Building A Lead Generation Funnel That Works

80 % of marketing budgets are still doing cartwheels in the wrong part of the funnel. Here’s a quick sanity check I use when clients ask why their “awareness” ads don’t move revenue.👇 1. Start where the money is (literally). If you’re not retargeting → CRM contacts, open opportunities, and past proposals first, you’re burning cash. Warm dollars convert 3–5× faster than any cold campaign, yet they get the leftovers. 2. “High‑intent” is code for “ready to buy.” Exact‑match search queries and branded terms deserve their own budget and landing page. No fluff, no blogs—just proof, pricing, and a form. Paid search has to be a foundational layer for most orgs. After warm near-bound prospects and before you think about ice cold targeting..paid search is where you go. 3. Middle‑funnel is your trust factory. Website lurkers, LinkedIn page visitors, newsletter readers—feed them testimonials, analyst quotes, ungated checklists. The goal: move them one click deeper, not straight to a wedding proposal. 4. Cold prospecting ≠ spray & pray. ABM lists with technographic or intent data beat look‑alike audiences every day of the week. Speak to the pain you know they have. Then cap your spend until retargeting pools are healthy. 5. Measurement > mythology. Weekly: pacing and cost per lead. Monthly: SQLs and win‑rate lift. Quarterly: cost‑to‑revenue by funnel stage. Most of the rest is dashboard glitter. TL;DR Shift budget down the funnel first, earn the right to scale up, and track every dollar like a bloodhound. Your CFO—and pipeline—will thank you. What’s the one funnel tweak that moved the needle most for you this year? Drop it below ⬇️

"Our funnel is completely clogged, and our CEO and investors are starting to panic," shared a CMO from a $375MM SaaS firm. The other Huddlers sympathized, noting they were facing similar challenges. Sound familiar? The old playbook of flooding the funnel, scoring MQLs, and handing off to sales isn't just broken; it's toxic. Here's why your funnel is clogged and what actually works now: 1. Your data is a disaster. The average customer contact database health score? A pathetic 47%, according to research from BoomerangAI. More than half of B2B companies haven't updated their database in six months—or ever. Bad data isn't just an operational issue. It erodes every layer of your funnel. Fix this first. Assign database ownership cross-functionally. Tie enrichment to your GTM motions. And please activate alumni contact programs. Only 12% of companies have formal programs for contacts who left employers, yet they're gold mines. 2. You're still pitching tours when buyers want tools. Recent TrustRadius research shows that 52% of buyers say prior experience is their #1 decision input. Only 13% say a demo "blew them away." 3. Stop the demo obsession. Launch website-based product exploration tools. Add pricing guidance. Create modular content for AI summarization since 90% of buyers who see AI-generated summaries click through to cited sources. 4. The MQL addiction is killing you. As one CMO put it: "MQLs are problematic... we’re trying to figure out how to get fewer, better leads." Track conversion quality at each funnel stage. Hold weekly demand gen and sales alignment meetings. Ditch vanity metrics for outcome-based KPIs. 5. You're pitching spend instead of displacement. Few CFOs are greenlighting net-new spending, but they will approve reallocation when the ROI is crystal clear. Reframe your pitch: "Invest in this → reduce spend on that." Connect to CFO logic, not just user pain. 6. You're making promises instead of proving value. Buyers want proof in 120 days or less. The "trust us, it'll pay off eventually" era is dead. If you have the data, create 120-day value realization case studies. Use prospect data to build "speed-to-value" narratives. Lead with time-to-value, not feature lists. The companies unclogging their funnels aren't working harder—they're working smarter. They've ditched the old playbook for data-driven precision. Your move. PS - For a longer look at this issue, please check out my May 2025 #HuddleUp newsletter.

