Lead Generation Companies

With millions of companies cluttering the business landscape, the fight for customers has never been more fierce. It’s no wonder then that 85% of B2B marketers rate lead generation as their most important content marketing goal. That’s why lead generation companies are booming, and while competition is not a bad thing per se, the huge number complicates finding the right fit. We have solved that problem for you by ranking the industry’s best agencies with the help of an extensive set of criteria. Scroll down to read all about it, and don’t forget to check out our buying tips that will guide you to the right solution for your business.

Filters
Comapny Size

Company Size

Freelancer

2-9

10-24

25-49

50-99

100-249

250+

Undisclosed

Hourly Rate

Hourly Rate

$0-$24

$25-$49

$50-$99

$100-$149

$150-$199

$200+

Undisclosed

Min. Project Size

Min. Project Size

Undisclosed

$1.000

$5.000

$10.000

$25.000

$50.000

$100.000

$500.000

7 The Best Lead Generation Companies

Strategic Sales & Marketing

Strategic Sales & Marketing is one of the top B2B lead generation companies with over 20 years of experience in managing sales leads and appointment setting. They have an extensive background in several industries, employ cutting-edge technology and implement efficient appointment setting processes. See profile
Service focus

Non-Voice BPO/Back Office Services

Voice Services

Market Research

Consulting

Key features

$ 1,000

$ 0-24

50-99

United States, Connecticut, Farmington

Leadium

Leadium is undoubtedly one of the best lead generation companies for small businesses, startups, and Fortune 500 companies. Their specialists quickly adopt the client’s company culture, efficiently utilize the latest sales tools. They are further managed by experienced sales experts to maximize results and ROI. See profile
Service focus

Email Marketing

Market Research

CRM Consulting and SI

Key features

$ 1,000

$ 0-24

50-99

United States, Nevada, Las Vegas

Belkins

Belkins provides B2B lead generation services to customers from the US, the UK, and Europe via excellent research of the client, market, and target audience, as well as advanced tools for promotion. Their team is flexible, scalable, and exceeds all expectations because all their solutions are custom-made for each client. See profile
Service focus

Email Marketing

Marketing Strategy

Voice Services

Business Consulting

Key features

$ 5,000

$ 25-49

50-99

United States, Delaware, Dover

SalesPro Leads

As one of the top lead generation companies on the market, SalesPro Leads offers over 100 years of combined experience in generating high-quality sales leads for their clients that include some of the biggest names in the IT and tech industries. Responsive and professional, they deliver a high return on Investment. See profile
Service focus

Voice Services

Direct Marketing

Key features

$ 1,000

$ 0-24

10-24

United States, Nevada, Reno

Salesify

Salesify is all about providing high-quality sales lead generation services through a business model that lowers sales costs. Such an approach has not only made them one of the biggest names in the IT and tech industries but has also earned them long-term clients and numerous awards for their work. See profile
Service focus

Voice Services

Non-Voice BPO/Back Office Services

Key features

$ 1,000

$ 0-24

250+

United States, Texas, Austin

Outbound View

If you need outbound lead generation services, and a company that integrates with clients’ internal resources smoothly and establishes a cooperative workflow, then Outbound View should be your choice. This outfit truly becomes an extension of your team and delivers results. See profile
Service focus

Voice Services

Key features

$ 1,000

$ 25-49

2-9

United States, Tennessee, Nashville

Martal Group

Martal is your on demand sales partner, servicing B2B tech companies in US and Canada, generating them qualified leads, providing support staff and services right through to signed contracts. Our fractional sales executives and account managers will help your team build your sales funnel. See profile
Service focus

Lead Generation

Content Marketing

B2B Appointment Setting

B2B Lead Generation

Key features

$ 5,000

Undisclosed

50-99

United States, California, San Francisco

How We Ranked the Best Lead Generation Companies

When ranking companies and presenting the results to you, our goal is to give you a comprehensive review with actionable information. The methodology applied is based on detailed research of each company’s size and approach, experience and reputation, quality of work and tools, as well as the pricing models.

Here are the criteria we took into account.

Classification

We begin our evaluation by classifying the companies. While this criterion doesn’t necessarily affect our ranking, it helps us sort through the best lead providers.

Most agencies in the industry cater to an array of fields and are able to adapt to different situations and requirements. That said, should your line of business demand a highly customized approach, some agencies are industry-focused. For example, there are healthcare or insurance lead generation companies, while others work specifically with businesses in real estate, legal, financial, or IT and software development companies.

Also, each firm might tailor its services to the size of the companies they work with, from small and mid-size businesses to large enterprises, and even international companies. In this sense, the scope of services they offer depends on the size of the client.

We further classify the agencies as major account and small sales lead generation providers, depending on their types of projects and the target markets.

