Why Investing in a Lead Generation Specialist Pays Off

A lead generation specialist can differentiate between a thriving pipeline and a drained marketing budget.

Even the best sales teams struggle to meet their targets without a consistent flow of qualified leads.

That’s where a lead generation expert adds value. They specialise in identifying, engaging, and qualifying prospects that align with your ideal customer profile, turning top-of-funnel traffic into real opportunities.

In this guide, you’ll learn about the lead generator job description, the skills they bring, and how they can help you turn more leads into revenue.

What is a lead generation specialist?

A lead generation specialist helps businesses attract and qualify more potential customers. They are often part of a sales team in B2B companies. They can also work as independent or freelance consultants and offer their services in exchange for a retainer fee. 

And why are they essential for your business?

As they scale, many B2B companies hire lead experts to take the pressure off their sales and marketing teams. Sometimes, the number of leads coming into your sales team becomes too much for reps to handle. Or, you may not have enough leads at the top of the funnel for your sales team to hit their targets at the bottom. 

Because of this, your reps may struggle to close deals at the rate they used to. Lead generation specialists support sales by finding new prospects, warming them up, and transferring hot leads to a sales team to close the deal.

Why lead generation specialists matter

Lead generation is a top priority for most B2B revenue teams, but is also one of the biggest challenges. 

A 2023 survey by Ruler Analytics found that 91% of marketers say lead generation is their most important goal, yet 37% struggle to convert leads into customers.

In another BrightTALK report, 53% of B2B companies allocate over half their marketing budget to lead generation, but 64% say those leads contribute less than a quarter of total revenue. 

The issue? 

Too many unqualified leads.

That’s why hiring a skilled leads expert is critical. They ensure your marketing investment translates into a qualified pipeline and real business growth.

Core responsibilities of a lead generation specialist

The lead generation specialist job description mainly focuses on outbound lead generation.

They spend most of their time calling or emailing leads that match the company’s ideal customer profile. But the role is much more sophisticated than cold calling random people. 

Here’s what a person in a lead specialist role does on a daily basis:

1. Researching prospects

Lead generation experts need to find an angle to connect with prospective customers. Understanding their pain points and needs helps them craft an initial sales pitch that resonates with their problems. Eventually, they build connections with company decision-makers.

Intent data tools help identify ready-to-buy prospects thanks to tracking prospects’ online behaviour.

For example, using intent data and Cognism’s accurate data helped Ultima achieve ROI in 8 weeks 👇

“Cognism identifies the leads, allows us to target them based on the prospect’s intent and then follow-up with the sales action. Using intent data has massively reduced our Time to Engagement (TTE). Our sales cycle is typically 6-8 months long. At Cognism, we saw ROI in 8 weeks from intent data and direct dials. One deal pays for a year’s Cognism subscription.”

Read the full case study

8 weeks

taken to achieve ROI

George McKenna
Head of Cloud Sales @Ultima

2. Contacting prospective customers

Another aspect of the lead generation specialist role involves contacting prospects through different channels. Since people started working from home, sourcing prospects’ cell phone numbers has become more important. But lead gen experts are also in charge of sending follow-up emails and scheduling demos.

Salesloft said about the experience with Cognism’s Diamond Data®:

“Approximately 4,000 leads each month are enriched by our SDR team using Cognism’s database. On average, 70% of monthly meetings are booked over the phone and every mobile number is pulled from Cognism.”

Read the full case study

80%

data accuracy

Michael Iannuzzi
Director of Marketing & Sales Development @Salesloft

3. Qualifying leads

A large part of this job requires using lead scoring models. Good lead generation specialists can evaluate a lead’s interest in your product or service.

They can determine if a lead meets the requirements to buy a company’s product or service. This information helps the sales team decide where to allocate their resources.

4. Managing a contact base

After creating marketing lists of targeted leads, a specialist in lead generation has to maintain and update CRM (especially after marketing campaigns, customer referrals, opt-outs, etc.).

The aim is to keep the contact database accurate and relevant to the business. They also ensure that the stored information is compliant with local regulations.

5. Improving processes

Lead generation experts are always looking for ways to streamline the sales process at the top of the funnel. They contribute to developing the best outbound sales strategies and make suggestions about the best sales prospecting software that helps them perform their jobs better.

What skills do lead generation specialists need to have?

Lead generation is a set of practical and transferable skills. If you’re looking for a job in lead generation, here’s a cheat sheet with key skills recruiters want to hear about.

And if you’re looking for a lead gen specialist to fill the role in your company, there are specific skills you need to look out for at an interview.

1. Communication

You need someone who can instantly connect with prospects and obtain the required information without sounding like an interrogation. Lead generation experts must also communicate with leaders and reps in your marketing and sales teams.

2. Sales knowledge

Your lead specialist needs to know how sales work, such as how the prospect completes various steps to become a customer. Even if a person in this position only works at the top of the funnel, they need to know how they fit in with the rest of the team.