Proven Strategies to Supercharge B2B Outbound Lead Generation Let’s be clear: outbound isn’t dead—it just needs to be smarter. In a world where buyers are more selective and inboxes are more crowded, effective outbound lead generation is about precision, personalization, and partnership with sales. Here are 7 strategies I’ve seen drive real results: 1. Laser-Focus Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) Before you start reaching out, refine your ICP. Go beyond firmographics—consider buying triggers, tech stack, growth signals, and key pain points. Use intent data and predictive analytics to prioritize accounts most likely to convert. A highly defined ICP ensures your efforts are efficient and relevant. 2. Multi-Threaded Outreach Modern B2B decisions are made by committees, not individuals. Build relationships across multiple stakeholders within a target account. Tailor messages to specific roles—finance, marketing, operations—and connect them to how your solution supports their objectives. 3. Hyper-Personalized Messaging at Scale Generic emails are dead. Use dynamic personalization tools to tailor messaging based on job title, company news, shared connections, or industry trends. AI can help scale personalization while keeping your messaging authentic and relevant. 4. Leverage Warm Channels First Outbound doesn’t have to mean “cold.” Use mutual connections, recent webinar attendees, or social media engagement as warm entry points. Pair outbound efforts with LinkedIn nurturing, retargeted ads, or personalized video messages to increase response rates. 5. Sequence with Strategy Use automated sequences (email, phone, social touches) designed around your buyer’s journey. Ensure every touchpoint adds value—share relevant case studies, industry insights, or pain-point specific content. A well-structured sequence improves both response and conversion rates. 6. Align with Sales for Speed and Feedback Marketing and sales alignment is critical. Share real-time feedback loops so messaging can be optimized based on what's resonating. SDRs should be armed with the right content, timing cues, and conversation starters to accelerate qualified conversations. 7. Test, Learn, and Optimize Relentlessly Outbound is not set-it-and-forget-it. Track metrics like open rates, response rates, and meeting conversion. A/B test subject lines, messaging, and timing. Leverage attribution insights to refine outreach and double down on what works. 💡 Outbound done right isn’t about volume—it’s about velocity and value. When marketers shift from “spray and pray” to precise, personalized, and data-driven outreach, outbound becomes a true catalyst for sustainable B2B growth. #B2BMarketing #OutboundLeadGen #GrowthStrategy #MarketingLeadership #RevenueMarketing #ABM #CMO #DemandGeneration

A client recently told me, “We’ve been doing the same thing for years, but something feels off now.” And they were right. When your profile doesn’t evolve with the market, everything slows down. Engagement. Leads. Conversions. We made a few key changes to their LinkedIn presence. Rewrote the headline to speak directly to their audience, turned the About section into a story, and added one powerful testimonial. The result? Engagement up 35 percent, leads doubled, and they closed their biggest deal yet. It’s a strategy I’ve developed to turn genuine relationships into real results. I call this the Connection-to-Conversion Method. Here’s what we did, and what you can try too: 🔸 Use Your Headline Like a Hook, Not a Job Title • People scroll fast. Your headline should tell them exactly how you help, not what your position is. • A strong headline speaks directly to your ideal client’s pain or aspiration. Why This Helps: Your profile becomes searchable, clickable, and instantly relevant. 🔸 Ditch the Bio. Write a Story Instead. • A punchy “About” section that walks people through your journey builds instant trust. • Use it to share how you solve problems, not just your background. Why This Helps: You become memorable—not just another LinkedIn consultant. 🔸 Pin a Client Testimonial or Case Study • Social proof builds instant credibility. People trust results more than promises. • Bonus tip: Don’t just name-drop clients, showcase the transformation they experienced to make it memorable. Why This Helps: Future clients can imagine themselves getting the same results. 🔸 Optimize for SEO Without Sounding Robotic • Sprinkle in keywords your ideal clients are actually searching for, but make it sound natural, not forced. • Think phrases like “lead generation for coaches” or “sales funnel strategist for B2B” that speak directly to what they need. Why This Helps: You show up in the right searches without killing your voice. 🔸 Use Your Banner Space Like a Billboard • Visuals sell fast. Use them to reinforce your offer, method, or results. • Add a short tagline, strong CTA, or a simple 3-step process so people know exactly what to do next. Why This Helps: First impressions stick—make yours work for you. 🔸 Make Your CTA Clear and Clickable • Add something actionable like your Calendly link, a freebie, or “DM me for a free audit” to drive engagement. • Skip passive closes like “Let’s connect. Make it clear what the next step is. Why This Helps: People need direction. Make it easy for them to take the next step. B2B should feel personal. With the right profile, you’re not just getting seen, you’re starting conversations that lead to clients. That’s the power of the Connection-to-Conversion Method. ⸻ ♻️ REPOST if this resonated with you! ➡️ FOLLOW Rheanne Razo for more B2B growth strategies, client success, and real-world business insights.

