Identifying High-Value Leads

Last year, I was speaking with a VP of Sales who confidently asserted: “Our buyers rely heavily on Gartner and Forrester reports, and LinkedIn is just noise.” That claim led us to a deeper look. So we ran a rapid social intelligence audit across their 10+ ideal enterprise target accounts and the reality was revealing: 👉 significant stakeholders actively adding connections in LinkedIn. 👉 a few of those routinely engaged on LinkedIn content. This wasn’t casual scrolling… it was conscious participation and relationship building. Some buyers were raising ‘purchase-intent’ questions as well. All transparently surfaced on LinkedIn - in public threads and peer groups. Data illuminating exactly where the research action happens pre-RFP. We scripted a custom GTM strategy: 👍 Enterprise Signal Posts: Engineered deep-dive, persona-tagged case studies, optimized to get clipped into internal research decks and circulated among architects, PMOs, and senior engineers. 👍 Dark-Social Authority: By engaging in high-value vendor comparison (and likes) threads, our client’s leadership profiles gained credibility and trust inside private channels invisible to traditional analytics. 👍 Decision-Stage Content: Launched proof-backed narrative video for "solution-aware" prospects, resulting in high-conversion SQLs. With consistency. The outcomes? 💪 Significant % of new enterprise meetings originated directly from LinkedIn-driven content touchpoints and network engagement. 💪 RFP win-rate increased, correlated to significant buyers explicitly referencing LinkedIn case materials. 💪 Sales cycles compressed because buyers entered conversations highly informed and confident. Why does this work in enterprise buying cycles? Vendor Validation: B2B procurement is increasingly cross-functional; live peer discussions on LinkedIn serve as a real-time, trusted “research layer” far beyond static analyst reports. Peer Proof: Enterprise decision-makers weight peer-shared insights more heavily than vendor-curated collateral, especially within their own secure collaboration channels. If you’re still dismissing LinkedIn as “just noise,” you’re strategically ceding ground during arguably the most critical phase of buyer evaluation. In 2025, enterprise buying journeys don’t start with vendor meetings… they start with social proof, digital authority, and dark social signals. And the winners are the brands that embed themselves authentically and intelligently in these ecosystems. #SocialSelling #DarkSocial #LinkedIn #RevOps #AIGTM

Before you chase leads, answer this: Not everyone who books a call is worth your time. (Yes, even if they seem interested.) We’ve learned this the hard way. Here’s our 5-step sanity check to qualify leads before we pitch: 1. Are they your ICP? If they’re not the kind of person you built your offer for—skip. 2. Do they NEED what you offer? Interest is not the same as need. Big difference. 3. Are they LOOKING for a solution? If they’re just “exploring options”... come back later. 4. Do they have the BUDGET? A broke lead is not a lead. It’s a distraction. 5. If not, walk away. Seriously. Even if your calendar feels empty. The best businesses say “no” more often than they say “yes.” Your time is not free. Question: Do you have the courage to disqualify a lead—even if they booked a call? #leadgeneration #b2bsales #qualifyleads

Your prospect Googled you before the call. The least you could do is return the favor. Yet so many reps still show up and open with: "So, tell me about your company…" "What do you do?" "Who are your competitors?" ⌛ Your prospect's time is precious. And you only get one first impression. Every basic question you ask that could've been answered with 10 minutes of prep silently tells your buyer: "I didn't care enough to prepare for this." I promise… buyers remember this sort of thing. Show up well and you'll be rewarded. Not just with deals, but with trust, referrals, and a reputation that opens doors. Differentiate not only your solution, but yourself as a seller and advisor. ––– Here's 5 ways to take your pre-call research to the next level: 1. Find out what leadership is betting on right now. For public companies, skim the latest earnings call or annual report. For private companies, look at recent press releases, funding announcements, or interviews with their executives. Don't just know what the company does, know what they're prioritizing RIGHT NOW. 2. Check their job postings. With a particular eye for roles that matter for your product or service. Open roles reveal where the company is investing and what problems they're trying to solve. A wave of data engineering hires tells you more than their About page ever will. 3. Study your champion's digital footprint. What have they posted, commented on, or shared on LinkedIn recently? What podcast were they on? What blogs have they written? Be sure to connect the dots between what matters to them and what you’re slinging. 4. Map the buying committee before the first call. Use LinkedIn and org charts to understand who else will likely be involved in the decision. Walk in knowing the landscape, not just the person in front of you. 5. Know the competitive landscape. Get a sense of the players in their space and the headline differences between them. See if any are already customers of yours and keep that in your back pocket. ––– The bar is on the floor. A little homework goes a long way. Show your buyers you respect their time, and they'll give you more of it.

