How to outsource lead generation successfully

Let’s be real. Bringing in high-quality leads isn’t a walk in the park. It takes time, effort, and a whole lot of strategy. That’s why outsourcing lead generation can be a total game-changer. Done right, it helps businesses scale faster, connect with the right prospects, and keep their sales pipeline flowing.

But with so many agencies, strategies, and promises out there, how do you make sure you’re actually getting results?

In this guide, we’re breaking down everything you need to know, including what outsourced lead gen really means, why so many companies swear by it, and how to find an agency that delivers.

So, whether you’re looking to grow your customer base, test new channels, or just take some pressure off your internal team, outsourcing could be your secret weapon for long-term success.

Let’s dive in.

Jump to:

What is lead generation?
Explaining different leads
What is lead generation outsourcing?
Why do companies outsource lead generation efforts?
When should companies outsource lead generation activities?
The benefits of outsourcing lead generation
The dangers of outsourcing lead generation
How do lead generation agencies ensure the quality of the leads they provide?
Things to consider before engaging with a lead generation agency
Your new B2B lead generation partner

What is lead generation?

Simply put, lead generation is all about finding potential customers, grabbing their attention, and turning them into loyal buyers.
There are two main ways to do it: inbound and outbound marketing. Both use different channels to connect with prospects and guide them through the sales funnel, whether that’s through content, ads, emails, or good old-fashioned outreach.

The goal? Bringing in the right people and getting them to say, ‘Yep, I need this!’.

Want more insights on lead generation? Read our in-depth guide on B2B lead generation to get all the hints, examples, and expert tips you need to transform your business development strategies.

Explaining different leads

We all know what a lead is, but it’s worth having a quick reminder of the different types of leads that a business will see in its sales pipeline.

Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL)

A marketing-qualified lead is a person who has engaged with your marketing material in some way. They will have shown some interest, like downloading some content or signing up for a newsletter, but an MQL is not ready for a sales call.

Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)

A sales-qualified lead (SQL) is a person who has engaged with your business in a way that explicitly indicates that they are interested in buying your product or service. An example of an SQL would be someone who has responded positively to a prospecting email.

Product Qualified Lead (PQL)

A product-qualified lead is someone who has used your product and is interested in becoming a customer. PQLs generally apply to businesses that run free trials or offer free tools (like our free B2B market map tool, or our Email spam checker)!

What is lead generation outsourcing?

Lead generation outsourcing simply means bringing in an external lead generation agency to assist with driving leads into your sales team. These companies may specialise in one particular aspect of business development – like cold calling – or they could be a more generalised marketing agency.

Most companies already do some form of lead generation in-house, but relying on just one or two methods can be risky. A solid marketing strategy spreads the load across different channels (both inbound and outbound) so you’re not left scrambling when market conditions shift. Outsourcing can help make your lead gen efforts more effective, scalable, and resilient.

Why do companies outsource lead generation efforts?

Outsourcing your company’s B2B lead generation efforts might seem like a daunting prospect at first, but it’s actually a very common practice. There are also lots of different reasons a company might look to external lead generation services. These include:

Accessing expertise: Outsourcing enables companies to tap into specialised knowledge from experienced lead generation agencies and proven techniques and strategies.

Cost-effectiveness: Compared to hiring an in-house team, working with a lead generation company can be cheaper because it removes costs like hiring and training staff.

It saves time: Leaving outsourcing to an external company frees up internal resources, allowing companies to focus on core business activities and other tasks.

Scalability: Outsourcing means businesses can adjust their lead generation efforts based on current trends and market demands.

Better leads: Companies that specialise in lead generation are likely to find high-quality leads, increasing the likelihood of conversions.

Quick turnaround: A good agency will usually turn around a lead generation strategy quickly, ensuring that little time is wasted getting your company’s name out there.

Risk reduction: Working with a good lead generation company significantly reduces risk when expanding into new markets or launching new products/software.

Adaptability: Experienced lead generation agencies will be used to adapting quickly to market changes and trends.

When should companies outsource lead generation activities?

There are plenty of reasons to outsource lead generation, but timing is just as important. Sometimes, bringing in the experts can make all the difference.

To help you figure out if now’s the right time to outsource, we’ve rounded up some of the most common scenarios where it just makes sense.