We changed one button on a client’s website and watched acquisition costs drop by a third overnight. Same ads, same audience… just tracking what Meta ACTUALLY values instead of what everyone thinks it values. Here’s the exact framework: 1. Fix Your Funnel Mechanics Standard e-commerce flows create massive inefficiencies when they don't align with platform event schemas. Multi-page checkouts, delayed confirmation signals, and fragmented purchase paths all force algorithms to work harder to find your customers. 2. Implement Strategic Conversion Paths Single-page checkout flows increase "InitiateCheckout" events by 20%, giving Meta earlier signals that immediately improve auction performance. Email-capture modals treated as "Lead" events let you optimize for actions Meta can deliver at a fraction of "Purchase" event costs. Progressive form fields create additional data points that feed algorithms the optimization signals they crave. 3. Optimize for Predictive Events While everyone obsesses over "add-to-cart," events like "complete registration" often predict lifetime value more accurately and convert at substantially lower costs. The accounts we've restructured around these insights consistently see 30%+ CPA improvements within weeks. 4. Sequence Your Channels Strategically Start with Pinterest/YouTube for cold reach. Transition to Meta Lead/Form campaigns, optimizing toward micro-conversions. Finally, move to Meta Conversion campaigns using fresh "AddToCart" seed audiences. This sequence leverages each platform's attribution window to maximize incremental lift while preventing platform competition for conversion credit. The brands beating CAC benchmarks in competitive markets have simply restructured their funnel mechanics to align with how algorithms really value conversions. This approach requires zero additional spend; just a strategic reconfiguration of your customer journey.

Top of funnel is a drug. And most teams are addicted. Feels good. Easy to track. Easy to celebrate. “500 new leads this week!” “135% to pipe coverage goal!” “BDRs booked 40 meetings!” But the high wears off fast. And when you zoom out, the crash is brutal: - A bloated pipeline that converts at 6%. - 30-day sprints filled with unqualified meetings. - Reps chasing ghosted leads just to hit activity metrics. Why? Because most teams mistake motion for momentum. Top of funnel isn’t pipeline. It’s raw material. And if you don’t have a system to qualify, convert, and accelerate that material, you’re just stockpiling junk leads that gum up the engine. Here’s how to break the addiction: 1. Connect TOFU to revenue...not just reach. Try applying an “intent-first” filter: - Disqualify anyone who hasn't engaged with 2+ high-intent assets. - Prioritize accounts with recent buying triggers (e.g. new exec hire, funding round, tech stack change). - Have your SDRs stop mass-blasting whitepaper downloads and start working smart signals. Volume should drop. Pipeline quality should soared. 2. Inspect conversion before celebrating coverage. Add a “Stage 0” checkpoint before anything hits Stage 1. Rule: If it doesn't pass a 3 part criteria (clear problem, active project, identified stakeholder), it doesn't count as pipe. Forecast calls should get tighter. Reps will stop chasing maybes. 3. Tie incentives to business impact...not activity. Consider not comping SDRs on meetings booked. Instead, they pay on qualified pipeline created and first meeting to second meeting conversion. Reps will stop stuffing calendars with one and dones and start nurturing high conviction deals. BDRs will go from appointment setters to strategic signal chasers. 4. Build speed into your handoffs. Tracked “time-to-engagement” from lead submission to AE contact. Any delay over 12 hours? Escalate it. Reps should be trained to deliver value in the first call - anchored to buyer context, not product features. You should see faster cycle times, fewer no shows, and more at bats converted into real opps. Top of funnel isn’t evil. But when it becomes your only growth lever? You’re building a house of cards. It's kinda like a sugar rush. Feels productive in the moment. But it crashes hard if there’s no nutritional value behind it. If you want sustainable growth, stop feeding the addiction. Start building a system that turns signals into sales.

We grew an email list from 0 to 500K subscribers in just 10 months. If I were starting from scratch today, here's exactly how I'd do it again: 1) Nail the Lead Magnet: The fastest way to grow your email list is by offering something valuable in exchange for an email. Think of it like this: people won't give up their email for nothing. Create something they can't ignore: a discount, exclusive content, or a tool they can’t find elsewhere. For us, offering free travel guides was a game-changer. 2) Optimize for Opt-Ins Everywhere: Your website, blog, and even social media accounts should work like opt-in machines. For example: - Add pop-ups and fly outs on key pages. - Place CTAs above the fold. - Use scroll-triggered modals when visitors are engaged. We tested endlessly, and this attention to detail paid off big. 3) Tap Into Paid Growth Early: Ads get a bad rep, but when done right, they’re a growth accelerant. We launched targeted ads promoting our lead magnet and built a funnel that turned traffic into email signups. Paid campaigns helped us scale fast while testing which offers resonated with our audience. 4) Partner with the Right People: Collaborations can grow your list faster than any single effort. Whether it’s co-branded giveaways, email swaps, or shoutouts, find brands or creators that share your target audience. A well-executed partnership will unlock exponential growth. One really unique thing we did: We bought a bunch of viral social accounts and rebranded them for our business. This was huge in kickstarting massive and sustainable growth. And we fast-tracked the social proof we needed to build trust and scale quickly. 5) Focus on Quality, Not Just Quantity: A big list is meaningless without engagement. From Day 1, we focused on high-value emails to ensure subscribers opened, clicked, and stayed. Here’s a pro tip: Consistency wins. Sending emails weekly or bi-weekly keeps your list warm and engaged. 6) Build a Content Machine: Pair email growth with an organic content strategy that feeds your funnel. Blog posts, social media, and SEO aren’t just good for traffic—they create trust. The more valuable content you share, the more people will want to hear from you. 7) Leverage Cheap Marketing Channels in Ways Others Haven’t: This is going to ruffle some feathers but we absolutely dominated cold email for user acquisition. To the tune of 6 figure subscriber acquisition. No one was doing cold email for B2C the way we did it. This proved to be the most scalable yet cheapest acquisition channel we had. — To recap: - Offer something valuable for free to grow your list. - Use every channel—paid and organic—to drive opt-ins. - Build relationships with partners who already have your audience. The result? A system that scales. Your list is the one asset you fully own—start building it ASAP!

