5 Demand Generation Mistakes That Kill B2B Growth

Demand generation sounds simple: attract leads, nurture them, and drive sales.

But in practice, most B2B teams end up running hard without much forward motion.

According to LinkedIn’s B2B Benchmark Report, 68% of marketers admit their pipeline is unpredictable, and more than half say marketing and sales are misaligned.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Here are five common demand generation mistakes - and what to do instead.

Mistake 1 - Focusing on Volume Over Quality

It’s easy to celebrate big lead numbers. But if sales don’t want them, they don’t count.

High volumes of unqualified leads waste everyone’s time - and erode trust between marketing and sales.

Fix: Shift focus to qualified demand. Define your ICP (ideal customer profile), build targeted content for each stage, and prioritise leads showing buying intent - not just form fills.

Mistake 2 - Misaligned Sales and Marketing

Demand generation fails when marketing and sales aren’t rowing in sync.

CMOs talk about impressions; sales leaders talk about revenue. Without shared metrics, progress stalls.

Fix: Agree a single “funnel truth” - shared definitions of MQLs, SQLs, and opportunities. Hold joint pipeline reviews. Reward collaboration, not volume.

Mistake 3 - Weak or Non-existent Lead Nurturing

Only 27% of B2B leads are sales-ready when they first engage (Forrester).

That means most prospects need time, education, and value before they buy.

Fix: Use marketing automation and content sequencing to keep leads engaged. Balance email workflows with genuine human follow-up - trust beats templates.

Mistake 4 - Overcomplicated Martech

Many B2B teams drown in tools - CRMs, automation, analytics, ABM platforms - none fully integrated.

Fix: Simplify. Audit your stack and remove redundancy. Focus on tools that directly link to revenue impact and insights. According to Gartner, nearly 25% of martech spend is wasted through duplication or underuse.

Mistake 5 - No Closed-Loop Measurement

You can’t improve what you don’t measure.

Too often, marketing reports stop at “leads generated” rather than pipeline created or revenue won.

Fix: Connect marketing data with CRM performance to measure:

• Pipeline velocity

• Win rates

• ROI (return on nvestment)

This transforms marketing from a cost centre into a growth driver.

The Smart Fix - A Unified Growth System

Effective demand generation isn’t about running more ads or creating more content. It’s about system design - how your strategy, team, and tech work together to create sustained pipeline flow.

At Tight Lines, that’s what my Traction Plan is built for: connecting the dots between brand, demand, and sales performance.

The strongest demand engines aren’t the loudest - they’re the most connected.

Fix the leaks, simplify the system, align your team, and measure what matters. That’s how you turn activity into actual growth.