As a seasoned marketer who’s been in the trenches for years, I’ve seen my fair share of trends come and go. But there’s one aspect of B2B marketing that continues to baffle me, and I’m sure many of you can relate. Today, I want to talk about what I consider to be the most nonsensical thing about B2B marketing in our current landscape.
The Obsession with Lead Generation
Let’s cut to the chase: the most nonsensical thing about B2B marketing today is the relentless obsession with lead generation. Now, before you close this tab thinking I’ve lost my marbles, hear me out. I’m not saying lead generation isn’t important – it absolutely is. But the way we’ve been approaching it? That’s where things go off the rails.
The Lead Generation Hamster Wheel
Picture this: you’re a B2B marketer, and your primary goal is to generate leads. Sounds reasonable, right? But here’s where it gets a bit mad. You spend countless hours creating gated content, running webinars, and setting up complex marketing automation systems. You’re collecting email addresses like they’re going out of style. And then what?
More often than not, these leads get passed on to sales teams who then bombard these poor souls with emails and calls, trying to push them down a funnel they might not even be ready to enter. It’s like trying to sell ice to an Eskimo in the middle of winter – not exactly the most efficient use of anyone’s time.
The 95:5 Rule: A Wake-Up Call
Here’s a sobering statistic for you: according to Professor John Dawes from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, only 5% of your potential market is ready to buy at any given time. That means 95% of the people you’re frantically trying to convert are simply not in the market for your product or service right now.
Let that sink in for a moment. We’re expending an enormous amount of energy chasing after leads who, statistically speaking, are highly unlikely to convert. It’s like fishing with a net full of holes – you might catch something eventually, but it’s not exactly the most efficient method.
The Brand vs Demand Debate: A False Dichotomy
Another non-sensical aspect of current B2B marketing is the ongoing debate between brand building and demand generation. It’s as if we’ve created this artificial divide, forcing marketers to choose sides. But here’s the thing: it’s not an either/or situation. It’s both.
The Integrated Approach
Your brand is communicated at every touchpoint with your audience. Every email, every social media post, every webinar – they all contribute to how your brand is perceived. At the same time, these touchpoints can also generate demand for your products or services.
By creating this false dichotomy, we’re limiting our potential impact. We need to start thinking about brand and demand as two sides of the same coin, working together to create a cohesive and effective marketing strategy.
The Content Conundrum
Now, let’s talk about content. In our quest to generate leads and establish thought leadership, we’ve created a veritable tsunami of content. Blog posts, whitepapers, eBooks, webinars – you name it, we’re producing it. But quantity doesn’t always equal quality, and this is where things start to get a bit nonsensical.
The Echo Chamber Effect
In our rush to create content, we often fall into the trap of simply echoing what others in our industry are saying. We’re so focused on churning out material that we forget to add genuine value. It’s like we’re all shouting into an echo chamber, each voice indistinguishable from the next.
This leads to a sea of sameness, where it becomes increasingly difficult for potential customers to differentiate between brands. We’re all saying the same things, using the same jargon, and making the same promises. It’s no wonder buyers are becoming increasingly sceptical and harder to reach.
The Jargon Jungle
Speaking of jargon, let’s address another non-sensical aspect of B2B marketing: our love affair with industry-specific terminology. We throw around acronyms and buzzwords like confetti, often forgetting that our audience might not be as well-versed in our lingo as we are.
This overreliance on jargon can create a barrier between us and our potential customers. Instead of communicating the value we can provide, we end up alienating the very people we’re trying to reach. It’s like trying to have a conversation in code – unless both parties know the key, the message gets lost.
The Technology Tangle
In our efforts to streamline our marketing efforts and better target our audience, we’ve embraced technology with open arms. Marketing automation platforms, CRM systems, analytics tools – our tech stacks are growing by the day. But here’s where it gets a bit nonsensical: we’re often using these tools to perpetuate the very practices that aren’t working.
The Automation Trap
Marketing automation can be a powerful tool when used correctly. But too often, we’re using it to bombard our leads with generic, one-size-fits-all messages. We’re so focused on the efficiency of our outreach that we forget about its effectiveness.
It’s like having a state-of-the-art sports car but only using it to drive to the corner shop. We’re not leveraging the full potential of these tools to create meaningful, personalised interactions with our audience.
