Inbound Marketing, Strategy

“More Leads” Is a Losing Game

Bio
As the VP of Vye, I help grow our clients and act as a champion for the creative products, services, and solutions that achieve marketing goals.

Published On

“More Leads” Is a Losing Game

Why high-volume marketing is killing your results — and how to build a brand people actually care about (while driving real revenue).

If I had a dollar for every time a client said, “We just need more leads,” I’d be writing this from a beach house in the south of France. (Alas, here I am, fueled by cold brew and the eternal optimism of a strategist.)

Here’s the truth: “More leads” isn’t the problem. It’s a symptom — like taking Advil for a broken leg. It might dull the pain for a bit, but it’s not going to fix the deeper issue. And if your marketing strategy begins and ends with “get more leads,” you’re playing a game you can’t win.

 

🚨 The Real Problem: Your Marketing Doesn’t Move People

Most brands are laser-focused on getting attention but forget about making an impression. And impressions are what turn browsers into buyers.

We’ve optimized everything in marketing — headlines, CTAs, landing pages, ad spend — except the one thing that actually drives decisions: emotion.

Buyers don’t choose products, services, or partners based on logic alone. They choose based on how a brand makes them feel: safe, inspired, understood, curious, confident. If your brand evokes nothing, it becomes forgettable. And forgettable brands don’t close deals.

The harsh reality? Those “more leads” you’re chasing will ghost you faster than a bad first date if you’re not building a deeper connection.

 

🔍 What to Do Instead

Here’s what high-performing marketing teams do differently — and why their growth is more predictable (and profitable):

1. Shift from Volume to Value

Stop celebrating lead counts and start prioritizing lead quality and intent. A hundred random contacts in your CRM aren’t worth one decision-maker who’s emotionally invested and ready to buy.

2. Measure Revenue-Impacting Results — Not Vanity Metrics

Volume is a losing game. Impressions, clicks, and downloads mean nothing if they don’t influence pipeline or revenue. Focus on metrics like influenced deals, conversion velocity, average contract value, and marketing-sourced revenue. If what you’re measuring doesn’t tie to revenue, it’s noise.

3. Build Emotional Touchpoints Into the Journey

Audit your customer journey and ask: Where are we building trust? Where are we sparking curiosity? Where are we proving value before the first sales conversation? Spoiler: the answer probably isn’t “another gated eBook.”

4. Market for Memory, Not Just Metrics

Metrics matter, but memory moves markets. If your audience remembers how you made them feel — not just what you sold — you’ll stay top of mind long after the ad scrolls by.

 

💡 The Takeaway

“More leads” isn’t a strategy. The brands that win don’t chase numbers; they build relationships. They create emotional resonance. They focus on the results that matter — the ones tied directly to revenue and growth.

So the next time someone says, “We just need more leads,” try a different conversation: 👉 “What if we built a brand people never forget?”

(Then start browsing beach houses. Because if you get this right, you might just be writing from one someday.)

Move from more leads to better leads