After 220+ closed deals, here’s one truth about inbound leads: Inbound doesn’t mean easy. Most reps treat inbound like a shortcut. It’s not. It’s a test - of how fast, relevant, and human you can be. Here’s exactly how I turn inbound interest into closed revenue 👇 𝟭. 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 > 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 → Respond within 5 minutes. → You’re not the only tab open on their browser. → Even a quick “Got your note - can we chat at 3?” beats silence every time. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Block 30 minutes daily for real-time inbound replies. Treat them like live demos - fast, focused, human. 𝟮. 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 → Don’t just call - prepare first. → Check LinkedIn, website, funding, and hiring trends. → Apollo Inbound helps by revealing anonymous visitors and enriching lead data - so you start with insight, not guesswork. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Personalize your opener in one line that proves you did your homework. 𝟯. 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 → Ask: “What triggered your interest today?” → Inbound ≠ intent. → Find out if they’re exploring or ready to act. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Identify what “qualified” actually means for you - and use that to filter fast. 𝟰. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁 → Every extra click kills momentum. → Let qualified buyers book directly on your site - Apollo Inbound handles it seamlessly. → Fewer steps mean fewer drop-offs. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Test your own meeting link. If it takes more than two clicks, simplify it. 𝟱. 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼 → Not every inbound converts right away. → Stay consistent: “Here’s how [similar company] solved [pain] in 60 days.” → Add value in every message. Always. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Build a three-step nurture flow for “not ready yet” leads. Keep it relevant, not robotic. The result: - Faster replies - Better conversations - More pipeline from inbound My take: Inbound isn’t luck. It’s leverage. The best reps don’t wait for leads. They earn them - in how they respond. PS. The shift is ON join here 😉: https://lnkd.in/etitHi3S

What makes a decision-maker actually reply to your LinkedIn message? I wanted to find out. So we ran an experiment. At my recent Get Paid To Speak Bootcamp, I invited Brian Tee, Head of Sales at SingPost, as one of our corporate guests. Why? Because I wanted my aspiring speakers to hear directly from someone who hires speakers: what gets their attention, what turns them off, and what actually gets you booked. So here’s what we did: Everyone in the room had to reach out to Brian on LinkedIn. No scripts. No templates. Just thoughtful outreach. Brian received 95 connection requests and he took the time to go through every single one. Then he shortlisted the messages that stood out to him and shared WHY they worked. That’s what this post is about (you might want to bookmark this post!) Here are five things the best outreach messages had in common: 1. They anchored to a real, shared moment. “I really appreciated your insight at GPTS, especially when you said ‘leadership today requires empathy and adaptability.’ That stayed with me.” 2. They focused on Brian first not their pitch. “May I ask what business challenges you're currently facing? How do you envision inspiring your sales team in 2025 and beyond?” 3. They asked meaningful, open-ended questions. “What’s your take on vulnerability in the workplace? Does it have a place in leadership today?” 4. They aligned their offer with Brian’s values and goals. “Given your focus on transformation, I believe my talk on resilience could complement your vision at SingPost.” 5. They offered to add value without sounding transactional. “If there’s any way I could contribute to your work at SingPost, I’d be happy to explore how.” One big lesson from this? The best outreach doesn’t try to impress, it tries to connect. Respect. Curiosity. Relevance. That’s what opens doors. A huge thank you to Brian Tee for being so generous with his feedback, this was GOLD for every speaker in the room. And now, for you reading this: If you’re trying to reach high-value contacts, use the above five insights as your blueprint. Your turn: if you were a potential client, how should we reach out to you that will elicit a positive response? #LinkedInTips #GetPaidToSpeak

