---
title: 50% of Your Industrial Lead Generation is Worthless
description: Based on my experience in industrial marketing, I have found that a great deal of your online industrial lead generation is worthless. So, when industrial owners or industrial marketers ask me about online marketing, I do my best to manage expectations and let them know that their online marketing efforts are similar to their offline, … Continue reading “50% of Your Industrial Lead Generation is Worthless”
image: https://www.thereppgroup.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/industrial_salesman-begging-4.jpg
---
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# 50% of Your Industrial Lead Generation is Worthless
[Tom Repp](https://www.thereppgroup.com/author/tom-repp)
May 23 2017 [industrial marketing strategy,](https://www.thereppgroup.com/tag/industrial-marketing-strategy) [industrial lead generation](https://www.thereppgroup.com/tag/industrial-lead-generation)
Based on my experience in industrial marketing, I have found that a great deal of your online industrial lead generation is worthless.
So, when industrial owners or industrial marketers ask me about online marketing, I do my best to manage expectations and let them know that their online marketing efforts are similar to their offline, traditional marketing efforts.
“*Mr. Owner, how many of your direct mail pieces produce great leads?*”
“*How are those cold calls working for your sales group lately?*”
“*Did you get a good return on our trade show investment, in terms of lead generation?*”
I think we all know the answers to those questions, given the industrial buyers’ changing behavior.
I am not sure if it is because most industrial owners are digital immigrants, but they expect their online marketing efforts to render different results than their traditional marketing and lead generation efforts.
I often remind them of John Wanamaker’s famous quote about advertising: “*Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted, the trouble is, I don’t know which half.*”
So…when I found this marketing research from my fellow marketing friends at [Straight North](http://www.straightnorth.com) in Chicago concerning B2B leads, I thought I would pass it along to my readers.
This report validates what I have already known and summarized above, 50% of your online leads are worthless…and costly.
[The Critical Importance Of Lead Validation In Internet Marketing.](https://www.slideshare.net/StraightNorthIM/the-importance-of-lead-validation)
**[Importance of Lead Validation Study](https://www.straightnorth.com/insights/critical-importance-lead-validation-internet-marketing/)** by [Professional SEO](https://www.straightnorth.com/services/seo/) Company, Straight North.
Key takeaways for industrial marketers interested in improving their online marketing from Straight Norths’ research of over 370,000 B2B inquiries:
- Know the source of your best leads and measure it. Keep adjusting
- Know the true cost of your industrial leads. Keep improving
- You must have to ability to measure & adjust rapidly to achieve online success. Your online marketing must be nimble
- **A web user’s first visit to your website will produce the best leads. As always, the first impression is the most important.**
*The bottom line for industrial marketers:*
If you are going to get involved in online marketing and industrial lead generation, find some professional help, or you will be wasting at least half of your marketing resources. With modern technology, marketing automation platforms and the right skill sets you can easily improve the ol;’ Wanamaker’s 50/50 rule.
For more info on what **The Repp Group** can do for your industrial marketing & lead generation…**CLICK BELOW**
#### Author:Tom Repp
A passionate marketer attempting to change the way industrial marketers leverage the web as a growth-oriented, lead generation machine. [View all posts by Tom Repp](https://www.thereppgroup.com/author/tom-repp)
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