Lead Generation Techniques

Website traffic was a valuable metric correlated to growth. Now it may be a vanity metric, not correlated to growth. Search has been disrupted. Visits to your website are declining. So, marketers - what now? The search landscape was already shifting (I talked about this at INBOUND last year). Now, the change is accelerating dramatically: - AI Overviews appear in 43% of Google searches – when they do, organic CTR drops by nearly 35%. - Google’s AI Mode and audio AI overviews are coming – they will cause clicks to collapse further. - More buyers are using LLMs to find information, ChatGPT search in Europe grew 3.7x in six months. So, what should marketers do? And how can AI help? 1. Be everywhere and diversify your channels The days of relying solely on Google search are way over. You need to show up on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, podcasts, and in niche communities. The good news? AI makes multi-channel, multi-format content creation scalable – even for small teams. 2. Be specific with context In the past, broad informational content was the way to rank in Google. Today, buyers expect results deeply relevant to them, whether they’re on Google, LLMs, or Reddit. You need specific content that reflects your expertise and resonates with your buyers. 3. Optimize for conversion, not clicks Traffic was once the lever you could pull. Now, conversion is where the opportunity lies. AI enables you to deliver personal messages that drive better conversion. Don’t ask, “How do we get more blog visits?” Ask, “How do we convert more prospects into customers across all channels?” The changes in search are sending shockwaves across marketing teams and media companies everywhere. The era of traffic-based marketing is ending. But a new era full of opportunity is just beginning. Super exciting times for marketers to reinvent the playbook!

India has 150 million+ people above the age 60 and there is a massive opportunity to keep them healthy & fit. But everyone’s focused on Gen Z and no one’s building for their parents. It’s a hard business but a big one. We’ve invested in two companies. Here’s why it’s tough and how one should crack it. Understand the reality first. 1. Elders don’t think of “health” as proactive. They’re conditioned to wait until something breaks before acting. You’re selling a solution to a problem they don’t know they have yet. 2. The 65-year-old needs it but their 35-year-old child pays for it. You're not selling to the elder. You’re selling to their guilt-driven kids in Gurgaon or US. The buyer ≠ the user. 3. Trust is everything and you don’t have it. Indian elders trust: Their doctor, astrologer & their neighbour Not apps. Not tech bros. Not AI. You can't growth hack trust. You earn it slowly, locally. 4. They don’t want new habits. They’ve had the same breakfast for 40 years. You’re not selling a product. You’re undoing decades of routine. 5. Distribution is hyperlocal. Elders don’t click Insta ads. They talk to the uncle in their colony. You scale building by building not by user cohorts. Yes, 150M+ elders. But it’s not one market. It’s a thousand tiny tribes. Different languages, cultures, food habits, family structures, and tech comfort levels. If it were easy, Tata or Reliance would’ve done it already. But it’s wide open now. The one who combines tech + trust + real care will win. So how do you crack it? 1. Think first principles & not trends Don’t build a “senior fitness app.” Ask: Why did they stop moving? What gives them joy? You’re selling independence, not health. 2. Design for peace, not features. One-click help, One daily routine, One trusted face. Great elder products feel like human care not software. 3. Human-first, tech-enable. Don’t replace the daughter. Support her. Train 100 amazing elder coaches. Build tools to help them scale. 4. Don't focus on CAC. Here, it’s about trust per acquisition. You’re not selling toothpaste. You’re asking to be let into their daily life. Start offline. Build trust then tech. 5. You’re in the business of habit change & not selling an app or a pill. Get them to walk 15 minutes a day. Add protein to breakfast. Laugh more. Sleep better. Small wins compound. Don’t build for scale first. Build for consistency. Be in the business of habit change. 6. This isn’t a hackable D2C play. It’s a decade-long trust business. Build for one community. Get to know 100 elders by name. Solve deep, boring problems with elegance. Everyone’s chasing the next billion youth users. But the hidden opportunity lies in serving the first 150 million elders. The elder care market in India isn’t just underserved. It’s misunderstood and needs long-term play. Founders who crack this will build generational companies.

