goal.

And this is with good reason; because if your company isn’t generating leads, you’re probably not making as much money as you would like.

There are various ways to generate more sales leads, but if you would like greater ROI, there are some lesser known lead generation strategies that you should try out this year.

There is definitely a difference between sales leads and qualified sales leads.

And obviously, you want high quality leads, because they will bring in higher conversion rates.

This article will share some of the best ways to generate more leads, but also the strategies we use at Salesbread to bring our clients 1 qualified lead per day.

(Interested in effective B2B lead generation strategies? Or have a question on how you can generate more leads for your business this year? Hop on a free 15 minute strategy session with us.)

Book your free 15 minute strategy session here

Use Linkedin for generating new leads

If you haven’t yet tried Linkedin for b2b lead generation, you’re missing out on a large pool of targeted potential customers.

By using Linkedin, along with cold email, we were able to generate close to 7000 qualified sales leads for our clients in the past 24 months.

According to Linkedin itself, the average reply rate on Linkedin is 85%.

But what’s the secret to getting a total stranger to respond to a cold message?

Its:

A.) Building a ultra refined prospecting list of your ideal target audience

B.) Using personalized messages that are very specific for the individual you’re reaching out to.

If you do these 2 things, and follow up consistently, you will generate more sales leads.

1.Use this lead generation process for LinkedIn outreach

Step 1: Build a target list based on current buyers data

Look at who has purchased your product or service within the last 6 months.

Then ask yourself, what do all these businesses have in common?

If you can find patterns between your buyers, it will be much easier to build look a like prospects list.

For example:

Which industry are these businesses in? Social media marketing? Saas? Health?
Do they use the same CRM tools? Such as Hubspot or Salesforce?
Do they make use of influencer marketing?
Where are these companies located? Africa? New Zealand? New York?
How big are these companies? More than 10 employees or less?
Who is on the payroll? HR? A marketing team?

Once you have a list of businesses you would like to target, you can then look for the right people to target at these companies.

Step 2: Plug your list into Linkedin Sales Navigator

Next, plug your list of accounts into Sales Navigator and find the right people to reach out to at these companies.

For example, if you would like to reach out to those in HR, you can use various filters to find these people.

But just a word of caution, we recommend triple checking this data, because Sales Navigator is only 33% accurate.

The video below explains this in more detail:

Step 3: Research prospects and send a personalized connection request message

In order for personalization to pack a punch, you need to research the individuals on your list.

Your message needs more than just a first name, or company name.

Remember prospects receive tons of Linkedin messages every day; you want to write something that will make you stand out for every other sales rep.

Have a look at the prospects’ Linkedin page, or Google them.

What can you find about the person that’s very specific?

For example, were they featured on a podcast? Did they receive an award recently? Do you share the same connections on Linkedin? Did they perhaps write an article that resonated with you?

This information can be used to write a killer personalized message.

We have dubbed this method “CCQ” in our sales process.

Basically it means find something to:

Compliment the prospect on.
Mention a commonality.
Or ask a question.

Read this article for some connection request templates.

Follow up and ask for a meeting using a low commitment call to action

Lastly, follow up with the prospect every 3 days and ask for a booked call..

Here are some CTAs you can use to ask for a call: (Notice they are easy for the prospect to follow through with.)

Are you available for a chat?
How is your availability for a 10 min call this week?
I’d love to share more on why you may need [PRODUCT] and how it can help [BENEFIT]. How’s {{=day}} next week look for a 15-minute call?
Are you free for a call this Friday to discuss [MAIN BENEFIT]?
Are you available for a quick call in the next days to see if [MY PRODUCT] aligns with your goals?
When are you free to connect this week? You can use this link to book directly on my calendar.

Does this process work?

See some of the replies we have received recently from prospects:

If you’re interested in learning about our services read this: Our LinkedIn Outreach Agency Services: What You Need to Know

2. Make use of social media marketing

Quick story…

I was once searching for skin products and one specific company flooded my Instagram page with tons of ads on a daily basis.

But these weren’t just ads.

They were sharing testimonials from clients.

This made me think that perhaps this product is worth a try, so I bought it.

(Needless to say, the product wasn’t great, but I still made the purchase because of the advertising.)

Moral of the story… Social media advertising does work, especially if you share client testimonials and case studies.

We are predicting that thought leadership is going to be one of the main forms of marketing this year. So share valuable content, case studies, testimonials and guides regularly on your social media pages.

Where it’s Linkedin, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

Think about also incorporating influencer marketing into your social media marketing strategy. According to Linkedin, influencer marketing is 80% successful for most marketers.

3. Invest in SEO

Many companies might be afraid to invest in SEO because, let’s face it, it takes time. But the sooner you get started, the better.

Google receives around 80 billion visits per month and 65% of all organic clicks go to one of the top three results.

And the traffic consists of people who are actively searching for a product or service. This is especially true if you target intent based keywords.

When SEO is done correctly, it attracts leads at every stage of the sales funnel.

You might want to hire an agency that specializes in search engine optimization, or hire a freelancer who could help you set up a strategy that works.

Just be patient.

It might take a few months, but once your keywords and site starts ranking, your company will generate more sales leads.

It’s no wonder that more than 60% of B2B marketers say that SEO and organic traffic are more successful at generating more leads than any other marketing strategy.