Major Account Lead Generation Companies

This type of agency deals with businesses that sell elaborate B2B products or services. Its practices would involve acquiring vital information and contact details of upper management individuals such as presidents, vice presidents, CEOs, CFOs — the decision-makers in other businesses and organizations.

Small Sale LeadGen Companies

Revolving around small purchases, small sales lead generation companies target businesses with potential purchases of under $10,000. While targeting might also include B2B businesses, the sales cycle is a lot shorter compared to that involved in major account lead generation.

Approach

Lead generation agencies may also differ from one another in the way they bring prospective customers to their clients. That also shapes the extent of their service and requires a diverse skillset from the employees working on a particular project. There are two common lead generation methods — inbound and outbound — so we determine in which category the company belongs and then evaluate how skilled they are in their chosen approach.

Inbound Lead Generation

This method includes generating leads through creating content and carrying out “pull” marketing activities with the goal of attracting prospects toward a business website or online presence.

Outbound Lead Generation

The outbound method relies on generating leads via multiple targeted channels such as direct mail, email, phone calls, PPC, etc.

Experience

To create a comprehensive lead generation companies list, we consider each firm’s experience, their previous and current clients, along with their industries, and the return value the outfit generated for its customers.

We also note it’s common for lead generation suppliers to branch out to areas like surveys, infomercials, direct response, and comprehensive account mapping. This further contributes to their level of expertise and ability to adapt to different situations and clients.

Lead Generation Management

Acquiring new customers can be a long and painful process, as not every person is an ideal candidate for your products or services. It’s up to the product seller or service provider to look for potential customers and that is where lead generation firms become indispensable — if they provide quality leads, that is.

The quality of leads and appointments starts as soon as they are acquired as prospects and contacts. While there’s no shortage of companies that claim to have the “best” quality of leads, careful scrutiny of their sources helps us tell hype from fact. We, therefore, consider whether the agency is able to carry out its own prospect research or if they use third-party data sources, how often they update and clean their leads database, and what kind of lead management software they use.

We also examine the criteria used to make a lead qualified, the steps they take to ensure data quality from lead capture forms, and the ways to provide targeted organic traffic or PPC impressions.

Tools & Technology

The top rated lead generation companies should also have a full set of tools and skills to manage, automate, and optimize campaigns. To ensure that the candidate agency has the right tech stack for modern lead generation, we look for specific tools they use such as lead verification tools, analytics and reporting tools, marketing automation platform, CRM software, email automation, call tracking, social media management, SEO and CRO tools, and SEM analytics.

Company Reputation

Reputation can sometimes tip the scales in favor of a particular company. That’s why when ranking the top lead generation companies, we looked at how they score on other lists, read reviews from independent, third-party sources, and considered any awards and recognition from relevant and reputable industry groups.

Pricing

Costs are another important factor to consider, given their impact on ROI. Usually, companies that generate leads offer:

  • Billing per appointment (ranges $50-$400 per appointment),
  • Billing per month (ranges $2,000-$20,000 a month).

Whatever billing options are available, we make sure that the prices of lead generation services offered by the companies on our list fall within the industry standard. We also verify that they offer good value for money, and that they are upfront about their fees.

Things to Consider Before Closing the Deal with a Lead Generation Company

Closing the deal means committing to a partnership, which is why it’s so important to make the right choice. We are helping you with that by informing you what to look for when assessing potential partners, and what to expect after closing the deal.

Define Your Needs

Knowing what you want from your cooperation with a lead generation agency should help you make the right choice since you’ll look for a company with the right skillset. This means you should consider whether you need to acquire new leads or nurture existing ones, the level of complexity of your product or service, whether your campaign is reliant on automation or personalization, etc.

Consider If the Agency Is a Cultural Fit

When you collaborate with a lead generation firm, the success of your campaign would largely depend on the team working on it. Their level of expertise, manner of communication and transparency may differ from those in your business, which could cause misalignment and, ultimately, failure to achieve the desired results. That is why you need to make sure you are comfortable with the company culture of your prospective partner.

Does the Agency Have Experience In Your Industry?

Lead generation processes differ from one industry to another, which means that the company for lead generation services you end up with might need to adapt to your field.

If your niche is particularly narrow, with industry-specific characteristics, MOs, and target audience, you would need an agency with experience in your field. They will be able to conduct relevant research, project planning, change the course of action mid-project if necessary and more — all of that to deliver the expected results.

Define Your Budget

One major point to consider before closing the deal is how much money you are willing to spend on lead generation. While the gains can be great, you still need to consider the price to see what’s left in the end. Defining a realistic budget should help narrow down the number of the lead generation companies you are considering and take you closer to the right one for your business.