My client fired their entire SDR team on Tuesday By Friday, their pipeline had grown by 60% This sounds impossible It's not After auditing 50 B2B sales organizations over 10 years, I've uncovered the most expensive myth in modern selling: → The belief that MORE activity at the TOP of your funnel will fix conversion problems at the BOTTOM Let me share what actually happened: This mid-market software company was spending $350,000 annually on their 4-person SDR team - 100+ cold calls per rep daily - 17 meetings booked weekly - "Incredible metrics" according to leadership - But their close rate? A devastating 1.2% The VP of Sales was convinced they needed MORE outreach, MORE automation, MORE top-of-funnel I suggested something different: pause all prospecting for 7 days Instead, we had their account executives do something radical - engage with the 215 prospects already in their pipeline who'd gone cold after initial meetings Using a framework we developed: - 65 prospects responded within 24 hours - 41 booked follow-up meetings - 23 re-entered active buying cycles - 6 closed within 14 days (total value: $212K) The shocking revelation? - Their pipeline wasn't empty - It was overflowing with neglected opportunity. This company didn't have a lead generation problem. They had a lead nurturing catastrophe. By reallocating resources from mindless prospecting to strategic engagement, they've now: - Reduced CAC by 60% - Shortened sales cycles by 30% - 2x their close rate The counterintuitive truth: Sometimes the fastest path to growth is to stop chasing new opportunities and start converting the ones you've already earned. What percentage of your marketing and sales budget is focused on prospects who've already shown interest vs those who haven't? That ratio reveals everything about your future growth trajectory P.S. If you need help with your sales, send me a message

𝟭𝟬 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵-𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀 🔥 Most product sites don’t convert. Here’s how to fix it: 𝟭/ 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗲𝗿 Before designing, talk to real users. Figure out what they want, what stops them, and what triggers action. → Talk to 5 signups: “What made you try it?” → Exit survey: “What’s stopping you?” → Watch session recordings → Skim support chats → Bonus: Buy someone coffee for quick feedback ✅ Example: Users say: “I just want to send invoices and get paid.” → Don’t write: “Smart billing software” → Say: “Send your next invoice in under 60 seconds.” 𝟮/ 𝗡𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 Your layout needs: → Headline: pain point → Subheadline: curiosity → CTA: single action → Visual: product in action → Body: benefits > features ✅ Example: → “Hiring is broken.” → “Our AI recruiter finds top 3 candidates in 24h.” → “Try it free” → Demo video → “Save 10+ hours/week on screening” 𝟯/ 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱 Most people won’t scroll. → What is this? → Who’s it for? → Why does it matter? → What should I do next? ✅ Example: → Don’t say: “AI-powered web builder” → Say: “Launch your landing page in 60 seconds” 𝟰/ 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 People don’t want “real-time sync.” They want fewer meetings, faster work. ✅ Example: → Don't say: “Real-time collaboration” → Say: “No more back-and-forth emails. Edit together live.” 𝟱/ 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳, 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 Trust builds conversion. → Logos → Quotes → Counters → Screenshots → Case studies ✅ Example: → “Trusted by 4,000+ teams at Meta, Notion, and Vercel” 𝟲/ 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 Stick to one goal and cut everything else. → No blog links → No footer clutter → No secondary CTAs ✅ Example: If your goal is “Try for free,” everything should lead there. 𝟳/ 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗧𝗔 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 Avoid vague buttons. Make CTAs feel easy + specific. ✅ Example: → Don't say: “Start now” → Say: “Try for free” 𝟴/ 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲-𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 60%+ of traffic is mobile. If it’s clunky, it’s broken. → Large tap targets → Sticky CTAs → Short scroll → Preview breakpoints ✅ Example: → Desktop: CTA beside video → Mobile: CTA pinned bottom → Preview with Lovable 𝟵/ 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 One version is only one guess. ✅ Example: → “The fastest invoicing tool for freelancers” vs. → “Send your next invoice in under 60 seconds” → Ship both with Lovable 𝟭𝟬/ 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗧𝗔 Conversion isn’t the goal. The activation flow right after is. → Pre-fill content → Show a 60s walkthrough → Highlight one key action ✅ Example: User signs up → edits sample invoice → sends in 1 click LFG

