Why B2B Lead Generation Needs a New Approach

B2B lead generation is undergoing a transformation. Buying decisions today are increasingly digital, coordinated within buying committees, and often made long before potential suppliers are ever contacted. According to a 2024 Gartner study, around 80% of the entire B2B buying process happens without direct interaction with vendors.

At the same time, expectations for seamless digital buying experiences are rising sharply. The international Sana Commerce B2B Buyer Report 2025 reveals that while 73% of B2B customers prefer to buy online, 85% are dissatisfied with the digital offerings of their suppliers, especially when it comes to e-commerce features and user experience.In this environment, traditional tactics such as gated PDFs or follow-up calls often fall short. They usually come into play too late in the buying process, when most purchasing decisions are already well underway. In addition, they often lack the relevance and personalization needed to truly address buyers’ specific information needs.

To get on the radar of potential customers before critical buying decisions are made, businesses need a fresh perspective. This e-book shows how companies can build a sustainable and scalable lead generation strategy by leveraging demand generation, smarketing, and customer journey management as key levers. At the same time, personal dialogue remains a crucial success factor in B2B to build trust and actively nurture leads.

Rethinking Demand Generation: What It Really Means

Many companies still rely on traditional approaches to B2B lead generation: offering gated white papers followed by sales outreach. Yet in an age of self-directed digital research, this model often kicks in too late. Demand generation, by contrast, starts much earlier — focusing not on leads, but on building awareness, relevance, and early-stage need recognition among potential customers.

The distinction is critical: lead generation serves existing demand, while demand generation creates it in the first place. This is especially important in B2B, where decisions are rarely made impulsively. Instead, buying teams spend weeks or even months researching before they commit to a purchase.

The “2024 Buyer Experience Report” by 6sense highlights this vividly. The average B2B buying cycle now lasts 11.3 months and involves around eleven stakeholders. Perhaps most striki