Using in-house lead generation

In order to focus on internal business development:

• You need a dedicated, experienced team generating leads full-time.
• You should know which channels and specialisms to focus on.
• You should focus on inbound marketing methods to generate leads.

Outsourced lead generation

Consider external business development when:

• You don’t have the resources to hire and train new staff and build out internal marketing teams.
• You want to supplement internal marketing efforts with new channels.
• You want or need to focus on booking appointments (through cold calling or email prospecting, which is common in B2B lead generation).
• You want to launch a new product or service.
• You need to pivot the business.

Sales lead generation outsourcing is perfect for the last two, as it can deliver a rapid go-to-market strategy that could take internal teams far longer to achieve.

The benefits of outsourcing lead generation

Bringing in external help for lead generation can be a game-changer, no matter the size of your business. Whether you’re a growing SME or a well-established enterprise, partnering with agencies like Sopro comes with some major perks. Here’s what you stand to gain.

1. Focus on selling

   Sales reps spend the equivalent of an entire day each week writing emails, but 40% of reps cite prospecting as the hardest part of their job. And, it means the average sales rep only spends a third of their day actually selling.

   All of this adds up to one simple fact: salespeople aren’t focusing on what they are best at: selling. Outsourcing demand gen allows sales teams to optimise their sales pipeline and sell more.

   When you engage a lead generation agency, they take over all of the prospecting tasks, enabling your sales team to do what they do best: sell.

2. Increase capacity quickly

   Bringing in an external lead gen team can be like turning on a tap. In a relatively short amount of time, a brand new channel of leads pours into the sales team.

   Building out internal teams and developing and implementing new channel strategies takes a lot of time. Time you might not have.

3. Sales growth without headcount growth

   Alternatively, you might not have the capacity to increase internal marketing functions.

   Balancing the need to increase sales without overwhelming sales and marketing staff is a common problem, especially for startups and SMEs.

   By outsourcing lead generation activities, small businesses can focus on other areas of the sales cycle, bringing in vital revenue to continue growing.

4. Testing new channels

   Sometimes, outsourcing lead generation is about outsourcing risk. Testing the viability of a channel, such as paid advertising or SEO, before bringing it in-house is a common tactic.

   When the time comes, you must be sure you have the expertise lined up and ready for a seamless transition. Otherwise, you risk losing momentum and the progress made by the lead generation agency.

5. Lower costs

   While this is certainly not a given, your cost per acquisition can often be lower when your leads come from a specialist company that has refined their particular lead gen down to an art form.

   Want to learn more about outsourcing prospecting, another key element of your sales process? Read our guide on reasons why SMEs should outsource B2B prospecting.

The dangers of outsourcing lead generation

While outsourcing can be great, there are various pitfalls to watch out for. If you don’t, marketing leads won’t be the only thing you end up paying for.

Not defining your ICP

If you don’t define your ideal customer profile to the lead generation agency, your lead quality will suffer.

If you have formalised market segmentation and buyer personas, you can hand these over and flesh out the understanding with some onboarding meetings.

If you don’t have anything formalised, you need to make sure the agency understands your customer, or you could end up with unsuitable leads that don’t convert.

While we’re on the subject, Sopro uses over 40 variables to allow you to be highly specific about your ideal client. Plus, we can map your entire market, for free before you even start.

Static databases

You really need to understand where the lead generation company’s data is coming from.

Any static database, even one that’s regularly updated, will contain out-of-date information. This means results suffer, and costs increase.

The average worker changes roles once every three years. If a database isn’t updated, half of the list is useless in 18 months. Even with data that is refreshed more frequently, this can still be problematic.

When it comes to updating databases, the most common method involves updating a slice at a time – leaving outdated information behind.

Sopro uses live data: we build each list from scratch, just for you. Otherwise, it wouldn’t contain your perfect prospects. cough

Lack of exclusions

Picture the scene: you’ve been carefully working on landing a major account for weeks. You develop a clever multi-channel strategy where every single piece of comms is fine-tuned to move the buyer down the funnel.

And then, the automation software of the agency you’re working with for more general lead gen fires an off-key message at a crucial juncture.

This could be disastrous, so you need to ensure that each prospect and piece of contact information is sorted through with a fine-tooth comb.