What it means to shift from 'spray-and-pray' marketing to a unified, account-based GTM aimed at your exact ICP ⤵ Last September I featured a story about how Parabola did all this (a) in under 30 days, (b) without a RevOps team, and (c) with a TON of 🔥 automation. Here’s the update: pipeline has grown by 717% since September. All with the same size marketing team 🤯 How they rapidly built a scaled ABX motion from scratch: 1️⃣ Identified - ICP-fit accounts & contacts are sourced using Clay, Sales Nav, Cargo 🧱 and ChatGPT - All data gets pushed to Salesforce 2️⃣ Aware - Accounts get warmed up with LinkedIn paid ads, scaled email, LinkedIn connections and referrals – in addition to other bespoke tactics and campaigns - They are flagged as aware if buyers start engaging via email (2+ contacts with 2+ email opens), accept LinkedIn connections, visit the website, or engage in the community - Tools: website tracking (Clearbit, HubSpot), email & LinkedIn automation (Apollo, Outreach, La Growth Machine), community (Slack) 3️⃣ Interested - Accounts progress as they demonstrate more meaningful engagement & intent - Key signals include visiting high-intent website pages (ex: pricing page), starting a free trial, attending an event, etc. - Tools: webinar (Sequel.io), trial (Redshift), website tracking, product usage data, ETL 4️⃣ Evaluating - All of the above is meant to generate high intent, ICP pipeline for sales - Accounts progress here by booking a meeting with sales or requesting a demo - This is where more manual, high-touch outreach comes into play (aimed at warm accounts) - Tools: meeting routing & booking (Calendly), marketing automation (HubSpot) The big learnings over the past 8 months:  - Content & offers are everything for getting a response  - Not all triggers are created equal when scoring account stages  - The data won’t be perfect, don’t let that stop you  - The best GTM plays involve both marketing & BDRs This is what a focused GTM looks like. Marketing, sales, CS, product and even ops all play a role in building pipeline with the right accounts. Huge shoutout to the Parabola team (Alex Yaseen, Ben Pollack, Adam Reisfield) for taking folks behind-the-scenes! PS, Parabola just launched a game-changer for anyone interested in automating workflows like ABX stages (think Cursor for Ops teams). You can check it out here: https://parabola.io/ #abx #marketing #automation

