Lead Generation vs. Pipeline Marketing

Lead generation is nothing new. For decades, marketers have put a lot of time and effort into trying to create new contacts for their sales teams. While this is a noble idea, though, it’s not necessarily the best model for business success. Why not? Well, it all comes down to quantity vs. quality.

Lead Generation vs. Pipeline Marketing

In lead generation, marketers are trying to grab up as many new contacts as they can to send off to the sales force. This is a sheer numbers game. It doesn’t really matter who the leads are, where they came from, or how likely they are to buy your products and services – all that matters is that you’ve got their contact info and your sales people can start hitting them up, hoping that at least someone bites.

In pipeline marketing, marketers are focused less on how many contacts they’re able to obtain, and instead focus on making connections with qualified leads who have a genuine interest in the types of products and services you have to offer. You may have less leads coming in each month, but the idea is that you’ll close more deals because you’re streamlining focus onto sales-ready buyers.

If Pipeline Marketing = More Sales, Why Are People Still Relying on Lead Generation?

Okay, so now it’s time to dig a little deeper into what we’re seeing in today’s marketplace. We have A LOT of really cool technology available to us these days. Amazing analytics tools can help us review buyer trends and make better connections with prospective consumers. Even with all of this at our fingertips, though, there are still a ton of small to mid-size businesses that are just sticking with what they know: lead generation.

It literally pains us to see SMB’s going this route. We feel like the only explanation for staying so stagnant and relying on the hit-and-miss, top-of-funnel, lead generation approach is a lack of education. Pipeline marketing isn’t just some small competing force that has come along to spar with lead generation tactics; it’s here to completely wipe the floor with lead generation and pave the way for smarter, better marketing.

There’s Simply No Comparison

Old habits die hard, but unless you’re prepared to let your business die along with those old habits, we suggest that you kick lead generation to the curb and give pipeline marketing tactics a try. After all, why on earth would you want to waste your time and the time of your sales team by collecting information and contacting hundreds or thousands of “leads” (we use that term loosely, as most of those “leads” are probably totally unqualified) just so that you can make a small handful of sales? Wouldn’t you rather be able to hand off sales-ready leads so that your sales team is able to sell close to or at 100% of the people they call on your product or service? It’s not sci-fi; pipeline marketing makes it possible.

It’s time to stop focusing on how many leads you’re able to throw at your sales team and start putting emphasis on what really matters: sales revenue. Inbound marketing tactics like blogging, having conversations on social media channels, creating video content, sending out Snaps, etc. can allow you to connect with prospective customers, analyze their behaviors, learn more about them, and move buyers through the pipeline all the way to closing.

Don’t get dragged down by the ways of the past. If you’re interested in seeing just how much pipeline marketing has to offer and just how much better it is than lead generation, give us a call. The experts at Madison Taylor Marketing take a pipeline approach to seeking out quality, sales-ready leads and can help you increase sales for your business starting today.