The Data Deluge
With all these tools at our disposal, we’re collecting more data than ever before. But are we using it effectively? In many cases, the answer is no. We’re drowning in data but starving for insights.
We track every click, every download, every website visit. However we often fail to translate this data into actionable strategies that can drive real business growth. It’s like having a library full of books but never actually reading any of them – all that potential knowledge goes to waste.
The Misalignment of Marketing and Sales
One of the most persistent and non-sensical issues in B2B marketing is the ongoing misalignment between marketing and sales teams. Despite all our talk about integration and collaboration, these two crucial departments often operate in silos.
The Blame Game
Marketing complains that sales don’t follow up on the leads they generate. Sales grumble that the leads they receive aren’t qualified enough. It’s a never-ending cycle of finger-pointing that does nothing to drive the business forward.
This misalignment leads to wasted resources, missed opportunities, and a fragmented customer experience. It’s like having two oarsmen in a boat, each rowing in a different direction – you might make some progress, but you’re certainly not going to win any races.
The Short-Term Focus
In our quest for quick wins and immediate results, we often lose sight of the bigger picture. This short-term focus is perhaps one of the most nonsensical aspects of current B2B marketing practices.
The Quarterly Quandary
Many B2B companies operate quarterly, with marketing teams under pressure to deliver results every three months. This can lead to a focus on tactics that deliver quick wins rather than strategies that build long-term value.
It’s like trying to grow a forest by constantly replanting saplings instead of nurturing the trees we already have. We’re so focused on immediate growth that we forget about sustainability and long-term success.
The Metrics Mirage
This short-term focus often manifests in an obsession with vanity metrics. We celebrate increases in website traffic, social media followers, or email open rates without considering whether these metrics are actually driving business growth.
It’s like measuring the success of a restaurant by how many people look at the menu rather than how many actually come in to eat. We’re focusing on indicators of interest rather than actual business impact.
The Personalisation Paradox
Personalisation has been a buzzword in marketing for years now, and for good reason. When done well, it can significantly improve the effectiveness of our marketing efforts. But here’s where it gets non-sensical: our approach to personalisation often misses the mark.
The Surface-Level Approach
Many B2B marketers think that simply addressing an email with the recipient’s first name or mentioning their company constitutes personalisation. But this surface-level approach often falls flat.
True personalisation goes beyond just knowing someone’s name or job title. It’s about understanding their challenges, their goals, and how your product or service can genuinely help them. Anything less is like trying to build a relationship by memorising someone’s business card – it might impress for a moment, but it won’t create a lasting connection.
The Privacy Predicament
In our quest for personalisation, we sometimes cross the line into creepy territory. We collect vast amounts of data on our prospects and customers, often without considering the implications for their privacy.
It’s a delicate balance between providing a personalised experience and respecting individual privacy. Get it wrong, and you risk alienating the very people you’re trying to engage. It’s like being that person at a party who knows a little too much about everyone – it doesn’t make you popular, it makes people uncomfortable.
The Content Distribution Dilemma
We’ve already talked about the content conundrum, but let’s dig a little deeper into how we distribute that content. This is another area where B2B marketing often veers into the realm of the nonsensical.
The Spray and Pray Approach
Many B2B marketers take a ‘spray and pray’ approach to content distribution. We create a piece of content and then blast it out across every channel we can think of, hoping that something will stick.
This scattergun approach is about as effective as shouting your message into a crowded room and hoping the right person hears it. It’s inefficient, ineffective, and often annoying to the very people we’re trying to reach.
The Channel Obsession
On the flip side, some marketers become overly focused on specific channels. They pour all their resources into LinkedIn because “that’s where B2B buyers are”, or they focus solely on email marketing because it’s delivered results in the past.
While it’s important to understand which channels work best for your audience, this single-minded focus can lead to missed opportunities. It’s like fishing in the same spot every day – you might catch something, but you’re missing out on all the other great fishing spots out there.
The Measurement Muddle
Measuring the success of our marketing efforts is crucial. But the way many B2B marketers approach measurement is, quite frankly, non-sensical.
The Attribution Obsession
We’ve become obsessed with attribution, trying to pinpoint exactly which touchpoint led to a conversion. While understanding the customer journey is important, this laser focus on attribution can lead us astray.