If you're a CMO struggling to hit pipeline numbers, it's probably not your strategy, team, or tactics. It's the broken system. For over a decade, B2B had a playbook that worked. Budgets were predictable, buyers were reachable, and marketing automation (mostly) tracked the journey. We built careers on nurtures, MQL handoffs, and attribution models. Then that foundation cracked.  Here's the data to prove it. THE BUDGET SQUEEZE Marketing budgets dropped from 11% of revenue pre-pandemic to 7.7% today (Gartner). Meanwhile, WordStream reports Google Ads CPL hit $70.11 in 2025, up 31% from $53.52 two years ago. B2B tech companies now routinely pay $200+ per lead. We're doing more with less, while the price of every click, impression, and conversion climbs relentlessly. THE INVISIBLE BUYER 6sense shows 70% of the buyer journey now happens anonymously, outside systems you can track. Gartner found 75% of B2B buyers actively avoid sales contact until they're ready, and when you do connect, Digital Commerce 360 reports 1/3 go silent after initial contact. Buying groups expanded to 6-10 people on average, sometimes up to 16, according to Gartner. Most of those people will never appear in your CRM. They're researching and forming opinions in the dark — and traditional marketing automation can't reach them there. THE BROKEN INFRASTRUCTURE Cookie deprecation and privacy regulations blocked the known, tracked visitors underpinning marketing automation, breaking traditional scoring methods and making the journey even harder to track. And meanwhile, the legacy MAP vendors were mostly stagnant, raising prices without adding new functionality. THE TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS Backlinko reports content exploded to 6M blog posts daily.  Algorithm InSights 2025 found LinkedIn organic reach collapsed to 1-2% in 2025 — half of prior levels.. Email isn't faring better. Infraforge says cold email open rates dropped from 36% to 27.7% in one year. Reply rates fell from 7% to 5.1%, meaning 19 out of 20 cold emails are now ignored. It's a tragedy of the commons. We abused every tactic until buyers tuned out and opt out. THE MEASUREMENT BREAKDOWN Meanwhile, Televerde and Anteriad report many companies haven't updated MQL definitions in over five years. We're optimizing for metrics sales doesn't value, while what really drives revenue impact (strong brand awareness and preference) stays invisible. THE BOTTOM LINE Today's B2B marketers operate with smaller budgets against higher costs, trying to influence larger anonymous buying groups through noisier channels with weaker reach, measured by outdated metrics — all while buyers demand authenticity and avoid our outreach. I'd argue your pipeline misses are probably not an execution failure. The system fundamentally changed and the old playbook broke. What part of this broken system is hitting you hardest: the budget pressure, the invisible buyer, or the broken infrastructure? And do you have other stats on this?

I've watched 3 "revolutionary" healthcare technologies fail spectacularly. Each time, the technology was perfect. The implementation was disastrous. Google Health (shut down twice). Microsoft HealthVault (lasted 12 years, then folded). IBM Watson for Oncology (massively overpromised). Billions invested. Solid technology. Total failure. Not because the vision was wrong, but because healthcare adoption follows different rules than consumer tech. Here's what I learned building healthcare tech for 15 years: 1/ Healthcare moves at the speed of trust, not innovation ↳ Lives are at stake, so skepticism is protective ↳ Regulatory approval takes years usually for good reason ↳ Doctors need extensive validation before adoption ↳ Patients want proven solutions, not beta testing 2/ Integration trumps innovation every time ↳ The best tool that no one uses is worthless ↳ Workflow integration matters more than features ↳ EMR compatibility determines adoption rates ↳ Training time is always underestimated 3/ The "cool factor" doesn't predict success ↳ Flashy demos rarely translate to daily use ↳ Simple solutions often outperform complex ones ↳ User interface design beats artificial intelligence ↳ Reliability matters more than cutting-edge features 4/ Reimbursement determines everything ↳ No CPT code = no sustainable business model ↳ Insurance coverage drives provider adoption ↳ Value-based care is changing this slowly ↳ Free trials don't create lasting change 5/ Clinical champions make or break technology ↳ One enthusiastic doctor can drive adoption ↳ Early adopters must see immediate benefits ↳ Word-of-mouth beats marketing every time ↳ Resistance from key stakeholders kills innovations The pattern I've seen: companies build technology for the healthcare system they wish existed, not the one that actually exists. They optimize for TechCrunch headlines instead of clinic workflows. They design for Silicon Valley investors instead of 65-year-old physicians. A successful healthcare technology I've implemented? A simple visit summarization app that saved me time and let me focus on the patient. No fancy interface, very lightweight, integrated into my clinical workflow, effortless to use. Just solved an problem that users had. Healthcare doesn't need more revolutionary technology. It needs evolutionary technology that works within existing systems. ⁉️ What's the simplest technology that's made the biggest difference in your healthcare experience? Sometimes basic beats brilliant. ♻️ Repost if you believe implementation beats innovation in healthcare 👉 Follow me (Reza Hosseini Ghomi, MD, MSE) for realistic perspectives on healthcare technology

We were 25 minutes into the call when they asked: Prospect: “So… can we get some ballpark pricing?” Me: “Happy to share. Just curious - are we currently the vendor of choice? Or are we still in the mix with others?” Prospect: “We’re still evaluating about five different vendors.” Me: “Got it. And what are you evaluating us all on?” Prospect: “Mostly features and pricing.” Me: “Appreciate the transparency. Mind if I be blunt for a second?” Prospect: “Go for it.” Me: “We don’t like to win on price. We don’t like to lose on price. We like to win on product.” Me: “If you’re telling me we’re the best solution for your team, then we can figure out how to make the pricing work. But if you’re not there yet, I’d rather not pretend price is the blocker.” Prospect: “Fair. We’re still figuring out what we really need.” Me: “That’s what I figured. And that’s why I hesitate to get deep into pricing. If you’re still defining the problem, every number’s going to feel too high.” It shifted the energy. Too many teams ask for pricing before they even know what they’re buying. They want quotes before clarity. Discounts before direction. Numbers before need. But pricing only makes sense once the value is clear. So here’s what I’ve learned: Make sure you’re the vendor of choice first. Make sure they know what they’re solving and how you solve it. Then have those money conversations. That’s how you avoid racing to the bottom. And win on the thing that matters most... The product.

I’m tired of connecting with someone on LinkedIn only to get pitched their product or software within five minutes. Yes, sales matter. But relationships matter more. When the first message is a pitch, it tells me you’re chasing transactions, not building trust. It skips the part where we actually get to know each other. Where we learn if there’s alignment. Where we find out if what you’re offering even solves a real problem. The best partnerships I’ve been part of didn’t start with a cold pitch. They started with a conversation. Ask a question. Learn what matters to me or my team. Offer something helpful before asking for time. It’s not about playing games. It’s about respecting people and earning the right to share what you do. Sales will always be part of business. But if you’re not building relationships, you’re building a house on sand. #SalesWithIntegrity #RelationshipsFirst #LinkedInCommunity #TrustMatters #BusinessDoneRight #CustomerExperience #ListenBeforeYouPitch

I've created 100s of SaaS landing pages that (1) rank in Google and (2) convert traffic into customers. Here's the exact landing page plan I follow: 1. Hero section Company logo: Ensure branding is immediately visible. Headline: Benefit-driven headline that captures attention and clearly states the (compelling) value proposition. Subheadline: Supporting statement that adds further clarity to the headline. Primary CTA: Button that stands out and guides the user to the desired next step. Social proof: Show that people like the reader are also using the product (and how many). Image or video: Add an image, video, or GIF that visually communicates the product in action, making it easy for users to understand how it works. 2. Benefits section Key benefits: Show the main benefits of the product and give a brief description of the features that achieve this. Supporting visuals: Include images to reinforce the benefits and showcase the product in action. 3. More social proof Testimonials: Include quotes from satisfied customers to increase authenticity. Trust signals: Add logos of well-known brands or individual users to further establish credibility. 4. FAQ section Address the most frequently asked questions to overcome any objections. Use Google autosuggest, keyword research tools, and search modifiers to find SEO-focused questions to further optimise for your target keyword(s). 5. Final call to action (CTA) Encourage users to take immediate action. 6. Internal linking Links to related features: Provide links to other feature pages to keep users exploring. Make sure to also link to the new landing page from other pages with optimised anchor text. 7. Mobile optimisation Ensure the landing page is fully optimised for mobile users with quick load times, easy navigation, and mobile-friendly CTAs. 8. Footer section Contact information: Include contact details like email, phone number, and address or a link to support. Legal information: Provide links to important pages such as Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. 9. Repeat for every feature We created 8 of these feature pages for a B2B SaaS company a few months back. They now: - Rank for searches directly looking for their product - Get 20,000+ "warm" SEO traffic per month It works.