Qualified leads don’t exist.
And people aren’t leads. People are people.
That may sound obvious, but a lot of B2B sales and marketing seems to have forgotten this completely.
We talk about funnels, conversions, automation, growth hacking and qualified leads as if a C-level prospect is simply a number that needs to move from one stage to the next.
But senior decision makers don’t work like that.
They don’t simply click, convert and buy because your funnel is optimized. Especially when the deal is complex, expensive or strategic.
People do business with people.
Before someone becomes a client, there needs to be trust.
Before there is trust, there needs to be a relationship.
And before there is a relationship, someone needs to make an effort.
You need to reach out.
You need to start conversations.
Sometimes you need to pick up the phone, ring the doorbell, attend an event or simply show your face in real life.
That’s also why personal branding has become so important in B2B.
Your content helps people understand who you are, what you know and what you stand for. It creates familiarity and trust before the first conversation even starts.
But content alone isn’t enough.
The 1-to-1 contact is where the real relationship is built.
You start talking. You get to know each other. You understand someone’s business, challenges and ambitions.
And that’s exactly the part so many companies are trying to automate away.
The good news?
You can start today.
Learn how to create content. Build your network. Do outreach. Get better at conversations.
The bad news?
It still requires work.
There is no magical system that puts clients on autopilot forever.
You need to work smart, but you still need to work.
Create content. Talk to people. Follow up. Meet people. Invest in relationships. Stay visible.
Do that consistently and business will follow.
Because B2B growth is ultimately not about generating more leads.
It’s about building more relationships.
Thanks, Finn Merlijn Thoolen for the great conversation.