Not every lead is a prospect—and not every prospect is worth your time. Before you make that first call, slow down and ask the right questions. Do they fit your ICP? Can you realistically serve them? Are their systems compatible with yours? And most importantly, are there real buying signals, not just wishful thinking? Look for multiple contacts inside the organization, check for any history or existing barriers, and be honest about profitability. If the deal drains your margin or your team can’t support the sales process, it’s not the right fit. Smart selling isn’t about chasing every logo—it's about qualifying with intention. Run your opportunities through the right filters, and your pipeline won’t just get bigger...it'll get stronger.

𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟭 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. 📈 So, what’s the process? 🤔 Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing a series of 10 posts that break down the cold calling journey into actionable steps. My goal is to help you excel in cold calling by highlighting the nuances of each stage, ensuring you’re fully equipped to turn cold leads into hot prospects. 🔥 𝘓𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱: 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀. 🎯 Why is this so important? Because targeting the right people is the foundation of any successful cold call. If you’re reaching out to individuals from bulk data that doesn’t fit your product or service, no amount of skill or persuasion will get you the results you want. 🎯 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳: 1️⃣ 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 (𝗜𝗖𝗣): Know who you’re trying to reach before you even pick up the phone. 📞 2️⃣ 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀: Leverage tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator and CRM data to find leads that match your ICP. 🛠️ 3️⃣ 𝗗𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵: Understand your leads’ business, challenges, and needs. The more you know, the more impactful your pitch will be. 💡 4️⃣ 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀: Focus on leads that are more likely to convert based on engagement, past interactions, and urgency. 🔝 5️⃣ 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹: Send an email, message, or LinkedIn connection request before your call. It makes your first call smoother and more effective. ✉️ When you identify the right leads and prepare thoroughly, your cold calls will be more fruitful. It’s easy to get demotivated when calls don’t go as planned, but that’s why it’s crucial to invest your energy in the right process. By targeting the right people, you increase your chances of success and reduce the frustration that often comes with cold calling. 💯 𝗣.𝗦.— 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭? 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭. 😉 Stay tuned for the next post, where I’ll dive into understanding the customer journey—taking your leads from cold to hot. 🔥 Let’s make cold calling work for you, one step at a time! 🚀 To your growth Aditi

Most sellers do referral prospecting backwards. Smart referral prospecting is NOT asking your warm network "Is there anyone in your network who might find value in taking a look at our Legal Time Tracking software?" You're almost always going to hear "Hm, nobody immediately comes to mind, but let me think about it." (They're not gonna think about it) Asking someone to scan through their entire mental rolodex of every single person they know isn't going to get you good referrals. You're asking for too much of the referrer.  -- Here's how I do outbound referral prospecting: 1. Start with the end in mind. Identify the prospect you want to talk to. (If you don't start with the end in mind, you're going to get a bunch of random non-ICP or out of territory intros, if you get any at all) - 2. Find mutual connections who actually know your target prospect. I like mutuals who have shared work history (you can find this in Sales Nav). If that fails, I'll look for shared membership in trade association groups or folks who have spoken on a panel/event together. - 3. Ask your shared contact for permission to make the introduction. Here's what I send: 𝘕𝘈𝘔𝘌, 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩? 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 30 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵'𝘴 𝘊𝘭𝘶𝘣 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘕𝘈𝘔𝘌 𝘢𝘵 𝘈𝘊𝘔𝘌. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯? - 4. If your referrer says yes, ghostwrite them a message in THEIR voice. This helps remove as much friction as possible for the person who is making the introduction. Don't worry about including pleasantries in the message you draft (Ex. "Hope you have been well since our days working together at ACME!). I've found that most people delete the pleasantries you write on their behalf so it's not a good use of your time. - 5. If someone makes a referral for you, send them a thank you note + a gift. Seems obvious but this goes a long way. - 6. If you start to find success with outbound referral prospecting, consider adding an "outbound referral blitz" to your weekly prospecting cadence. -- Anything else you'd add re: prospecting for referrals?

