Lead generation is a crucial aspect of any business, but lead generation for B2B companies is especially important. To succeed and grow, B2B companies need a consistent stream of leads to convert into paying clients; without a proper growth strategy, businesses like this will fail to scale. In today’s market, it’s important for B2B businesses to have a good lead generation process in place.
In the B2B marketplace, discovering and securing qualified leads presents an ongoing challenge. A multitude of potential clients exist, but honing in on the right ones can be a daunting task. As a B2B marketer, you may find yourself battling the constant shifts in job titles and roles within target organizations, or continually refining your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) as your business evolves.
However, fear not. By leveraging powerful lead generation tools, you can dramatically increase your chances of converting sales and expanding revenue. These tools help you focus on the most promising prospects and secure the high-quality leads your sales team craves.
The Importance of Lead Generation For B2B Sales
It’s important to highlight that nurturing relationships is key to B2B lead generation. Given that B2B sales cycles tend to be longer, establishing credibility and fostering trust with potential clients becomes vital in sealing the deal.
If your business grapples with formulating effective B2B lead generation strategies, rest assured, we’re here to assist. One of the toughest hurdles is keeping pace with the ever-evolving landscape of lead generation software and tools. With such an extensive range of options to pick from, deciding which will suit your business best can be overwhelming.
Creating B2B sales leads is no mean feat. Therefore, we’ve crafted this guide for you, detailing the nine most potent lead generation tools, complete with comprehensive analyses of their strengths and weaknesses. This will empower you to make an informed decision about the software that will best meet your business’s needs.
So, without further ado, let’s dive in…
Lead Generation for B2B – Our Top 9 Tools
1. UpLead
Key Features
Next on our “Lead Generation for B2B” list of softwares is UpLead. With the ability to browse a database of more than 150 million company profiles, UpLead makes it simple to discover and interact with new prospects. Similar to most of the other tools on our list, UpLead allows you to narrow your search to certain industries, job titles, and other criteria. Once you’ve found a possible lead, you can use the built-in communication tools on Uplead.com to get in touch with them.
Uplead also has a number of automation solutions that could help you speed up your sales process. With this program, you can automate tasks like emailing, calling, and following up, so you can focus on more important things. This can help make your sales process more efficient and productive.Additionally, Uplead.com offers an excellent analytics and tracking system that enables you to comprehend your sales process and uncover areas for improvement.
User Experience
Along with an easy-to-use interface, Uplead has a simple, straightforward layout that makes it easy to find the information you need. The main dashboard gives you a quick overview of all of your leads, and the menu makes it easy to use all of the platform’s features. This makes it simple to navigate the site and locate the leads that will best suit your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).
Pricing
Uplead offers a variety of pricing plans to suit the needs of businesses of all sizes. There is a free plan, and there are also several paid plans with more features and higher limits.
The free plan allows you to search their database of 150 million business profiles, but you’re limited to only 5 credits. The paid plans, on the other hand, allow you to search more leads by giving you access to more credits and each tier scales up.
Overall Rating – 4.2 / 5
2. Apollo
Key Features
Apollo.io is a robust platform for lead generation and sales interaction that will aid you in the expansion of your business. As a B2B firm, you understand the importance of finding and connecting with the proper leads, and Apollo.io can assist you in doing so.
One of Apollo.io’s primary benefits is its lead creation capabilities. By allowing users to browse a database of more than 200 million company profiles, this software makes it simple to discover and interact with new clients. This lets you limit your search to certain fields, job titles, and other factors. Once a suitable lead has been discovered, you can utilize Apollo.io’s sales engagement capabilities to initiate contact and begin creating a connection.
Apollo.io’s capacity to automate monotonous processes is another another of its many strengths. Using this program, you may automate chores such as emailing, phoning, and follow-ups, allowing you to devote your time to more essential things. This can assist make your sales process more efficient and productive.
Additionally, Apollo.io provides a number of analytics and tracking tools that may assist you in comprehending your sales process and identifying areas for development. With this knowledge, you can make data-driven decisions that can assist you in boosting conversions and driving revenue development.
User Experience
Apollo.io’s user-friendly UI is one of its greatest qualities. It is meant to be user-friendly, with a straightforward and intuitive style that makes it simple to locate the information you want. This makes it quite easy to begin using the platform, even if you have no familiarity with lead generation for B2B software.
Apollo.io also has a great customer service team that can help you with any questions or problems you might have. They are ready to assist you with setup and training, as well as offer you best practices and recommendations for maximizing the platform. I’ve personally spoken with them multiple times, and they’re always more than willing to help!
Pricing
Apollo.io provides a number of pricing options to meet the varying demands of enterprises. There is a free plan, as well as a number of paid plans with progressively more features and functions. The free plan provides access to a restricted set of features and a limited quantity of leads.
Paid subscriptions provide access to more advanced features, bigger lead limitations, and extra capabilities like email and phone automation, analytics and tracking, and more. The cost of paid plans varies based on the number of users and the selected plan. Apollo also offers customized pricing for large enterprises.
Overall Rating – 4.4 / 5
3. ZoomInfo
Key Features
If you’re in the market for a seriously powerful lead generation tool, you should definitely look at ZoomInfo. This platform delivers detailed contact information on more than 220 million business connections and enterprises. It’s a great way to find, connect with, and keep in touch with prospects, and it could help your business grow.
One of my favorite features of ZoomInfo is its extensive database of business connections. With over 220 million profiles, you’ll be able to get qualified leads for your business, regardless of your industry. Also, the platform gives detailed information about each contact, like their job title, email address, and phone number, which makes it easy to export and use across a variety of other marketing platforms.
The search tool of ZoomInfo is another excellent feature. You can quickly find and talk to potential leads by searching the platform’s database by industry, job title, region, and more. This makes it easy to restrict your search to the most relevant leads for your business.
User Experience
ZoomInfo also has a solution for managing leads that makes it easier to keep track of and organize leads. You can build personalized lists, set reminders, and add comments to each lead. It’s almost like a built-in CRM! This makes it easy to identify where each lead is in the sales process and allows you to follow up with them at the appropriate time.
Integration of the platform with different technologies is something else I’d like to highlight. ZoomInfo can work with Salesforce, Marketo, and Pardot, among other CRM and marketing automation programs. This makes it simple to automate your lead generation for B2B and sales processes, saving you considerable time and effort.
Last but not least, I want to say that the ZoomInfo team is always working to improve the platform and add new features. They listen very carefully to what customers say and are always looking for ways to make the platform even better.
Pricing
ZoomInfo are certainly one of the more sophisticated tools here on our list. In recent yeats, they’ve expanded beyond a simple B2B lead database. They now have 3 main pillars and offerings:
- SalesOS
- MarketingOS
- TalentOS
You’ll need to hop on the phone with them to further discuss your lead generation needs for B2B needs, but last time I spoke with them I was quoted a plan starting around $12-$15K per year on the lower end. You can check out their pricing page here, and you can also sign on for a free trial.
Overall Rating – 4.6 / 5
4. Lusha
Key Features
Next up on our “Lead Generation for B2B” list is Lusha. Lusha is a fantastic solution to explore if you’re searching for an effective yet simple lead generation tool. I’ve personally never received so many advertisements for a lead generation tool in my life. I was plagued by Lusha ads on YouTube for months.
The platform’s database of business contacts is extensive. With millions of company profiles, you will have access to a vast array of leads.
User Experience
Lusha’s user-friendly interface is one of its most notable qualities. You can locate what you’re looking for with minimum effort and minimal difficulty. In addition to their traditional SaaS interface, Lusha also offers a Chrome plugin that enables you to locate contact information while browsing the web, making the lead gen process even more simple.
Similar to ZoomInfo, Lusha has a lead management system, which is an excellent way to keep track of your leads. You may build personalized lists, set reminders, and add comments to each lead.
Lusha’s ability to integrate with other applications is another one of its selling points. Their CRM enrichment allows you to integrate with Salesforce, Outreach, Hubspot, Salesloft, and a lot of other services.
Lusha also seem to place a large emphasis on data integrity and making a point of communicating their their data is “The freshest data you can find.”
Pricing
Lusha provides many pricing options to accommodate a variety of demands and budgets. Again, their pricing is based on credits per month per user and scales up accordingly.
They have 4 main tiers; Free, Pro, Premium and Scale.
As you scale up, you get a variety of additional features. You can view the pricing table below for all of the intricate details. When it come to lead generation for B2B, Lush is a solid and affordable option.
