Why focusing on lead quality is more important than quantity
Many B2B marketers measure success in numbers. How many leads did we generate? How many forms were filled in? But the reality is that only 2-5% of your website visitors ever fill in a form. And of those completed forms, a large proportion do not fit your ideal customer profile.
The actual costs of low lead quality are substantial. Your sales team spends hours on conversations that lead nowhere. Motivation declines. And in the meantime, you miss out on companies that are interested but did not fill in a form.
The root of the problem? You have no insight into who visits your website. Google Analytics shows what people do, but not who they are. Converting website visitors into customers starts with knowing which companies visit your site.
How do I generate better quality leads?
You generate better quality leads by following three fundamental steps: clearly define your ideal customer profile (ICP), identify which companies visit your website, and qualify leads based on behaviour and company characteristics before sending them to sales.
This sounds simple, but it’s harder to do than it sounds. Here are seven concrete strategies that help B2B companies to structurally improve the quality of their leads.
1. Define your ideal customer profile in detail
A vaguely defined target group leads to vague leads. Start by analysing your best existing customers. What characteristics do they have in common? Consider company size, sector, turnover, technology stack and growth ambition.
Distinguish between ‘nice-to-have’ and ‘must-have’ criteria. A company with 50-200 employees in the IT sector that actively invests in marketing automation is more specific than ‘SMEs.’ The sharper your ICP, the better you can qualify your leads.
Use these criteria as a filter in all your marketing activities. From ad targeting to content creation, everything must appeal to your ICP.
2. Identify which companies visit your website
98% of your website visitors remain invisible. They don’t fill out a form, but they do show interest by viewing your product pages, pricing pages or case studies. This is valuable buyer intent data that most companies miss out on.
With website visitor identification, you can see which companies visit your site, which pages they view and how often they return. This gives you insight into purchase intent even before someone contacts you.
Imagine: a company that fits your ICP perfectly has visited your pricing page three times this week and read two case studies. Without identification, you wouldn’t know this. With identification, sales can proactively contact them at the perfect moment.
3. How can I ensure that I pass on better quality leads to sales?
To pass on better quality leads to sales, implement a lead scoring system that combines firmographics with behavioural data (engagement). Only leads that meet both ICP criteria and engagement thresholds are passed on to sales.
The key is to distinguish between Marketing Qualified Leads (MQL) and Sales Qualified Leads (SQL). An MQL is a lead that shows interest and falls within your target group. An SQL is a lead that is also willing to buy and has the budget to do so.
In concrete terms, this means:
A lead becomes an MQL when the company falls within your ICP and interacts with your content. Think of downloading a white paper or multiple page views on important pages.
An MQL becomes an SQL when there are additional buying signals. The company visits your pricing page, views your product pages multiple times or returns to your website regularly.
By applying these thresholds, you only give sales leads that are actually promising. This improves conversion and collaboration between marketing and sales. Read also how to transform lead generation into profit maximisation.
4. I waste too much time on low-quality leads. How do I know when a lead is of higher quality?
A lead is of higher quality when it meets three criteria: the company fits within your ICP, there is demonstrable engagement with your website or content, and there are purchase intent signals such as visits to pricing pages, returning sessions or interaction with sales-focused content.
To operationalise this, build a scoring system based on:
Firmographic fit: Does the company fit within your ICP in terms of size, sector and location? Score +20 points for a perfect match, +10 for a partial match.
Engagement level: How many pages does the company view? How long does the session last? Score +5 points per relevant pageview, +10 for downloads.
Intent signals: Does the company visit high-intent pages such as pricing, demo request or comparison pages? Score +25 points per visit to these pages.
Leads with a score above a certain threshold (e.g. 50 points) are high-quality leads. Leads below that threshold need nurturing before they go to sales.
5. Link lead data to your CRM for full context
Separate data streams lead to information loss. When your website visitor data, email engagement and CRM information remain separate, sales misses crucial context.
Integrate your lead identification tool with your CRM. At HubSpot, this means that a sales representative can immediately see which pages a prospect viewed before the conversation takes place. This enables personalised follow-up.
Real-time alerts make this even more powerful. When a target account visits your pricing page, sales receives an immediate notification. Timing is everything in sales, and this speed can mean the difference between a won and lost deal.
6. Align marketing and sales with shared definitions
Much of the friction between marketing and sales arises from differing expectations. Marketing thinks it is delivering quality leads, while sales experiences the opposite. The cause? No shared definitions.
Organise monthly alignment meetings in which you evaluate leads together. Which leads converted to deals? Which did not, and why? Use these insights to refine your lead scoring.
Make feedback loops explicit. Sales must provide feedback on which leads were valuable and which were not. Marketing uses this input to improve targeting and qualification. This is not a one-off conversation, but a continuous process.
7. Measure lead quality with the right metrics
You cannot improve what you do not measure. But the wrong metrics lead to wrong conclusions. Do not focus on the number of leads, but on:
Lead-to-opportunity ratio: What percentage of your leads turn into sales conversations? A rising ratio indicates better lead quality.
Sales cycle length: High-quality leads convert faster. When your average sales cycle shortens, marketing is delivering better leads.
Cost per qualified lead: Not cost per lead, but cost per qualified lead. This gives a more realistic picture of your marketing efficiency.
Win rate per lead source: Which channels deliver leads that actually become customers? Invest more in channels with high win rates, less in channels that only deliver volume.
Frequently asked questions
How do I generate better quality leads?
You generate better quality leads by first clearly defining your ideal customer profile (ICP). Then identify which companies visit your website and qualify these leads based on both company characteristics and behaviour. By only sending leads that meet ICP criteria and engagement thresholds to sales, you structurally improve lead quality.
How do I ensure that I pass on better quality leads to sales?
Implement a lead scoring system that combines firmographics (company size, sector, location) with engagement data (page views, downloads, return visits), such as Leadinfo. Together with sales, define clear criteria for MQLs and SQLs. Only leads that meet both thresholds go to sales. In addition, use real-time alerts when target accounts visit high-intent pages.
How do I know when a lead is of higher quality?
A lead is of higher quality when the company fits within your ICP, there is demonstrable engagement with your website or content, and there are signs of purchase intent (which you can identify via Leadinfo, for example). Concrete signs include visits to pricing pages, viewing multiple product pages, returning sessions, and interaction with case studies or demo content.
Is identifying website visitors GDPR compliant?
Yes, provided you only identify companies and not individuals. Solutions that work based on company data, without cookies or fingerprinting, are fully GDPR compliant. Ensure EU-only hosting and the absence of American sub-processors for maximum compliance.
What is the difference between MQL and SQL?
A Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) is a lead who shows interest and falls within your target group, for example by downloading content. A Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) also shows willingness to buy, for example by visiting pricing pages or explicitly contacting you. SQLs are ready for direct sales contact.