More leads don't always mean more growth. Sometimes, they just mean more wasted budget. I recently worked with a fast-growing gifting and floral commerce brand that had a common scaling challenge: High traffic. More leads. But declining conversions and rising CAC. The problem wasn't a lack of marketing efforts. It was a lack of data-driven decisions. Here's what we discovered: ❌ Lead qualification was based only on form submissions ❌ Multiple campaigns were running without clear attribution ❌ Every lead received the same nurturing journey ❌ Mobile users were bringing traffic but not converting The solution? We stopped treating every lead equally. Using behavioral data, we built a smarter lead scoring system based on intent signals like: → Pages visited → Time spent on the website → Category interest → Repeat visits Then we: ✅ Shifted budget toward high-performing channels ✅ Created personalized nurture journeys ✅ Optimized the mobile experience using real user behavior The outcome after 6 months: 📈 52% improvement in lead quality 📉 41% reduction in CAC 🚀 67% increase in revenue per lead 📱 Mobile conversion improved significantly The biggest lesson? Growth is not about generating more leads. It's about understanding the right leads. How are you using data to improve your growth strategy? #DataAnalytics #GrowthStrategy #LeadGeneration #MarketingAnalytics #DigitalMarketing #CRO

Your 2025 GTM Motion is only as good as your Sales Funnel. Most teams approach their GTM Funnel like it’s 2022. And it’s costing them. Here’s the problem: Teams focus on MQLs, SQLs, and deal stages. Buyers care about making the best decision for THEIR business. We need a funnel that works the way they buy. The Solution!? ❌ Replace lead volumes and MQLs/SQLs ✅ Track ICP journey + intent signals to track intent and engagement. Here’s how the stages look for B2B buyers in 2025: 1️⃣ ICP Accounts (Companies + Prospects) Find out the number of accounts in your ICP. This isn’t about who’s easy to reach, it’s about who can buy from you this quarter. What to track: TAM size Criteria: industry, company size, funding stage, tech stack. Tools to use: LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Apollo.io, Clay 2️⃣ Identified Buyers It’s not enough to know the account names. You need to know the people in charge of the buying decision. What to track: Titles, job roles, and key stakeholders at ICP accounts Tools to use: Clay, LeadMagic, RB2B 3️⃣ Engagement (Awareness) Who is paying attention to you? This is where you track brand awareness signals. What to track: CTR, website visits, LinkedIn engagement. Tools to use: lemlist, Hubspot, Teamfluence™, Unify 4️⃣ High Intent (Interest) Prospects are actively self-educating. They’re researching you and engaging with high-intent touchpoints. What to track: free trial sign-ups, webinar registrations, pricing page views, downloads Tools to use: RB2B, Calendly, Maximise, HubSpot, Getkoala 5️⃣ Active Pipeline (Consideration) Prospects are officially in the buying process, and now evaluating your solutions. What to track: demo calls completed, Free consulting scheduled, product engagement Tools to use: Calendly, Hubspot 6️⃣ Buying Process (Decision-Making) The deal is on the table. This is where you’re actively negotiating, finalizing contracts, and moving them into “closed won.” What to track: Proposals sent, redlines on contracts, final approvals. Tools to use: DocSend, PandaDoc, Accord. 7️⃣ Customers Once they buy, the funnel doesn’t end. Retention, expansion, and advocacy are critical for post-sale growth. What to track: renewal rates, upsell opportunities, advocacy signals. The Bottom Line: The modern B2B funnel isn’t just about driving leads, it’s about having visibility at every stage of the buyer’s journey. If you know: - How many accounts fit your ICP - Who the buyers are - Who’s aware, engaged, and interested - And how many are in active buying cycles... ...you can optimize any GTM motion. If your ICP funnel doesn’t look like this, now’s the time to rebuild. Your 2025 GTM goals depend on it. Let me know: Which stage of the funnel do you think is most overlooked? 👇