It’s intriguing, isn’t it? Despite the rapid evolution of the SaaS landscape, many companies are still employing lead generation tactics from 2020. It’s akin to attempting to win the Super Bowl with a playbook from the previous decade.

Over the past 6 months, I’ve dedicated my time to a comprehensive study of over 100 SaaS companies. This wasn’t a casual “read their blog posts” kind of study. It was a rigorous, in-the-trenches analysis of what’s truly driving sales in the current market.

Let’s face the unvarnished truth. The majority of your current lead generation strategies are no longer effective. It’s time for a strategic shift.

Free Trials Are Bleeding You Dry

“Start your 14-day free trial!”

Remember when that worked? Yeah, me too. But that ship has sailed.

Look at what Notion did instead: They ditched the countdown timer. No more “Your trial expires in X days” anxiety. Instead, they built what I call “success gates” – points where users naturally bump into premium features as they succeed with the product.

For example:

• Basic features are free forever.
• As users achieve success, they encounter premium features that enhance their experience.

One of my clients adopted this strategy. The result? Trial conversions jumped 87%.

The math is simple: Stop rushing people. Let them win first.

Nobody Cares About Your Blog Posts

“But we need content marketing!”

Sure. But not the way you’re doing it.

Ahrefs spends $50K on a single piece of content. Crazy? Nope. Smart.

While you’re pumping out “10 Tips” listicles, they’re creating content their competitors physically can’t copy. Their SEO guides don’t just teach SEO—they make their tool the only logical solution.

The numbers don’t lie:

• Product-focused content = 65% higher conversion
• Deep technical content = 3x more engagement
• Interactive content = 2x better conversion

Stop writing blogs. Start building content that sells your product without selling.

Your Website Is Leaving Money on the Table

Your website treats every visitor the same. Big mistake.

A CEO from a 500-person company sees the same thing as a freelancer. Come on.

One of my clients fixed this. Their website now shows different messages based on who’s visiting. Basic customizations include:

• Company size
• Industry
• Pain points
• Traffic source

The results?

• Qualified leads up 47%.
• Sales cycles cut by 23%.

This isn’t rocket science. It’s just treating people like people.

The Only LinkedIn Strategy That Still Works

Everyone’s LinkedIn game is tired. Here’s what works now:

1. Find 100 perfect customers.
2. Watch their content for 2 weeks.
3. Send them a personalized video about their business.
4. Help first, sell never.

We tested this with 50 companies—34% response rate.

Compare that to your 2% InMail success rate. Game changer.

Your Lead Scoring Is Broken

Stop scoring leads based on company size and email openings.

Start watching how they behave:

• Which pricing plans do they check?
• How long do they compare features?
• What patterns show buying intent?

Companies doing this see 79% better lead quality.

You don’t need more leads. You need to spot the good ones faster.

Nobody Sees Your Ads

“We need to be everywhere!”

No, you need to be somewhere that matters.

One company I work with cut their ad budget by 60%. But they went all-in on:

• Industry Slack channels
• Super specific podcasts
• Small LinkedIn groups
• Targeted newsletters

They owned the spaces their customers hung out in.

It beats shouting into the void.

The Tesla Way to Get Customers

Tesla built a trillion-dollar company without ads.

How? They made customers feel special.

Don’t bribe people to refer you. Build a club they want to join:

• Early feature access
• Direct line to executives
• Revenue sharing
• Status and recognition

People share cool stuff. Make your product cool to share.

Stop Boring People With Webinars

Your product demos are putting people to sleep.

Try this instead:

• Get industry leaders talking about big problems.
• Show how your product fits in their world.
• Give real solutions, not sales pitches.
• Make exclusive offers for live attendees.

One company tried this—registrations up by 312%.

Want This to Actually Work?

Here’s the thing: none of these strategies work alone. They compound.

Start with one. Master it. Add another. Build a system.

What’s working for you right now? Drop a comment below. Let’s compare notes.

Want a detailed playbook for each strategy? Follow me. More coming soon.

#SaaS #LeadGeneration #B2BMarketing #GrowthStrategy