And for my next trick, I will double your lead generation.
“Double your leads.” Few phrases appear more often in marketing decks. Even fewer deliver.
The promise is seductive because it suggests a simple lever. Push the right button, run the right campaign, and choose the right channel, and suddenly volume explodes.
Real lead generation does not work that way. Not sustainably. Not credibly. Not at scale. If you are serious about doubling lead generation, the first thing you should do is stop chasing tricks and start fixing systems.
Volume is not the same as growth
Most lead generation conversations are obsessed with quantity.
How many leads did we get? How many forms were filled? How many contacts entered the CRM?
But raw volume is a blunt instrument. If sales cannot convert those leads, volume becomes noise. If the leads are poorly qualified, volume becomes friction. If follow-up is slow or inconsistent, volume becomes wasted spend.
Doubling the lead generation only matters if you also improve lead quality and conversion.
Otherwise, you are simply doubling disappointment. The real bottleneck is rarely traffic. When lead numbers stagnate, the instinct is often, “We need more traffic.”
More ads. > More channels. > More spending.
In reality, most organisations leak value long before traffic becomes the problem.
Common leaks include:
Unclear value propositions
Landing pages that explain features instead of outcomes
Forms that ask too much, too soon
Generic messaging that speaks to everyone and convinces no one
Fixing these often increases leads without increasing the budget. Optimisation beats expansion.
Lead generation is a chain, not a tactic. Leads are not created by a single campaign. They are created by a chain:
Attention → Interest → Understanding → Trust → Action
Break any link, and the chain fails.
Great creativity without clarity fails. Clear messaging without credibility fails. Strong traffic without a compelling offer fails.
Doubling leads rarely comes from doing something new.
It comes from strengthening what already exists. Your offer is probably too vague
“Contact us.” “Learn more.” “Get in touch.”
These are not offers. They are exits. People convert when the value exchange is obvious. What do they get when they leave their email?
A diagnostic?
An audit?
A benchmark?
A concrete next step?
Specific offers convert better than generic invitations. Always. Messaging beats targeting. Precise targeting with weak messaging fails. Imperfect targeting with strong messaging often wins.
Many brands over-invest in audience segmentation and under-invest in articulating why anyone should care.
Great messaging:
Names a real problem
Shows consequences
Offers a believable path forward
When this is clear, conversion rates move. When it is not, no media strategy can save you.
Sales and marketing alignment is non-negotiable. You cannot double leads in isolation from sales.
If marketing defines a lead one way and sales defines it another, you are optimizing for different realities.
High-performing organisations agree on:
What qualifies as a lead
What qualifies as a sales-ready lead
How fast do follow-ups happen?
What feedback loops exist
Alignment does not sound exciting. But it quietly drives results.
The boring work that changes everything.
There is nothing magical about sustainable lead growth.
It is built through:
Relentless testing of headlines, offers, and formats
Clear landing page structures
Faster page load times
Shorter forms
Better follow-up sequences
Smarter nurturing
None of this belongs in a keynote. All of it works.
A final thought
Anyone can promise to double your lead generation.
Very few can explain how. Because the truth is uncomfortable: There is no trick. There is only disciplined optimisation, clear positioning, and systems thinking. Do that, and doubling leads becomes plausible. Skip it, and every “next trick” is just another illusion.
About the Author
Steve Gardiner (exec MBA) is a senior marketing and commercial leader at Lighthouse PR, bringing global experience from Accenture, Electronic Arts, Virgin Media, Telekom, and Etisalat. As VP Business at Etisalat, he was responsible for $1.8B in revenue.
Today, Steve applies his strategic, marketing, and growth expertise to support Lighthouse PR clients as part of the agency’s service offering.