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Generating new leads enables you to grow your business. It sounds simple on the face of things, but unless you have the time and resources available to dedicate to lead generation - and I mean, really dedicate, you’re not going to be able to bring in the number of leads that you need in order to hit those magical growth targets.

When you sit down with your management team and plan out the year ahead it is often growth that takes up a sizable chunk of the meeting with different department heads all bringing ideas to the table, but ultimately it comes down to having the right people in place to identify not only the sheet number of leads you need, but to be able to convert them, too.

Or does it?

New business teams are great and they’re undoubtedly a valuable in-house resource, but even these experienced and knowledgeable professionals sometimes struggle to generate new leads and then get their team in the boardroom to pitch for the business. This is just one reason why many look to lead generation platforms to solve their lead gen woes and enable the department heads and management teams to focus on what they do best rather than scouring the world for new business opportunities.

But when you could hire people to identify these leads, why would you invest in a piece of technology to do it instead? Surely they are unreliable and unable to hit those all-important numbers? This is something we hear quite a lot in our line of work and we strongly disagree; and that’s why we wanted to share just a few of the benefits of lead generation platforms to help you understand a bit more about what they can offer and how companies like Clarity Stack can work with you as an extension of your business, rather than just another investment in new software.

5 advantages of lead generation platforms over in-house lead gen 

As a business that specialises in lead generation we’re always going to be in favour of a lead gen platform over in-house alternatives, but in addition to the factors we’ve outlined above there are (at least) five key benefits to using lead generation platforms like Clarity Stack over doing it within the business. 

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Accuracy

One of the main advantages of lead generation platform subscriptions is that you can rest assured that all of the research and due diligence have been performed correctly before any data is shared, and that means that you’re going to have access to complete accurate prospect information including contact details, names and even job roles to ensure that you’re put in touch with the right person, not just the main reception desk that you could find yourself.

Many platforms also use lead generation forms on their websites which require users to submit their own information, and this means that people are actively sharing their contact details ready for you to reach out to them - and you don’t get more accurate than that!

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Efficiency

As anyone who has ever worked in in-house lead generation will be able to testify, lead gen is a time-consuming process. There is no fast way of identifying and reaching out to leads and it can take days, even weeks, before you even get around to sending out your first email or picking up the phone to make your first call. 

With a lead generation platform, however, this research is done for you meaning you can spend your time doing what you do best - safe in the knowledge that there are a number of leads either on their way to you or waiting for you in your account, along with the all-important contact details for you to reach out at a time that suits you.

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Free’s up resource

Business owners employ people because of their specialties and their skills, not to get involved in lead generation campaigns (unless they’re in-house lead gen teams, of course!) So why take someone away from their day job in marketing, finance or web development, for example, to get them searching for contact details for cold leads? It just doesn’t make sense. 

That resource could be used better elsewhere in the business, like carrying out the tasks that they were originally hired to do. Yes, that could well be lead generation, but even then they could spend more time building a rapport with leads over the phone or email rather than searching the world wide web for more than just a contact@ email address or a main switchboard contact number. 

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Customer success / account management

Support and accountability are key when it comes to any processes, so when you’re working in in-house lead generation it all falls on the immediate team to provide assistance. When you invest in a lead gen platform, however, you can expect to receive your own account manager or customer success manager to provide you with the support you need to get the most from your subscription.

We can’t tell you how other businesses operate, but at Clarity Stack a Customer Success Manager is assigned to your account when you sign up and they will introduce themselves to you and arrange a kick-off call to help understand exactly what you’re looking for and how to use the platform to the fullest. 

That person is then on-hand by email or phone to provide support across the platform, and to act on any feedback you might have - positive or negative - to ensure that the leads you receive are of the highest quality in terms of relevance and detail.

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Return on investment

When you invest in anything to help your business grow you want to see a return on your investment in some shape or form. It might be new customers, it may be new employees or it could be improved efficiencies - well with a lead generation platform you can get all of that, and more. 

The initial investment in a subscription (whether it’s monthly, quarterly, six-monthly, annual or rolling) will give you access to the kind of leads and information that you might stumble upon once or twice a year when you work manually. If you’re looking to grow slowly but surely that “lucky lead” might be the perfect option for you, but when you’re attempting to get new customers through the door to help you hit your growth targets then a lead gen platform will offer that return on investment - quite possibly after your first sale or client win - and that means every win from that point onwards is pure profit. Music to your ears, right?

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Ultimately, there is no one size fits all approach to lead generation and a platform like Clarity Stack might work in different ways for different businesses, but the key is that it works and it generates new business leads that you might never see otherwise - let alone get the chance to pitch for that work. Gaining a competitive edge in your market is key, as is growth (however that looks for you), and a lead generation platform subscription could be just what you’re looking for.