There is no denying the massive importance of lead generation and sales prospecting tools, especially in a B2B business. 

 

But which one(s) should you choose for your business? Should you even prioritize one group and overlook the other? Let’s see what this post demonstrates.

 

The mismatch between these tools can derail your marketing and sales initiatives. You cannot create a workflow that effectively fills your sales pipeline and converts your leads into clients until you have a firm grasp of the differences between the two ideas.

 

What Are Lead Generation Tools?

 

You can improve your lead-generating campaign and generate more leads using lead generation software that comes in various forms. Some are there to assist you in generating leads via online platforms like your website or social media. 

 

Others can assist you in locating potential leads that you can get in touch with via offline methods like cold calling.

 

Lead generation tools can help you capture high-quality leads with less effort by providing targeted content to people who have already shown an interest in what you offer. Multiple ways to accomplish this include social media campaigns, email marketing campaigns, webinars, surveys, etc. 

 

Lead generation tools typically include features such as:

 

• Forms for capturing data from website visitors, 
• Automated pop-up notifications on web pages prompting visitors to provide their contact information, 
• Email campaigns for nurturing contacts who have already expressed interest in your products/services,
• Integration with popular CRMs, and more.

In simpler words, a suitable lead generation tool can streamline multiple lead generation stages, including lead capture, lead magnet, lead qualification, lead nurturing and lead segmentation.

 

What Are Sales Prospecting Tools?

 

Software that automates customer research, lead generation, locating and confirming contact information, and outreach is a sales prospecting tool; designed to help sales teams identify and qualify leads. 

 

They often include features such as:

 

• Lead scoring, 
• Email automation, 
• CRM integration, 
• Contact list segmentation, 
• Sales intelligence
• Company research
• Virtual meeting,
• Reporting, and more. 

With sales prospecting tools, salespeople can do more focused, effective outreach based on precise, usable data and insights from databases and web sources, reducing the time needed for these operations.

 

Since there are different sales prospecting tools for specific purposes, a single prospecting tool isn’t enough. For instance, you can get separate tools for lead management, lead scoring, communication, scheduling a meeting with prospects, etc. 

 

What Are The Differences Between Lead Generation Tools And Sales Prospecting Tools?

 

Sales prospecting and lead generation differ in many ways while having an identical objective – closing more sales. Similarly, the tools used for both processes also differ in characteristics. Let’s check out the prominent differences.

 

• Using lead generation tools is more of a marketing department’s duty. Sales teams are mainly in charge of using sales prospecting tools.
• Lead generation tools generate leads that enter the sales pipeline as prospects to be future clients with the help of different prospecting tools.
• With lead generation tools, the marketing team generally posts a lead magnet online and expects leads’ emails to flow into their email marketing software, using complete automation. A sales rep performs sales prospecting mainly relying on manual labor and partly on software. 
• Lead generation tools effectively work at the top of the marketing funnel (source). Sales prospecting tools work well throughout the entire sales funnel (source).
• Inbound marketing is the only strategy used for lead generation using tools. On the other hand, outbound marketing is a significant part of sales prospecting, and tools have a vital role in improving the strategy. 

These are the significant differences between lead generation and sales prospecting tools in a B2B model.

 

Related post: Lead generation vs general marketing

 

How Do Lead Generation And Sales Prospecting Tools Coexist In A B2B Setup?

 

According to a study, nearly 40% of sales leaders think improving lead generation is vital so salespeople can prospect better to accomplish revenue goals. 

 

However, 53% acknowledge that a top obstacle to achieving targets will be their inability to qualify more leads through prospecting. (source)

 

In this scenario, performing lead generation and sales prospecting simultaneously is preferable. However, your sales staff might, for instance, discover that their lead pipeline is weak and urgently needs a boost. Prospecting tools can help in this situation.

 

On the other hand, saving time, effort, and money on lead generation using tools would be your best option if your pipeline is in good shape. 

 

As you can see, both types of tools are necessary for a B2B business to grow faster. Better leads mean better prospecting. 

 

So, how should you choose the right tools to level up your business? Every business is different from others, and so are its needs. Once you know and understand your target market, choosing the right tools will be easy. 

 

Discuss with your team leaders for better insight to help you select suitable lead generation and sales prospecting tools to boost productivity and revenue.