Overall Rating – 4.2 / 5
5. Store Leads
Key Features
Are you looking for a simple way to create more leads for your eCommerce business? This revolutionary tool was designed to assist businesses looking for leads in the eCommerce space, hence its name!
They call themselves the “The platform for ecommerce data” and boast a database of 11.2 Million active eCommerce stores, across 210 different eCommerce Platforms. They target themselves at marketing agencies and eCommerce consultancies, so if you or your business needs to get in front of more eCommerce brands to offer your services, then Storeleads is a great fit.
User Experience
The adaptability of storeleads is one of its other best features. They push 4 main use cases on their website.
- Lead Generation
- Data Enrichment
- Market Research
- Alternative Investment Data
This platform tracks over 30 attributes to aid all of your lead generation for B2B needs. Here is a sample of what you get access to:
- Merchant name
- Category/Industry vertical
- Creation date
- Estimated monthly sales
- Employee count
- Product count
- Country
- Company Location
You’ll also get all the data associated with their social media accounts, technographic data like their eCommerce platform, installed apps, change log history, shipping carriers, third party technologies and much more.
Pricing
Store Leads pricing is not on the cheap side, even though they do literally claim “The lowest prices in the industry.” above their pricing table. Perhaps they are referring to their own niche for data in eCommerce specifically, because many of the aforementioned tools on our list have lower pricing tiers. =
In any case, Store Leads offer three main pricing tiers; Premium, Pro and Elite. You can see how these pricing tiers scale up below and how access to more premium features scales up with each tier.
Pricing starts at $75 per month and scales all the way up to the “Elite” pricing at $450 per month.
Overall Rating – 4.3 / 5
6. Charm
Key Features
Lead generation for B2B is no easy task, especially when it comes to the DTC eCommerce industry. Charm is the next tool on our list that is attacking this niche and helping businesses to connect and communicate with leads in the eCommerce space.
This robust platform utilizes artificial intelligence and machine learning to discover the most qualified and lucrative leads for your business. With Charm, you can effortlessly target the appropriate prospects and boost the likelihood of closing more business.
User Experience
Charm is distinguished by its capacity to interpret the intent behind a lead’s online conduct. This implies that it may discover leads who are actively seeking solutions and services that you are already offering. They say that they can rank every brand on 160 different factors to find out how likely they are to buy a wide range of services. This enables you as a business owner of salesperson to concentrate your efforts on the most promising prospects and spend less time on those who are unlikely to convert.
They rank brand across multiple dimensions that span Social and community, advertising growth, distribution and wholesale channels, as well as their website traffic.
Pricing
Their prices are definitely in line with how much information they give to customers. They operate primarily on a “brand report” basis, where each pricing tier gives you access to a certain number of brand reports each month.
They have a free plan that gives you 10 free brand reports each month but their introductory paid tier starts at $399 per month for the professional, and $799 per month for the growth plan. On top of all that, they offer custom pricing for enterprise plans.
Overall Rating – 4.4 / 5
7. Ocean
Key Features
Ocean is the next lead generation for B2B tool on our list. Again, this is a tool that leans on artificial intelligence and “Intelligent Prospecting Data”.
One of ocean.io’s primary characteristics is its capacity to search the whole internet for leads. They claim to be able generate 5x more leads with their “Smart Seach” feature. According to their website:
“Humans tend to get “stuck” running the same searches over and over. Ocean.io’s Smart Search brings you perfect prospects you never would have thought to look for.”
Additionally, ocean.io has the capacity to determine the most probable leads to convert. By evaluating data such as company size, website traffic, and social media activity, ocean.io can determine which leads are the most engaged and enthusiastic about your offering.
User Experience
Their user experience is very minimal, modern and clean. They also lean in on their “AI Lookalikes” as a value added feature that “Find leads no other data provider can”. Overall, this platform is a winner and they allow you to integrate with a host of CRM tools also. Their platform builds lead lists based on your actual sales performance, and continuously updates and optimizes recommendations as you close new business. Their AI is learning from all of your growth and progression in real time!
Pricing
Similar to ZoomInfo, you’re going to need to hop on the phone with these guys. They do have 3 main pricing tiers listed on their website; Essential, Professional and Advanced.
Similar to many others on this list, they operate on a credit system, where credits increase and scale up with each subsequent tier.
