The B2B Playbook

#228: Demand Generation vs Lead Generation (Why Most Teams Get It Wrong) Plus 2026 demand gen strategy

Most B2B marketers think demand generation and lead generation are the same thing. They’re not. And confusing the two is exactly why your pipeline isn’t growing. In this episode, we break down the real difference between demand generation vs lead generation — and why most teams are stuck running a system that creates activity, not revenue. We walk through the 5 BE’s Framework and show how to shift from chasing leads to building real demand in your market. Tune in and learn: → Why lead generation breaks at scale → How demand generation actually builds pipeline → What most teams get wrong about the 95/5 rule If you’re under pressure to generate more leads but know something isn’t working, this will change how you approach marketing. ----------------------------------------------------- 🔗 Links + CTAs ----------------------------------------------------- 🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course 🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school 💼 Need help generating demand for your B2B business? https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-agency ----------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/ ----------------------------------------------------- Timestamps: 00:00 Demand Generation vs Lead Generation: Why This Debate Matters 00:03 The Real Problem: It’s Not Tactics, It’s Sequencing 00:05 Lead Generation Explained (And Why It Breaks) 00:07 Why Sales Hates Lead Gen (And They’re Right) 00:09 The “Leaky Bucket” Problem in B2B Marketing 00:11 Why Lead Gen Becomes Financially Unsustainable 00:12 Why Demand Capture Alone Doesn’t Scale 00:14 The 95/5 Rule That Changes Everything 00:16 Why Buyers Ignore You (Even If You’re Better) 00:18 Demand Generation Explained (What It Actually Means) 00:20 The 5 B’s Framework: A Better System 00:23 Category Entry Points: The Missing Link 00:25 Why “Cataloguing” Beats Intent Data 00:29 How Sales & Marketing Became Misaligned 00:30 Building Trust Before Buyers Are Ready 00:33 Why Most Content Doesn’t Work 00:34 Distribution: The Difference Between Seen vs Ignored 00:36 LinkedIn Strategy That Drives Real Demand 00:40 Case Study: From $50K to $200K/Month 00:43 Measuring Demand Gen (Without Last Click Bias) 00:44 Revenue Alignment: The Missing System 00:46 How to Build a Competitive Advantage 00:48 Where to Start (Without Breaking Everything) 00:50 Balancing Demand Gen vs Lead Gen in Reality 00:53 AI Won’t Replace This Skill 00:57 How Long Demand Gen Actually Takes S08 E228 - The B2B Playbook #b2b #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #leadgeneration #digitalmarketing

#227: AEO vs SEO: How AI Search is Changing B2B Marketing

In this video, I break down AI visibility and GEO vs traditional SEO, and whether any of it actually changes how B2B teams should go to market. We cover: → What AEO and GEO actually mean and how they differ from traditional SEO → Why the Five B's framework still holds up in the age of AI → Why "be helpful" content is now more important than ever → 3 practical things to do instead of chasing AI visibility hacks If you are a B2B founder, marketer, or sales leader trying to figure out if AI search changes your content strategy or if the fundamentals still apply, this episode is for you. Tune in and learn: ✅ Why AI doesn't replace your go-to-market playbook, it just raises the bar on being helpful ✅ How to tighten your positioning so AI chatbots actually cite your brand ✅ Why niche, question-led content wins in AI interfaces ✅ How partnerships and trust signals drive distribution in the AI era ✅ A bonus tip on using Bing's AI performance reporting for Copilot visibility ----------------------------------------------------- 🔗 Links + CTAs ----------------------------------------------------- 🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course 🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school 💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency ----------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/ ----------------------------------------------------- Timestamps: 00:00 - Does AI change the B2B playbook? 01:11 - Intro and what we're covering today 01:56 - Quick recap of the Five B's framework 03:04 - Does AI visibility change anything? 07:37 - Why being helpful matters more than ever 08:40 - The context shift in buyer discovery 12:35 - Why helpful content gets picked up by AI 13:42 - Be helpful is the main event 15:27 - The bar for content is getting lower 18:18 - Three things to do instead of chasing AI hacks 21:52 - Practical examples using the five stages of awareness 24:35 - Distribution and earning trust signals 27:25 - Low hanging fruit: partnerships 28:08 - Bonus: Bing's AI performance reporting 29:00 - Key takeaways 30:33 - Outro S08 E227 - The B2B Playbook #aivisibility #seo #b2bmarketing