#LinkedInAds can be challenging when trying to get high-quality marketing leads from the US. Here's how we tackle it for our B2B clients. Two Campaign Groups: 1. Cold Prospecting or Demand Gen - 60% of total budget 2. Retargeting - 40% of total budget These Campaign Groups consist of three funnels: Funnel 1 - Awareness & Brand Recall Audience: Target Account list or ICP-based native targeting Goals: Reach 80-90% of the audience with a frequency of 5+ across different campaigns. Introduce our company, services, and value proposition. Assets: Funding News, Company Videos, Founder's 1-Minute Loom, Thought Leadership Blogs KPIs: Website Visits, CTRs, Accounts Engaged, Video Watch Rate Path: Homepage and Blogs Budget: 10% -------------------------------- Funnel 2 - Content-based MoFu Before starting Funnel 2, refresh Funnel 1 audience or acquire a new list/audience. Audience: Engaged users from Funnel 1 Goal: Engage the vetted audience with our content Assets: Playbooks, Ungated Reports, Gated Reports, Webinars KPIs: Valid Gated Content Submissions, Leads from Targeted Lists Path: Lead Generation Forms only Budget: 25% ------------------------- Funnel 3 - Direct Acquisition Audience: Engaged users from Funnels 1 & 2, Ad engagers, form opens, downloaded gated forms, Frequency 5+ or Days 30+ eligibility Assets: Job-to-be-Done (JBTD) based ads, Conversational ads, Integrated product-based ads KPIs: Meeting bookings, Signups, Get Quote, High-intent form fills Path: 50% Lead Generation Forms, 50% Direct LP Testing Budget: 25% ---------------------------------------- The remaining 40% is allocated to Retargeting, which consists of two buckets: First-party website data and CRM data. Retargeting Audience: 1) Non-converters from Funnels 1-3 2) High-intent page visitors from other sources (organic, paid search competitor traffic, core terms, referral traffic) 3) Low-intent but high-value users (e.g., blog scroll depth 70%, 2 pages visited, session duration > 2 minutes) Assets: Case Studies, Testimonial Floaters, G2, Gartner, Forrester badges & Awards, Integration News, Efficiency/Cost savings messaging Path: Create new landing page for returning users and add a microsite link to case studies, customer testimonial videos, etc. Budget: 20% -------------------------------- Lastly, Pipeline Marketing focuses on helping our SDRs move users' lifecycle stages from lead to MQl, MQL to OPP, or Closed Lost to MQL. Assets: Company News, Product Launch Updates, Integration Updates, Upcoming Events, FOMO ads, Funding News KPIs: Sales Replies, Lifecycle Stage Movements, Webinar and Event Registrations This structure will works for most of the B2B brands. Pls share your thoughts on comments. Ideal budget to execute this structure is $10k - $15k monthly budget for linkedin. #ppc #linkedinads