If you’re interested in finding out more about SEO and content marketing, take a look at these two companies:

They both provide excellent resources on content marketing.

4. Create referral programs for finding potential leads

Before doing anything, think back on anyone who has ever sent you a client.

It may require you to go through old emails and Linkedin messages.

We suggest using keywords when searching for this information.

Type in: referral, intro, introduction, in your mail and Linkedin inbox to physically find the referrals you have received.

List all these people even if it takes time. The reason for this, is because it will help you see who the best referrals would be.

Use this data to help you find the common attributes between your best referrals.

For example at Salesbread, our best referrals come from b2b consultants that work along with sales organizations.

A case study for Salesbread would be that we would find more B2B consultants that work with our typical client and contact those individuals directly.

There are a few different ways you can go about this:

Go straight to those who incentivise through money; but frankly, this is the least creative option and probably the most expensive.

What we prefer is to go after companies where there are mutually beneficial relationships. Is there a referral partner where you can also share referrals to? So that they are happy to work with you even if there isn’t a payment structure.

Start the conversation by asking if you could explore any potential partnerships and see where it leads.

Find out about the clients the company works with and see if there are any potential overlaps to do business together.

And if it’s a good fit, see what the other company needs to make it worthwhile for them as well.

Bare in mind that this is a long game.

You need to show this referral partner that your name is worth sharing. It is risky to refer someone; You’re putting your name on the line when you bring in a partner.

So take your time, build relationships, and show your potential partner how your company can be of value to them.

5.Think about going to trade shows for sales lead generation

Trade shows are amazing for quickly getting feedback on a new market.

We had clients that wanted to enter into a new market.

So they would then book a booth at a trade show with this new market and they were able to talk to dozens of potential customers in a single day.

First find out if these people care about your offer. Go in there with an open mind, because these people will tell you how to change it so that it works better for their particular market.

It’s phenomenal for honing in on your pitch and quickly finding out if this new market has legs worth your generation efforts.

If you already know youre market, you may not need to spend tens of thousands of dollars to attend a trade show.

Instead, you can just rely on direct outreach, whether it’s via sending messages to your email list, cold calling, or messaging on Linkedin.

6. Focus on lead nurturing with current customers

Another option is to keep lead nurturing existing customers.

For example, if you’re selling Saas services that might need to be renewed yearly; You could always send a client a personalized email, checking in on them and find out how they are managing your service.

Ask if there are ways in which you could improve.

Also if you have a lead scoring system, send medium hot clients monthly newsletter that could be helpful to them.

If they regularly see your brand, it will keep you on the top of their minds, especially if your content is helpful. This might be an easy win for generating sales.

Above is a lead scoring sheet that Hubspot uses to score their customer base.

7. Invite prospects to attend webinars

Webinars are a great way to connect with your desired audience, demonstrate your knowledge, and get good leads.

By sharing useful content and interactive sessions, webinars can grab the interest of potential customers and guide them through the sales process.

If you offer free webinars, it might be a nice way to receive contact information of people who might be interested.

You could also use a lead scoring system before they sign up, to see where they are in the sales pipeline.

For example, Niel Patel uses this approach.

See below:

Once you click the register button, you will be directed to a page like the one below:

This is a great way to see which leads might be good to reach out to in-person for example.

8. Create thought leadership by sharing case studies and testimonials

One trend that we think will continue to grow this year is thought leadership. We are expecting more founders to share their expertise in their lead gen strategies.

This could be through social media platforms or on their websites.

Thought leadership is a great way to show off your brand, and knowledge in your industry.

This creates trust amongst your followers, especially if you’re sharing case studies, helpful guides and testimonials.

FAQs on generating sales leads

How are leads generated?

Leads are generated through various methods, such as online forms, content marketing, backlinks, events, and referrals. These methods help identify potential customers interested in a product or service.

What is the fastest way to generate leads?

The fastest way to generate leads often involves leveraging a mixture of outbound and inbound marketing methods. You could use digital marketing channels, such as social media advertising, email campaigns, and search engine optimization (SEO), to reach a large audience quickly.

Outbound direct messaging also works really well.

At Salesbread 95% of our clients see their first sales qualified lead within 48 hours after launching their campaign.

How do you collect sales leads?

Sales leads are collected through activities like networking, online forms, customer inquiries, and utilizing lead generation tools. These tools may include CRM systems, web analytics, and marketing automation platforms.

How to increase lead generation?

Increasing lead generation involves building ultra refined targeting lists of prospects, personalization, creating compelling content, optimizing online presence, using targeted advertising, and consistently engaging with the audience through various marketing channels.

How do salespeople generate leads?

Sales teams generate leads by actively reaching out to potential customers through cold calling, emails, networking events, and utilizing their industry knowledge to identify and connect with prospects.

What are the most effective lead generation strategies for B2B sales?

Effective B2B lead generation strategies include Linkedin and cold email outreach, content marketing, attending industry events, leveraging social media, building strong relationships through networking, and offering valuable resources to target businesses.

Lastly, hire an agency like Salesbread

If you want more sales leads this year, but lack the time or experience, why not hop on a free 15 minute strategy session with us.

When partnering up with us, you can expect 1 qualified sales lead per day..

Read some of our case studies: