Whether you’re a marketing executive, salesperson or business owner, if you’re in the B2B industry or are looking to get started in the B2B niche, you will have undoubtedly heard of lead generation software. Lead generation software is used by thousands of people around the world to help them with things like lead capture and email marketing. If you’re new to the topic of lead generation software, then this post has been written especially for you.
Lead generation software is a time-saving marketing and sales app that lets you automatically generate more leads and route them to the proper team. It helps you increase brand awareness, attract more qualified leads, and close more sales deals.
No business can survive without customers. So have you ever wondered how a business could get so many potential buyers visiting their website, signing up for their newsletter or purchasing a product or service? One of the main reasons is free b2b lead generation software. You may be curious about what it is. That’s why this article has been written to provide you with answers.
Lead generation focuses on the top of the sales funnel, typically pulling leads from online channels like email, social media, and landing pages. From these channels, it collects contact information from people who have expressed interest in your product or service.
What are the benefits of using lead generation tools?
Improved customer insight
Your customers aren’t just going to tell you what they’re thinking. You need to ask the right questions and gather the right data to better understand their pain points. And why they are (or aren’t) buying from you.
Lead generation programs allow you to quickly capture more useful data from your potential customers. With better insight into why people show interest in your product or service in the first place, you can lean into the features that people like the most. The better you understand your customers, the better you can tailor your sales pitch and pipeline to their specific needs.
Better qualified leads
Having more leads isn’t always a good thing. More leads means more work, and if most of your leads are cold or lukewarm, you’ll end up working harder for smaller returns.
Lead generation software uses lead scoring to analyze customer data and identify the ones who are most likely to buy from you. It tracks their engagement, personal information, and interactions with your company to determine who’s really worth your time and effort.
Calculating lead value lets you reach out to the best qualified leads faster. While you’re still fresh in their minds. And that sets aside the people who were just browsing.
Refined marketing tactics
With powerful analytics reporting, your team will be able to see exactly which marketing campaigns brought in the highest value leads. With this information, you can continue to build campaigns that resonate with the most qualified leads. Then you’ll attract even more high value customers, and minimize time waste with cold leads.
Save time across the board
All of this adds up to time saved. Lead generation provides your sales reps with the most relevant customer information so they don’t have to spend hours researching leads. Furthermore, your sales reps will spend less time chasing after cold leads. That means more time following-up on the ones who have already ticked off multiple boxes.
Fishing in murky waters isn’t a good use of your time. Guesswork drains your resources, wasting valuable hours and manpower. Imagine your business is a fishing operation. Using a lead generation system would be like seeing exactly where the biggest fish swim, what they like to eat, and when they’re most ready to feast. And that would most certainly put you ahead of the competition.
What types of lead generation are there?
There are two principal types of lead generation software: outbound lead generation, and inbound lead generation. Some lead generation programs will include features for both categories, while others might narrow their focus to just one.
Before committing to a lead generation platform, ask yourself some important questions about how you’re currently finding leads. And how you want to find them in the future. The best approach is to invest in software that includes features for both inbound and outbound lead generation. So you can combine the two approaches for maximum effect.
Outbound lead generation
With outbound lead generation, you initiate contact with people who have little or no knowledge of your company. This involves activities like cold calling, sales prospecting emails, direct mailing, and live events.
Outbound lead generation is more typical when it comes to B2B sales. This is because whatever you’re selling is designed to help people make money. That already puts you in a good position to snag their attention.
Outbound lead generation is labor-intensive. But it’s a tried-and-true method of gaining attention from people who otherwise would never hear of your product. It’s also a good way of getting your brand into people’s heads before the competition.
Sometimes the people who need your product or service most aren’t putting themselves in your way, so you have to go to them.
Here are some features you’ll find included in outbound lead generation platforms:
- Sales dialer
- Contact management software
- Pay-per-click advertising
- Sales CRM
- Sales recording
- Templates for sales emails
- Email automation
Inbound lead generation
Inbound lead generation involves creating content and advertising that motivates potential buyers to reach out to you. It’s more popular with B2C industries, where “salesy” tactics can sometimes seem disingenuous or pushy.
Most inbound lead generation activity is digital, which means it tends to be more cost-effective. But inbound lead generation involves waiting for people to find you and reach out, which means they might also be reaching out to the competition at the same time.
With inbound lead generation, you’re constructing materials that organically attract leads to you. If you’re looking for software with inbound lead generation tools, keep an eye out for these features:
- Landing page building
- Web forms
- Live chatbots
- Survey forms
- Visitor tracking
- Content creation & delivery
An internet search of lead generation platforms will reveal a staggering number of results. To narrow it down for you, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best lead generation tools on the market.
1. Zendesk Sell
Zendesk Sell offers built-in sales engagement tools including lead gen, prospecting, and enrichment solutions. These features let your sales people ditch the tedious tasks and bet back to crushing their quotas. Sell lets you create targeted prospect lists for multiple channels and build custom templates so you can create a surplus of leads and engage contacts with a personalized touch.
Features
- Lead qualification
- Sales pipeline
- Custom templates
- Lead capture
- Lead distribution
2. Unbounce
Unbounce is a lead landing page platform for ecommerce, SaaS, and agencies, with features for building landing pages, pop-ups, and sticky bars.
