Generating leads is a top priority for most businesses, I’m sure you’ll agree. But many companies find themselves dealing with a frustrating problem: despite investing time and resources into lead generation, they end up with low-quality leads that don’t convert.
Is your sales team spending too much time chasing unqualified prospects? Then it’s time to rethink your lead generation strategy. In this post, we’ll explore why quality matters more than quantity, how to filter out low-quality leads, and how to gradually improve your lead generation process for better results.
Not all leads are created equal. A high volume of leads might look great on paper, but if they aren’t the right fit for your business, they can waste valuable time and resources. Here’s why focusing on lead quality is crucial:
If your pipeline is filled with leads that don’t convert, it’s time to implement better lead qualification processes. Here are some key steps to filter out low-quality leads.
Attracting the right people is key. A clear Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) helps ensure that you’re attracting the right audience. Define key attributes such as:
Industry
Company size
Job title and decision-making authority
Pain points and needs
Budget range
Lead scoring is a technique that assigns points to leads based on their characteristics and behavior. Some factors to consider:
Demographics (Does the lead match your ICP?)
Engagement (Has the lead interacted with your content, website, or emails?)
Behavior (Have they shown buying intent, such as requesting a demo or downloading a whitepaper?)
Set a minimum score threshold so that only qualified leads are passed on to sales. Check our blog post about different lead scoring models to decide on the ideal model for your company.
When collecting lead information through forms, chatbots, or phone calls, ask targeted questions that reveal whether the prospect is a good fit. Some examples:
What problem are you trying to solve?
What’s your timeline for making a decision?
Do you have a budget allocated for this solution?
A disconnect between marketing and sales often leads to wasted leads, not to mention a lot of frustration in both teams. If you want better leads, you need to ensure both teams are aligned on:
The definition of a “qualified lead”
The handoff process between marketing and sales
Continuous feedback loops to refine lead generation efforts
Filtering out bad leads is just the first step. You also need to improve your overall lead quality. To continuously improve your lead generation efforts, consider the following strategies.
Regularly review lead data to identify trends in high-converting leads. Adjust targeting strategies accordingly by refining ad audiences, content marketing efforts, and SEO strategies. To do this, regularly review your ICP and check if the one you are working with is still relevant enough. To refine this further, you can also define buyer personas for your organization. Check our buyer persona worksheet to help you get started, or read our blog post about how to perfect your buyer personas.
Your content should attract the right audience and set clear expectations. Avoid clickbait-style marketing that brings in the wrong leads. Instead:
Create industry-specific case studies.
Develop educational content that speaks directly to your ICP.
Use clear and specific calls to action (CTAs) that align with your solution.
Your website should qualify leads before they even submit their information. Strategies to improve this:
Add validation questions to forms.
Offer tiered content (e.g., general resources for awareness-stage leads and detailed whitepapers for more qualified leads).
A/B test landing pages to find what attracts high-quality prospects.
If your paid ads are generating unqualified leads, adjust your targeting options:
Exclude irrelevant demographics.
Eliminate and exclude keywords that attract the wrong leads.
Use retargeting to focus on visitors who have engaged with key pages.
Optimize ad copy to discourage non-ideal leads from clicking.
Lead generation is an ongoing process. You will regularly need to review lead quality, test different strategies, and refine your approach. By systematically testing and improving, your lead quality should significantly increase over time.
Many companies struggle with low-quality leads because they prioritize volume over relevance. By refining your lead qualification process, aligning marketing and sales, and continuously improving targeting efforts, you can attract and convert the right customers.
Ready to start generating better leads? Take the first step by analyzing your current lead data and refining your ICP today!
Download our lead generation guide and get inspired for your next lead generation campaign