B2B Funnel Strategy for LinkedIn Ads TOFU, MOFU, BOFU Best Practices I often get asked about setting up a funnel strategy for LinkedIn Ads that can work across industries and budget sizes. While every business has its nuances, there are universal best practices that can help anyone get started and optimize over time. Here’s the breakdown: 👉 TOFU - Top of Funnel (Awareness) This is all about grabbing the attention of your ideal audience. 💥 Goal: Drive traffic and introduce your brand. 💡 Best Practices: Focus on engagement metrics—CTR, CPC, CPM. Use a variety of ad types: Single images for clarity and videos for storytelling Remember, volume is the focus. Get your brand in front of as many eyes as possible, and build a connection with your audience before they even consider clicking. 💡 Pro Tip: A higher CPC isn’t always bad if it generates quality traffic. The key is getting a significant sample size to analyze how prospects engage. 👉 MOFU - Middle of Funnel (Consideration) This stage nurtures the interest you captured at the top and builds credibility. 🔥 Goal: Educate and deepen engagement with those who showed initial interest. 💡 Best Practices: Retarget your TOFU audience by layering in content-focused ads (think case studies, testimonials, and thought leadership). Frequency is key! Keep your ads varied—don’t show the same asset repeatedly. Include brand-building ads and content that speaks to pain points and positions your solution as the answer. 💡 Pro Tip: Test using Doc Ads for ungated content to drive engagement. If the content resonates, these can be powerful tools for building credibility and trust with your audience over time. 👉 BOFU - Bottom of Funnel (Conversion) Now we’re talking direct action. By this stage, your audience knows who you are and what you do. They’re more familiar with your brand, and they’re ready to be asked for the sale or conversion. 🚀 Goal: Drive leads, conversions, or other bottom-line results. 💡 Best Practices: Use conversion-focused ad types—A/B test Lead Gen Forms with a clear, direct CTA. Focus on ads that highlight ROI, efficiency, and social proof (e.g., testimonials, reviews, highlights from case studies). Bring in attribution data here. Knowing the path your audience took to get here can help refine messaging and approach. 💡 Pro Tip: Don’t skimp on retargeting! Keep a light-touch layer of ads for longer sales cycles, such as text ads or follower ads, so your brand stays top-of-mind when they’re ready to take that last step. Remember: Every funnel will need tweaking, and that’s the beauty of LinkedIn Ads—you can keep optimizing as your strategy evolves. Set up your funnel, build those touchpoints, and be patient. Conversions happen with consistent engagement and refinement. What strategies have worked best for your funnel? Drop your insights below! 👇 #linkedinads #linkedinmarketing #funnelbuilder

We built a multichannel lead-gen funnel for a $300M+ B2B company that helped them get 10x more leads (here’s everything we did for them): This client came to us with solid funding, a decent SDR stack but no system to make it stick. They were relying too much on cold-email which led their revenue to fall. They needed help to make a presence everywhere which will help them get more visibility. Here’s what we did for them 👇 1️⃣ Started with social signals We tracked: - Job postings for roles they could solve. - Fresh funding + expansion news. - Executives commenting on competitors. - Looking for roles - Likes/comments of competitors So every name in the funnel was pre-qualified by real intent. We did this using Trigify.io 2️⃣ Broke the pattern with handwritten notes. 📝 Before any email or DM, top accounts got a short handwritten note referencing the signal that triggered them. Physical > inbox. 90% open rate. We used Handwrytten for this 3️⃣ Backed it up with an email the right way. Not ur daily spam. Each inbox warmed, low volume. Short plain-text follow-ups referencing the note. Replies went straight to their team. Using Smartlead 4️⃣ Ran LinkedIn in parallel. Viewed their profiles → liked + commented on a recent post → soft connection request → no pitch in the first DM. Result: by the time an email landed, they knew who we were. It was manually because of LinkedIn strict issues. 5️⃣ Made the whole team visible through content We didn’t just rely on SDRs. We lined up posts from founders, AEs, and product heads. Real stories, lessons, and mini case studies. Kept the company top-of-mind for every warm lead. 6️⃣ Added webinars for mid-funnel trust. Every month: a short live session solving 1 common pain point. Engaged lurkers, collected objections, and booked calls directly on the session. Used Luma for this 7️⃣ Used an AI call to confirm every booked meeting. One hour before each call, an AI SDR rang the prospect: ✅ Confirmed attendance ✅ Answered basic questions ✅ Offered reschedule if needed No more no-shows. Simple but powerful. It was using Retell AI 8️⃣ Built a private Slack space to capture everyone else. Webinar attendees, warm replies, LinkedIn engagers all pulled into a free Slack community. Weekly drops: playbooks, fresh case studies, behind-the-scenes. A trust funnel — prospects closed themselves later. We set up a slack bot. That engaged their prospects. 👉 The result: - Higher show rates - Higher close rates It gave a: - 40% lift in replies compared to their old high-volume approach - Zero guesswork about who to target next quarter This is one of the most practical system for 2025. Be everywhere. —— If you run sales at scale and want this architecture, my DMs are open :) #B2B #Outbound #LeadGen #Revenue #SalesOps