3. Tech savviness

Lead generation professionals need to understand their prospects’ pain points and be able to explain how their product resolves them. Staying on top of the latest developments in a tech organisation helps lead specialists speak the prospects’ language and brainstorm ideas with internal teams. 

4. Data-driven

Analytical skills are essential for every salesperson in the age of data-driven marketing. The lead expert’s role involves understanding lead generation metrics, such as conversion rate, drop-off rate, or time required to convert a lead. It enables them to focus on the right leads and manage their time effectively. 

5. Targeting and segmentation 

B2B lead generation specialists must be able to determine whether a lead fits in with your ideal customer profile and the stage of the buyer’s journey the lead is in. That knowledge facilitates lead nurturing and helps personalise communication to help qualify leads for the next stage.

How much does a lead generation specialist make?

There is no easy answer when determining a lead generation specialist’s salary. It usually varies depending on the results a person in this position delivers. Companies sometimes decide to pay a base salary and a commission on top of that. 

According to Comparably, the average lead generation specialist in the US makes $71,463 a year, and they make the most in San Jose, CA, at $60,922.

But let’s review average salaries in the industry as reported by lead generation specialists on job portals: 

• According to Indeed, a lead generation specialist makes $35,673 as a yearly base salary. 
• Glassdoor says a specialist makes $24,000 - $32,000 a year. 
• According to Payscale, a lead generation manager makes a $64,149 base salary + a bonus of between $1,000 and $24,000 per year.

The lowest salaries are for recent high school graduates and undergraduate students, who make up nearly 50% of those who reported their earnings on Indeed. Experienced lead experts can negotiate higher base salaries.

Tip! Learn more about other lead generation costs and how to lower them.

How to become a lead generation specialist?

If you want a lead generation role or to progress in your career, here’s how you do it:

You can enter the industry without a higher education degree and learn on the job. But it’s good to have at least some sales experience to understand the sales funnel. The interviewer will also assess your communication skills to see if you can talk to prospects. 

Depending on their field, getting a degree can help lead specialists with data analysis, critical thinking, communication, and other necessary skills.

Working in sales also means being comfortable using lead generation tools.

Skills in communication, data analysis, and CRM usage are critical.

Want to stand out?:

• Practice using tools like Cognism, Salesforce, or HubSpot.

• Network with recruiters on LinkedIn.

• Apply to B2B firms actively hiring.

Tip! Learn all about the sales development representative job from Cognism’s SDR team.

How can you go beyond expectations in a lead generation expert role?

If you’re looking for a promotion or a pay raise, try some of these suggestions to exceed your lead generation KPIs:

• Visit the prospects’ websites to find out who the lead’s coworkers are. In larger organisations, multithreaded selling is necessary to close the deal.
• Use intent data to address the right person at the right time.
• Learn about sales teams’ targets and experience to optimise and facilitate the sales process at an early stage.
• Personalise your message to individual prospects to meet their unique needs.

Tips on hiring great lead specialists

First of all, invest in hiring the right people. 

Focus on finding people who show interest in learning new things and have the potential to become proficient in using your product. Check if they can explain how it works in simple words.

Second, empower your leads specialist with the right lead generation tools.

Lead generation specialists are your most valuable resource. Automate processes to make their work easier.

They can save time manually searching prospects and use it to build connections with businesses and contribute to lead generation strategies. 

Then you can use lead generation metrics and KPIs to monitor their performance and find ways to improve it.

Tip! Find the list of top lead generation companies and their services.

FAQs

Do I need a degree to become a lead generation specialist?

No, formal education isn’t required. Successful lead generation specialists start with sales experience and learn on the job. However, a business, marketing, or communication degree can be helpful.

What’s the difference between a lead generation specialist and an SDR?

A lead generation specialist focuses on finding and qualifying leads, while an SDR (Sales Development Representative) typically takes those leads further through the sales funnel with deeper engagement and qualification.

Is lead generation a good career path?

Yes. It offers a clear progression into roles like SDR manager, marketing strategist, or account executive, and is highly valued in B2B companies.

Can lead generation be automated?

Parts of it, like email sequences and data enrichment, can be automated. However, human-led research, outreach personalisation, and lead qualification still require specialist input.

What tools do lead generation specialists use?

Standard tools include CRM platforms (like Salesforce), data providers (like Cognism), email automation tools (like Outreach or Mailshake), and intent data platforms (like Bombora or 6sense).

Looking to skip the hiring process?

If you don’t want to spend your valuable time and resources hiring a lead generation specialist, Cognism can supply leads that match your ideal customer profile. 

Our AI-powered database is global, GDPR and CCPA compliant, easy to use, and fast to adopt.

Find out how your business can make meaningful connections with your target accounts by clicking to register for a demo 👇