Overall Rating 4.7 / 5
8. Linkedin Sales Navigator
Key Features
Our list could not be complete without mentioning the beast that is Linkedin Sales Navigator! Sales Navigator is a tool owned and built out by Linkedin specifically for prospecting and B2B lead generation. With more than 700 million members on LinkedIn, Sales Navigator owns the largest database and the best prospects for your nbusienss, regardless of industry or region.
Additionally, Sales Navigator allows you to see who has seen your LinkedIn profile, which is an excellent tool for prospecting people who are already snooping on you! This feature is a great way to find potential customers who are already interested in what you have to offer. Sales Navigator’s “Lead Recommendations” feature suggests new leads based on how you search and what you do.
User Experience
Additionally, Sales Navigator enables the organization and management of leads. You are able to construct lists of leads and divide them into several categories, making it simple to monitor your progress. You may also store and tag leads for easy retrieval in the future.
In addition, Sales Navigator offers you with insights and statistics to track your account’s performance and assist you in making better decisions.
Pricing
LinkedIn Sales Navigator offers a variety of pricing levels. There is a free trial version of the program that allows you to evaluate it prior to subscribing to one of the paid plans. The monthly fee ranges from $79.99 to $239.99, based on the quantity of leads, users, and services you require.
Overall Rating – 4.7 / 5
9. Leadshark
Last but not least, we come to Leadshark. I would say that leadshark fits into the more introductory lead gen software group, similar to Lusha mentioned above. On their website, they boast having the “the most effective lead database ever built.” and claim to provide users with the most up to date contact information for prospects in their database.
They also have an interesting crowdsourced data gathering model powered by their users and community. As a Leadshark user, you can decide to bring in contacts from your own network to keep the Leadshark database clean and updated, in exchange for free credits, which you can then use to get the contact information of your ideal clients.
User Experience
Again, this is one of the more simple tools on our list. They don’t have a sales engagement component and simply allow you to export your verified contacts by CSV and load them into whatever marketing or sales engagement software you are using.
Pricing
In terms of pricing, Leadshark offers a few plans that start on the lower end of the pricing scale.
Their plans are divided in three tiers; Silver, Gold and Platinum.
Each plan is limited by “Leads per month” and the amount of leads you can generate scales up with each tier.
Overall Rating – 4.7 / 5
B2B Lead Generation Strategies
Successfully generating B2B sales leads is the lifeblood of any business, and developing a clear B2B lead generation process is an essential step. Lead generation is the process of identifying and attracting potential customers, or “leads,” to your business, and it serves as the foundation for your marketing and sales strategy. To generate more leads and increase B2B sales, you need to employ some of the best B2B lead generation tactics and strategies.
To kickstart your B2B lead gen, the first step is understanding your B2B buyers. Their needs, behaviors, and pain points can significantly differ from B2C customers. As such, your lead generation campaigns need to reflect these differences. Creating targeted marketing strategies that resonate with your B2B audience is crucial in attracting new B2B sales.
A popular and effective lead generation channel for B2B businesses is LinkedIn, although other platforms like Facebook should not be ignored, especially with the advent of tools like Facebook Lead Ad. This tool allows you to run ads with a lead capture form, which when filled out, can provide you valuable leads right off the platform.
Another essential aspect of the B2B lead generation process is continuously optimizing your lead generation campaigns. This optimization is not a one-time activity but a cycle of testing, learning, and refining your lead generation tactics and strategies.
Remember, leads come from various sources, and it’s important to recognize which channels are most effective for your business. For some, this might mean focusing on content marketing, while for others, direct outreach could be the most successful B2B lead generation tactic. To determine the most successful lead generation channel, you should track the performance of different campaigns, assess the quality of leads they attract, and make necessary adjustments.
In the world of B2B sales, it’s all about creating relationships. The B2B sales process often involves multiple decision-makers and a longer sales cycle than B2C. Your lead generation campaigns should therefore aim to foster these relationships, providing valuable content and solutions to your prospects at each stage of their buying journey.
Ultimately, lead generation is a process that requires patience, understanding, and continuous refinement. With a solid strategy in place and a constant drive for improvement, your business will be well on its way to generating B2B leads, increasing sales, and growing its bottom line.
Generate More Leads and Increase Sales: The B2B Lead Generation Process
In the domain of B2B sales and marketing, generating a substantial number of leads, particularly high-quality ones, is fundamental to attaining your goals. Strategically enhancing your lead gen campaigns is a surefire way to generate more B2B sales leads and ultimately augment your sales pipeline.