To avoid this, Sopro offers individual and company-level exclusions to all campaigns, which can be easily uploaded through our campaign portal.

Reputational, financial, and technical risks

Any outsourced lead generation campaign risks reputational damage if any activity is pushed live without your oversight. Poor copy, off-brand design, or dodgy messaging can all have a negative impact.

It’s possible an external marketing campaign could create technical issues, too… domain reputation damage is just one of the email deliverability issues that a poor campaign can create.

Finally, financial damage can be a real danger if local compliance rules and regulations aren’t adhered to.

Just a final FYI: Sopro gives clients total transparency via our portal. Everything, including technical set-up, prospect targeting, exclusions, email templates, compliance (and more), can be checked and approved (or otherwise) from inside the platform.

How do lead generation agencies ensure the quality of the leads they provide?

If you decide to pursue outsourced lead generation efforts, it’s good to know what to expect from the company you might partner with.

To shed some light on this, here are the typical strategies a company will use to generate high-quality leads.

Defining ideal customer profiles (ICP)

One of the first things a lead generation agency should do is work with you to develop a detailed ICP. This enables the agency to target the most relevant prospects, ensuring that leads are suitable and increasing the likelihood of conversion.

Implementing lead scoring systems

Once they’ve found leads, agencies use lead scoring systems to assign values to each lead based on certain attributes and actions. This helps prioritise the highest-quality leads, ensuring sufficient resources are dedicated to converting them.

Explore more about this topic in our complete guide to lead scoring.

Advanced tools and technologies

Effective lead generation companies will invest heavily in sophisticated CRM systems, automation, and specialist lead generation tools to improve quality and tracking.

A multi-channel approach

Quality lead generation includes leveraging different channels, including social media, email marketing campaigns, SEO and paid advertising to reach potential customers on their preferred platforms.

Detailed analytics and reporting

Lead generation experts will offer comprehensive reporting tools and analytics, allowing you to track key performance metrics and ROI.

Continuous optimisation

Experienced B2B lead generation agencies understand what works. Instead of sending a campaign and hoping for the best, they regularly review and track performance, tweaking to ensure lead quality remains consistently high.

Uber-relevant campaigns

When they understand your ICP, agencies will work to understand prospective customer’s pain points and interests. This means they can focus on creating content and campaigns that address potential customers’ needs and attract better leads.

Things to consider before engaging with a lead generation agency

Before partnering with a lead generation agency, it’s crucial to do your homework. The wrong choice could mean wasted time, money, and even potential damage to your brand’s reputation.

To make sure you’re working with the right agency, ask these key questions to see if they align with your business goals:

• What industries do you specialise in?
• How and where do you source leads?
• What tools and technologies do you use to acquire leads?
• What’s your process for qualifying and scoring leads?
• Can your strategies be tailored to suit our goals?
• What reporting and analysis do you do?
• How do you ensure data compliance and accuracy?
• Do you have any case studies for similar clients?
• How are outreach campaigns personalised?
• What’s your process for refining and optimising campaigns and lead sources?
• How often do you update your lead database?

By asking these questions, you can get a good idea of whether the lead generation agency is capable of helping your business grow, understand the measures in place to track performance and ensure you’re making the right decision for your company.

Your new B2B lead generation partner

When it comes to finding a B2B lead generation agency, you don’t need to look further than Sopro.

We keep our finger firmly on the pulse of industry trends and changes so you can be confident that our campaigns are topical and address key paint points, highlighting the usefulness of your product or service.

We use multi-channel prospecting, the latest tech, and proprietary data to build solutions that achieve business growth and goals.

This process starts with a thorough onboarding process, during which we delve into your business and understand its objectives, products, and customers.

Next, we leverage over 160 data points to hone in on your ICP and identify high-quality prospects.

Then, we create a bespoke campaign using tactics that speak directly to your audiences and their pain points.

With a track record of driving real results, we’re experts in lead generation across a range of industries:

• IT Services
• Computer Software
• Professional Training and Coaching
• Staffing and Recruiting
• Telecommunications
• Marketing and Advertising
• Financial Services
• Management Consulting
• Internet
• Design Services

Interested in seeing where Sopro can take your business? Book a demo now.