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B2b Small business owners
How To Know If I Should Start B2B Lead Generation
John Welch
Owner | IAD Growth
In This Post
1. You have a working offer
In B2B companies, especially early on or if you're starting something new like a software company or a company in an emerging market or service type, it's easy to put the cart before the horse.
Having an idea and even closing a customer or two does not mean that you have identified a clear pain, solved that pain, and packaged an offer that is easy to understand and buy.
A powerful offer is the foundation of all lead generation. Without it, you're throwing darts at a wall of invisible dart boards and hoping a dart hits a bullseye somehow.
Your offer can be something very specific like a set of services for a certain price, some kind of monthly package, or a set of hours dedicated to a task or solving a problem.
It can also be something very broad like a consulting process that ends up looking different for every customer.
What is essential is that it is based on solving a very specific and easy to communicate problem AND it can be shared with some kind of price range and idea of an expected outcome or deliverable.

2. You have revenue or capital to invest
Many business owners and entrepreneurs turn to lead generation when they are in trouble. Or they try to start lead generation in order to prove their business model. These are both mistakes.
Lead generation is a process that only makes sense once you have a clear offer that fits a clear market and you have demonstrated evidence that you can sell your offer in this market.
This usually means that you have active customers and either have regular revenue that you can allocate to lead generation, or you've accumulated capital and have a fund that you can put towards lead generation.
If lead generation stands between you and closing your doors, it's not a good idea.
3. You know your numbers
There are a couple specific scenarios in which this doesn't apply, but for almost 100% of companies, they shouldn't try lead generation if they don't know their numbers.
Knowing your numbers is pretty straightfoward. This means understanding how much, on average, you make in revenue and profit from a new customer over their lifetime as a customer. This number needs to be high enough to justify the investment that you're making.
It takes time and money to get results from lead generation. Knowing the value of a customer and how much profit you stand to make over a certain period of time tells you how much you can invest in acquiring a new customer.
This calculation can look very different for different companies depending on a lot of different factors.
A software company may have 90% profit margins and an average customer lifetime of 2 years. This means they can justify a significant cost to acquire a new customer. Another company may have 20% profit margins and an average customer lifetime of 6 months. This company is going to have a different calculation on how much it can spend to acquire a new customer.
In general, the math works out for the type of business and their profit margins. But you can't give lead generation the time and investment it needs to succeed if you don't have a clear idea of what a new customer is worth and how much you can spend to acquire them.
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About Us
Honest and transparent phone call lead generation for B2B companies
IAD Growth provides phone call lead generation services to startups and small busineses. Our primary focus is transparent, sustainable lead generation services that give small businesses and startups the opportunity to generate real business results through a low-risk, no pressure lead generation partnership.
John Welch | Owner
Customer experiences
We have partnered with over 100 small businesses and startups
See what our customers have to say about us.
"I've worked with lead generation companies in the past, but the quality of phone call leads we’re receiving from IAD Growth is on a different level. Most phone call lead generation partners use call centers to make lots of calls and try to pressure prospects into taking meetings that are never going to show. IAD Growth takes the time to build high quality lists of likely prospects and use the best data to increase chances of reaching the right people. They're approach to the call is different as well, they don't pressure or push, they deliver your value proposition in a professional manner and book meetings with prospects that have expressed real interest in your service. On top of all of that, they are fully transparent in their business model, tracking, and reporting of all conversations and dial metrics. I can't recommend IAD Growth enough."
Ian Illig
Co-Founder | Stompbox
"I came up using the phone to grow my business, so I know it works. The real trick is finding a company you can trust to do the real work of phone call lead generation without harming your brand reputation or having to worry they're pressuring potential customers or using questionable "tactics." IAD Growth provides professional phone call lead generation. They help you build high quality lists, they make targeted phone calls, and they deliver your value proposition in a respectful and firm manner. I would recommend IAD Growth to any businesses that provides a B2B service or product and needs a sustainable way to start high quality conversations with potential customers in their market."
Don Pelham
Founder | Global Dealer Solutions
"If you want a lead generation partner who actually moves at the speed of your business, John is the person you hire. He brings an incredible, infectious energy to every campaign, but backs it up with a highly structured, professional approach. What sets John apart in the tele-lead gen space is his ability to listen—he doesn't just run a standard playbook; he deeply understands our target audience and adapts in real-time. He is fast, relentless, and a total professional. I couldn’t recommend him more highly."
Todd Sabath
Chief Commercial Officer | PromptWrx
"I worked with John this year on some outbound calling campaigns and he gave me a ton of insight into how to better approach our target market. He did everything he said he would do plus more. I really appreciated his straightforward approach to outbound calling. No fluff, just real conversations and solid follow through. If you’re looking for someone to do outbound calling on your behalf, I would absolutely recommend working with him. I plan to keep working with him going forward. "
Josh Varner
COO | A Couple of Gurus
"John is awesome. We've talked for years about business and when we finally had a need for his services, he absolutely delivered as promised. He's booked so many calls that if we didn't have great processes, we would have become overwhelmed quickly. Truly a master of his craft, and beyond that he's just a good dude."
Ryan Grimes
President | My IT Indy
"I’ve worked with John twice now, and both engagements delivered solid results. He brings discipline, structure, and persistence to outbound prospecting, and understands that cold outreach is about execution and continuous refinement. John knows how to navigate conversations, challenge objections, and turn cold calls into real opportunities."
Wagner Lopes
Executive Director | Luby
"John has actually been a consultant for me, almost like a board advisor working with me and my executive team. What you pay to John, you get a return on investment, you brand is held to a high degree in the market, and he gets results quick and is a nice, ethical guy. John can converse at shop floor and the boardroom level. I've been very happy with John's work. I don't give testimonials and put my name out there unless I mean it. So if you're looking for a partner to help you with setting up appointments, it will not be a waste of time and money working with John."
Luke McCormack
CEO | Roofing Talent America
"I can't recommend John highly enough. One of the biggest challenges with hiring someone to do outbound or your company is being able to trust them to do what they say they are going to go. This integirty - along with his skill - is what separates John from the rest."
Chris Caldwell
Founder | Sell As You Are
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