How to Generate Leads in 2027: 5 Tips to Get More Qualified Leads in Your Pipeline

Is there anything more important, or harder to get, than leads? Quality leads feel harder than ever to generate, and a lot of companies are still putting their time and money into channels that just don't deliver the way they used to.

As sales and marketing executives, we've seen what works and what doesn't. One of our clients saw a 700% increase in leads and an 80% reduction in CPL by switching to a different channel. We'll share how below.

We don't need to keep these secrets for ourselves! Here are our 5 tips to get more qualified leads in your pipeline in 2027.

1. Spend less time on social, because social selling is on life support

Not that long ago, spending an hour or two a day on Twitter or LinkedIn could net you many high quality warm leads through simply engaging on social. You could be a part of a conversation, show your expertise in a comment, or create posts that had a real chance of going viral.

Today, all social channels are optimized to be pay to play. Want anyone to see your thoughts? Good luck. Literally, you need luck to get in on a post before it goes viral and hope your comment ends up towards the top.

It does happen, but we're in business, not gamblers, so we don't recommend this being a key strategy.

How to use social without wasting your day

Still generate your content, but you can spend less time online. Know which channels are relevant for your audience and which format works on each one. You might not have luck on YouTube, but get good traction with YouTube Shorts, for example.

If you already have a good piece of content, use it in a few places instead of starting from scratch every time. It saves time and you don't need to be online all day to stay visible.

2. Use email marketing to bring down your cost per lead

Email marketing works. Yes, 95% of people will hate you, but when you target the right audience (and send enough emails) there will be people who are looking for what you're selling and will turn into a lead.

People do still check their email, and we find they are less annoyed getting cold emails than they are getting spammy LinkedIn messages (this is not a scientific survey).

What happened when one client switched to email

One of our clients had been relying on personal LinkedIn messaging and LinkedIn paid ads to generate leads. When they moved that effort over to email marketing, their leads went up by 700%. Their cost per lead also dropped from $50 on LinkedIn to $10 for email, so they were getting a lot more leads for a lot less money.

How to make cold email pay off

You need a well targeted list, and you still need to send enough emails for the numbers to work in your favor. Make sure you validate your email addresses before you send so you don't hurt your deliverability and end up in spam. And go in expecting a low response rate. Most people won't answer, so track your results and keep going.

3. Send direct mail to stand out from everyone else

Sending things in the mail helps you to stand out. Postcards and postage are a lot cheaper and more targeted than any paid campaign where people need to see your ad a few times before they click.

Most of your competitors are only fighting for attention online, so something physical that shows up on someone's desk is a lot more likely to get noticed.

4. Put money into print, because people still look up

Don't be afraid to put your money in print media. People do still look up from their phones, sometimes, and if the ad is good they might share it on social for you, which gets you more reach without paying for it.

Print also works really well for follow-up, not just for ads. A printed piece sitting on someone's desk is a lot harder to ignore than another email in their inbox.

How a printed lead magnet got 5x more subscriptions

After an in-person event, we suggested a client follow up with everyone by mail. They had already collected information about the leads they generated, including email and business name, with the promise of getting a lead magnet.

But rather than risking the emails being ignored, the lead magnet went out as a printed document. On the back cover there was an offer to save 30% on the first year if they subscribed within 10 days of when they should have received the document.

The subscription rate was 5 times higher than what they had seen following up with a digital lead magnet after their last event. They were reaching the same kind of leads with the same kind of content, but putting it in people's hands with a deadline made a big difference.

5. Pick up the phone and call your leads

Last but not least, you need to pick up the phone and call.

When you already have phone numbers that you know are correct, you are wasting an opportunity by not calling. Yes, people hate the phone, but when you give them a reason in the first 5 seconds to listen, you can quickly suss out whether this lead in your pipeline is actually qualified, or just wasting space.

It's hard getting lists of phone numbers that work, and even if you do, it's hard to get your SDRs through the gatekeeper (though we have a solution for that with DealMentor).

Ideally, you'll first generate leads and then call them, but make sure you call. Like with email, you'll strike out a lot, but when you hit your ICP you can hit a home run.

How one SDR turned free users into paying customers

Another client already had leads coming in through a free version of their product, but those leads weren't converting to the paid version.

When they brought in an SDR to talk to those users and find out who actually saw value in a paid version, those leads started converting from free to paid. The leads were there, but what was missing was a person reaching out to have an actual conversation, like human beings used to do.

Why you need the right leads, not just more numbers

This requires really intensive work finding the right leads though. Just building lists of phone numbers isn't recommended. The research you do up front is what gives you a real reason to call, and gives the person on the other end a reason to stay on the line.

Getting qualified leads in 2027 means using more than one channel

There's no single channel that's going to fill your pipeline anymore. Keep creating content, but don't rely on getting lucky on social. Use email to reach the right audience at a lower cost, use direct mail and print to stand out and follow up in a way people won't ignore, and make sure you're picking up the phone, especially when you already know the leads are a good fit.

Need help building a lead generation strategy that fits your audience? Let's talk about your sales.

FAQ

Is social selling still worth it in 2027?

It's worth doing as a supporting channel, but not as your main source of leads. Organic reach is mostly pay to play now, so keep creating content, but don't spend hours a day engaging and hoping something takes off.

Is email cheaper than LinkedIn for lead generation?

It can be a lot cheaper. One KSW client saw their cost per lead drop from $50 on LinkedIn to $10 with email, and their leads went up 700%.

Is direct mail effective for B2B?

It can be. Postcards are relatively cheap, you can target them closely, and they stand out because so few companies are using them.

Does printed follow-up work better than email after an event?

It can. One KSW client mailed a printed lead magnet with a 30% off offer and a 10-day deadline after an event, and saw a subscription rate 5 times higher than their previous digital follow-up.

Should SDRs still cold call?

Yes, ideally after leads have already been generated through other channels. If you have phone numbers you know are correct, calling is one of the fastest ways to find out if a lead is actually qualified.