The reality is that B2B buying decisions are complex and often involve multiple touchpoints. Trying to attribute success to a single interaction is like trying to decide which ingredient in a recipe is most responsible for how it tastes – it misses the point that it’s the combination that matters.
The ROI Riddle
Return on Investment (ROI) is important, but it’s not the be-all and end-all of marketing measurement. Yet many B2B marketers treat it as such, trying to assign a direct ROI to every marketing activity.
This approach can lead to a focus on short-term, easily measurable tactics at the expense of longer-term brand building activities. It’s like judging the success of a marathon runner by how fast they run the first mile – it gives you some information, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.
The Human Element: The Missing Piece
Perhaps the most non-sensical thing about current B2B marketing practices is how often we forget the human element. In our rush to leverage technology, data, and automation, we sometimes lose sight of the fact that at its core, B2B marketing is about connecting with people.
The Emotion Equation
There’s a common misconception that B2B buying decisions are purely rational. However research has shown that emotion plays a significant role in B2B purchases, often even more so than in B2C decisions.
Yet many B2B marketers continue to focus solely on features, specifications, and ROI calculations. It’s like trying to win someone’s heart by showing them your bank statement – it might be impressive, but it’s not going to create an emotional connection.
The Relationship Oversight
In the B2B world, building long-term relationships is crucial. Yet our marketing practices often focus on short-term wins and quick conversions. We forget that the person we’re trying to reach today might not be ready to buy now, but could be a valuable customer in the future.
This short-sighted approach is like speed dating when what we really need is a long-term relationship. We’re so focused on making an immediate impression that we forget to lay the groundwork for a lasting connection.
Wrapping Up: A Call for Sanity in B2B Marketing
As we’ve explored, there are many aspects of current B2B marketing practices that, when you think about them, don’t make a whole lot of sense. From our obsession with lead generation to our misalignment of marketing and sales, from our content conundrums to our measurement muddles, we’ve created a complex web of practices that often work against our ultimate goals.
But here’s the good news: recognising these non-sensical elements is the first step towards changing them. By stepping back and critically examining our approaches, we can start to develop more effective, more human-centric B2B marketing strategies.
So, what’s the way forward? Here are a few thoughts:
- Focus on creating value, not just generating leads. Understand that not everyone is ready to buy right now, and that’s okay. Build relationships and provide value over time.
- Break down the silos between marketing and sales. Foster collaboration and alignment to create a seamless customer experience.
- Think long-term. Don’t sacrifice sustainable growth for short-term wins.
- Remember the human element. B2B buyers are people too. Appeal to their emotions as well as their logic.
- Use technology and data wisely. They’re tools to enhance our marketing, not replace human insight and creativity.
- Measure what matters. Look beyond vanity metrics and focus on indicators that truly reflect business impact.
- Personalise with purpose. Go beyond surface-level personalisation to create genuinely tailored experiences.
- Distribute content strategically. Know your audience and meet them where they are, with content that truly adds value.
By addressing these areas, we can start to bring some sanity back to B2B marketing. We can create strategies that not only drive business growth but also provide real value to our customers and prospects.
Remember, at its core, B2B marketing is about connecting businesses with solutions that can help them succeed. By focusing on this fundamental truth and stripping away the non-sensical practices we’ve accumulated over the years, we can create more effective, more meaningful B2B marketing strategies.
It’s time to bring some common sense back to B2B marketing. Who’s with me?
References and Further Reading
- Dawes, J. (2024). The 95:5 Rule in B2B Marketing. Ehrenberg-Bass Institute. https://www.marketingscience.info/
- Green, G. (2025). Everything Wrong With B2B Marketing: The Funnel Is Dead. Cremarc.
https://www.cremarc.com/marketing/everything-wrong-with-b2b-marketing-the-funnel-is-dead-2/ - Forrester Research. (2024). B2B Go-To-Market Budgets Will Continue To Be Tight In 2025.
https://www.forrester.com/blogs/b2b-go-to-market-budgets-will-continue-to-be-tight-in-2025-heres-what-marketing-and-sales-operations-leaders-need-to-do-about-it/ - Harvard Business Review. (2017). Avoid These Common B2B Content Marketing Mistakes.
https://hbr.org/2016/02/avoid-these-common-b2b-content-marketing-mistakes
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