Elevate Your Reach: Proven Tactics for Lead Growth

Welcome to this month's edition of 'The Subtle Art of...Lead Gen', where we focus on two topics that impact Lead Growth and share practical approaches for implementation.

First up, one of the biggest talking points recently...

AI in Lead Generation: Hype vs. Reality

AI is everywhere in lead generation. Automated prospecting, AI-driven email campaigns, even AI cold calling. You name it, there's either an AI doing it, or someone trying to programme one to. It all sounds game-changing, but is it? Well who knows what the future holds but at the moment, it seems for every great version there are multiple others that fall short. And that's because the reality is that AI works best as an enhancer, not a replacement. If your lead gen process is solid, AI can make it more efficient. If it’s broken, AI will just scale bad results faster.

Where AI Actually Helps & How to Implement It:

? Intent Data Analysis – AI can spot early buying signals, surfacing prospects who might not be on your radar yet. How to use it: Invest in platforms that aggregate third-party intent data (like Bombora or G2) and integrate them with your CRM. Use this data to prioritize outreach and personalize messaging.

? Predictive Lead Scoring – AI analyzes thousands of data points to rank leads based on likelihood to convert. How to use it: Define the key conversion signals based on past closed deals and feed them into AI-driven scoring models. Adjust your sales process so high-scoring leads get immediate attention.

? Automated Personalization – AI-driven tools can adjust messaging based on prospect behavior, increasing engagement rates. How to use it: Implement AI-driven email platforms that tweak subject lines and content based on user interactions, ensuring relevance without sounding robotic.

Where AI Falls Short & What to Watch Out For:

? Replacing Human Sales Judgment – AI can surface leads, but it can’t build trust or handle nuanced objections. Solution: Use AI to guide initial outreach, but ensure sales teams take over as soon as a conversation begins.

? Generating High-Intent Leads from Scratch – AI can find data, but it can’t manufacture real interest. Solution: Pair AI prospecting with content marketing to nurture leads before handing them off.

? One-Size-Fits-All Outreach – Without a human touch, AI-driven personalization can still feel robotic. Solution: Add manual quality checks - don’t let AI fully automate messaging without review (I've seen some terrible ones - you've been warned!).

How to Use AI Wisely in Lead Gen:

?? Test AI tools in one part of your funnel before rolling them out widely.

?? Use AI insights to enhance human conversations, not replace them.

?? Monitor results - if AI isn’t improving conversion rates, it’s just noise!

The second topic we are going to focus on this month is one that gets consistently overlooked, but has such a massive impact on building genuine pipeline and closing deals, its...

Buying Committees: Are You Targeting the Right People?

B2B buying has definitely changed over the years. Gone are the days when a single decision-maker controlled the process from start to finish. Today, according to Gartner, an average of 11 stakeholders are involved in most enterprise deals. Yet, many lead generation strategies still focus on just one person. The result? Wasted effort on people who don’t have buying power.

Understanding Buying Committees:

?? Influencers – The technical or operational experts who shape requirements. These usually make up the majority of the committee and are often your first lead in to the project. this is because they tend to engage early in the process as they start looking for solutions to known issues. Typically manager level contacts or below

?? Budget Holders – The people who control the purse strings. Although these seem like the primary people to target, they often have limited engagement apart from key decision points. Whilst they will oversee the project, they often rely on the findings of the influencers. Typically Director, VPs or the CFO

?? End Users – Those who will actually use the product or service. Usually the contacts that receive the least amount of attention once a project has been identified, however keeping them engaged throughout the process is key to a successful sale. Typically head of department

?? Executive Sponsors – Senior leaders who provide final approval and may only get involved later in the buying cycle. Often the place where the deal breaks down, as priorities change or the benefits are not fully understood and it just becomes easier to do nothing. Typically C Suite

How to Adjust Your Lead Gen Strategy for Buying Committees:

?? Engage Multiple Contacts from the Same Account – A single lead is rarely enough to get a deal moving. How to implement: Use account-based engagement to identify and track multiple stakeholders within a target company. Don’t just rely on inbound - use outbound to reach as many members of the committee as possible, understand their role and what it is they want to achieve, what they need to see and when the need to see it.

?? Tailor Messaging for Different Roles – What resonates with a CFO won’t necessarily work for an IT Director. How to implement: Create segmented email sequences and content tracks that align with each stakeholder’s priorities.

?? Refine Lead Scoring – Prioritize accounts where multiple stakeholders are engaged, not just a single contact. How to implement: Update your lead scoring models to factor in interactions from multiple stakeholders rather than just an individual’s engagement.

Final Thoughts:

AI is a great tool, but it’s not a strategy.

Buying committees are expanding, so they need a structured approach.

So how long will it be before we have a fully AI Buying Committee?

How DemandPro Can Help

At DemandPro, we specialize in delivering revenue acceleration services that help you exceed your goals. From lead generation to pipeline activation, event support to channel enhancement we provide unmatched full-funnel expertise.

Want to discuss how we can work together to optimize your revenue generation efforts? Let’s connect!

Until next time, stay focused on quality and stop chasing trends.

Iain