Features
- Customizable templates
- Form builder
- Real-time editing
- Reporting/analytics
- SEO management
3. Leadpages
Leadpages is a landing page builder program for small businesses that hosts features for creating landing pages, pop-ups, alert bars, and includes 40+ integrations.
Features
- Form builder
- Pre-built templates
- SEO management
- AB testing
- Data import/export
4. Pipedrive
Pipedrive is a lead management and CRM platform for sales teams that included pipeline management and code-free development.
Features
- Call recording
- Lead capture
- Content delivery
- Customer segmentation
- Calendar/reminder system
5. HubSpot
HubSpot is a CRM for growing teams. It offers lead management features as well as contact and campaign management functions.
Features
- Performance metrics
- Pipeline management
- Prospecting tools
- Lead qualification
- Lead nurturing
6. Agile CRM
AgileCRM is a customer relations and auto-dialer program for small to mid-sized sales and marketing teams.
Features
- A/B testing
- Automated routing
- Appointment management
- Blended call center
- Call logging
7. CallPage
Callpage is a sales call platform for B2B, B2C, and ecommerce companies with outbound lead management features including auto-dialer and live chat.
Features
- Lead distribution
- Dashboard
- Call list management
- Contact database
- Lead capture
8. AeroLeads
AeroLeads is a prospect generation program for finding individual and business contact information.
Features
- Pipeline management
- Prospecting tools
- Lead qualification
- Lead capture
- Lead database integration
9. Vainu
Vainu is a European-based lead generation platform with sales intelligence and prospecting tools for businesses across all industries.
Features
- Lead verification/validation
- Pipeline management
- Contact database
- Lead capture
- Data import/export
- Data import/export
10. LeadFuze
LeadFuze is a contact-finder for salespeople, recruiters, and marketers, and includes features like lead verification and segmentation.
Features
- Prospecting tools
- Contact database
- Lead distribution
- Lead nurturing
- Lead qualification
11. LinkeLead
LinkeLead is a lead generation platform specifically built to search through LinkedIn Sales Navigator for clients, partners, and businesses.
Features
- Contact database
- Data import/export
- Lead nurturing
- Lead segmentation
- Prospecting tools
12. LeadsBridge
LeadsBridge is a lead generation program for advertising agencies, retailers, financial services, and real estate businesses. It includes social media marketing tools, and offers 350+ integrations.
Features
- Lead capture
- Lead nurturing
- Data import/export
- Lead management
- Lead segmentation
13. OptinMonster
OptinMonster is a lead generation tool for small businesses, bloggers, marketing agencies, and eCommerce websites.
Features
- Prospecting tools
- Lead capture
- Lead segmentation
- Email integration
14. MaxTraffic
MaxTraffic is a marketing platform that includes features for customer profiling, exit intent, promotional overlays, and analytics.
Features
- A/B testing
- Customizable CTAs
- Drip campaigns
- Lead capture
- Geotargeting
15. LeadFeeder
LeadFeeder is a lead generation platform for B2B businesses that lets your salespeople track website visits and see where they came from.
Features
- Engagement tracking
- Source tracking
- Lead notifications
- Prospecting tools
- CRM
16. Sumo
Sumo is an email marketing tool for eCommerce businesses that offers multiple integrations including MailChimp, Shopify, and Campaign Monitor.
Features
- A/B testing
- Subscriber management
- Templates
- Conversion tracking
- Campaign management
17. HubSpot
Set up an SMTP server in minutes and achieve deep personalization with this tool.
18. Boomerang
Keep sending emails to your leads with automated reminders.
Free Spam Testing Tools
19. Mail Tester
Test if your email is spam worthy.
20. IsNotSpam
An alternative to the tool above.
Free Proposals and Invoicing Tools
21. And Co
Create simple proposals and invoice your customers with this handy tool for freelancers.
22. Hello Sign
Get your digital documents signed with this tool. The free version allows for 3 documents per month.
23. Invoicely
A free professional invoice making app.
24. Slimvoice
Create simple invoices easily and in minutes.
25. Wave
Free invoicing and accounting app.
26. Invoice Generator
Another great invoicing tool.
How to select the best lead generation program?
Every business is unique, so you have to be selective about which software programs you integrate into your daily workflow. Before committing the time and money to learning a new platform, create a lead generation plan by asking yourself the following questions.
- Are you primarily engaging in inbound or outbound lead generation?
- What are your current goals?
- Who is your target audience?
- Where are you currently finding most of your leads?
- How are you currently scoring your leads?
- Which channels are you getting the most engagement from?
- Which channels aren’t you using?
- Are you currently creating engagement content like blogs, videos, and e-books? If not, do you plan to in the future?
Conclusion:
Business to Business (B2B) refers to business transactions that take place between businesses, without any party purchasing for personal use. B2B lead generation has increasingly become a pillar of the lead generation world. This can be for a number of reasons such as: companies have become more specialized and generate leads at a faster rate, and lead generation is more commonly required by large enterprises.
Most small business owners realize the importance of generating leads for their business’. But some, believe that there is a certain way of doing it. This can limit growth and revenue. The truth is that there are multiple ways of generating leads, but not all of them are successful. B2B lead generation can be tricky if you do not know what you are doing; however, there are a few things that you need to look for when choosing a lead generation software.