An important tool to consider for boosting your lead generation efforts is a well-designed landing page. This is the hub where potential customers land after clicking an advertisement or link from one of your marketing campaigns. A good landing page is not just aesthetically pleasing but it also includes a captivating lead magnet – a valuable offer to the visitor in exchange for their contact information.
Different types of lead magnets, like ebooks, webinars, free trials, or exclusive discounts, can be used depending on your audience and the nature of your business. These lead magnets, strategically placed on your landing page with a lead capture form, can significantly drive up the number of leads you’re able to generate. Remember, leads are people who’ve shown interest in your product or service and have provided their information for you to follow up.
With more B2B sales leads in your arsenal, your sales qualified leads and marketing qualified leads can see a significant boost. But not all leads are created equal, and this is where lead scoring comes in. Lead scoring allows you to prioritize your leads based on their level of engagement and how well they fit your ideal customer profile. This way, you know who to focus on to convert leads into customers and generate sales.
Another vital component to consider is your ad campaigns. Effective advertising is an excellent way to attract new leads. Whether it’s search engine marketing, social media advertising, or display ads, your campaigns should be compelling, targeted, and include a clear call-to-action to guide prospects to your landing page.
However, generating leads is only part of the battle. You need to effectively manage these leads to turn them into paying customers. This is where you can harness lead data to understand the needs and behaviors of your leads better, allowing you to tailor your follow-up strategies to their unique needs.
Ultimately, to generate more B2B sales leads and increase sales, you’ll need a blend of tools and strategies. By combining effective landing pages, attractive lead magnets, targeted ad campaigns, and a robust lead scoring system, you’ll be well-equipped to boost your lead generation and sales conversion rates.
Lead Generation for B2B: Which Tool Are you Choosing?
Undoubtedly, you’re now aware that lead generation plays a pivotal role in every B2B marketing strategy aimed at business growth. As a business owner or a sales rep, it’s crucial to amplify your outreach endeavours by incorporating suitable lead generation tools into your marketing arsenal.
Creating a lead generation strategy that aligns seamlessly with your overarching business goals and objectives is paramount. What’s more, it’s essential to continuously scrutinize and fine-tune your efforts based on data-driven insights and valuable feedback from your customers.
It’s beneficial to invest in nurturing leads and utilize a mix of lead generation tactics to enhance your marketing campaign’s effectiveness. Such an approach not only helps you generate high-quality leads but also increase sales. Remember, various types of lead generation tools exist, each with unique features to capture leads efficiently.
Another critical aspect to consider is the cost. It’s vital to review the pricing plans of various lead generation tools to identify one that accommodates your business’s budget without compromising on your lead creation requirements. Finding the optimal way to generate leads that convert will eventually put your business on the fast track to success. So, don’t hesitate to dive in and explore the dynamic world of demand generation.
B2B Lead Generation – Key Points
Lead generation remains a crucial pillar in the operational landscape of all businesses, with an amplified emphasis on B2B organizations. Leveraging tools such as Apollo, Uplead, and ZoomInfo can catapult your business into a hub of prospective customers, all eager to engage with your product or service.
An exceptional feature of these tools is the personalization of searches. You can refine your search parameters with filters such as job title, industry, and location. This targeted approach ensures that your lead capture efforts cater to a demographic that aligns perfectly with your offerings.
To amplify your outreach communication, consider using custom message templates. A personalized touch in your marketing campaign can often be the difference between an ignored message and a fruitful lead generation campaign.
In the ever-evolving world of business, tracking and managing leads’ progress is paramount for gauging the success of your lead generation efforts. Lead tracking systems can provide valuable data to your sales and marketing teams, which can then be used to refine your strategies.
Budgeting is a critical factor when selecting your tools. Consider the pricing plans of different tools and select one that fits seamlessly within your financial constraints while still meeting your lead generation needs.
Moreover, it is vital to have an ongoing review process for your lead generation campaigns. Based on data and feedback, you should continuously optimize your strategies. Investment in lead nurturing is another critical area to explore, as it strengthens relationships with potential clients, thereby increasing the chances of conversion.
For an all-encompassing approach, consider the benefits of using a combination of tools. In the dynamic realm of lead generation, a varied toolbox can often yield the highest quality leads.