#226: Why Most B2B Sales & Marketing Methodologies Fail (And What Architecture-First Selling Looks Like Instead)

Closed Loop Sales Strategy: Why Most B2B Teams Are Getting It Wrong Most B2B teams are still chasing meetings, pipeline, and MQLs—without ever understanding if a buyer is actually ready to buy. In this episode, we join Kieran Longhurst to break down the Closed Circuit Selling Strategy —why traditional sales models are failing, and how to fix them. We unpack how sales should really work, why booking meetings is the wrong goal, and how cataloguing your market creates a feedback loop across marketing, sales, product, and leadership. This isn’t about selling harder. It’s about building a system that aligns with how buyers actually make decisions. Tune in and learn: * Why focusing on “meetings booked” is killing your pipeline * How to use sales conversations as real market intelligence * The exact method to sell on your buyer’s timeline If you’re a B2B marketer or revenue leader trying to drive real pipeline—not just activity—this episode will completely change how you think about sales. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHANNEL: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/@THEB2BPLAYBOOK [https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook] SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: HTTPS://THEB2BPLAYBOOK.COM/NEWSLETTER/ [https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter/] GET THE LATEST CONTENT: HTTPS://THEB2BPLAYBOOK.COM/ [https://theb2bplaybook.com/] 00:00 Why Most B2B Sales Strategies Are Broken 01:00 The 95% Problem: Why You’re Only Talking to Buyers 02:00 The Real Sales Mindset (That No One Teaches) 03:00 Why “Sell Me This Pen” Is the Wrong Model 05:00 Architecture vs Tactics: The Core Shift 07:00 Why Relationship Building Is Misunderstood 09:00 What Sales Actually Is (And Why Most Get It Wrong) 11:00 The Hidden Cost of Booking Bad Meetings 13:00 The Cataloguing Method Explained 15:00 Why Most Sales Teams Waste 90% of Their Effort 18:00 How to Use Sales as Real Market Research 20:00 The Feedback Loop That Fixes Marketing 23:00 Why Founders Forget How They Originally Sold 27:00 The Death of the “Scale Fast” Sales Model 30:00 Human Selling vs Automated Outreach 33:00 How to Actually Get Buyers to Share Information 38:00 Real Examples: Closing Enterprise Deals with LinkedIn 45:00 Why MQLs Destroy Marketing Teams 50:00 The Smartest Prospecting Tactic We’ve Seen 55:00 AI, Search, and the Future of Sales 59:00 Final Takeaways: Rapport Over Relationships 👥 Are you a B2B marketer in a small team? 💰 Need to bring in more revenue for your company (so sales and your boss love you)? Get the: 🔹 strategy 🔹 templates 🔹 tools So you have everything you need to drive more revenue for your brand. See why other B2B marketers like you love The B2B Incubator Check out: theb2bplaybook.com S8 E226 - THE B2B PLAYBOOK #b2b #b2bmarketing #digitalmarketing #demandgeneration #outboundsales

#225: Account Based Marketing (ABM) - When Is It The Right Option in B2B, And How To Do It?

Is Account-Based Marketing Worth It? (Most Teams Get This Wrong) Most B2B teams jump into ABM without asking the one question that actually matters: should you even be doing it? In this episode, we break down what account-based marketing really is, where it fits in your go-to-market strategy, and why most ABM efforts fail before they even start. We go beyond theory and show you the practical decisions you need to make, including how to define your target list, why deal size changes everything, and why “cataloguing the market” is the missing piece most teams ignore. Tune in and learn: When ABM actually works (and when it doesn’t) Why most teams waste money targeting the wrong accounts How to use cataloguing to stop guessing and start closing If you’re a B2B marketer trying to drive real pipeline, not just activity, this is a must-watch. SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter/ GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/ 00:00 Why Everyone Is Talking About ABM (But Few Get It Right) 00:35 The Big Question: Should You Even Do ABM? 01:10 Why Most B2B Marketing Still Feels Like “Spray and Pray” 01:30 The Hidden Truth: ABM = Disciplined Go-To-Market 02:00 Why Weak Targeting Kills Your Positioning 02:30 When ABM Actually Makes Sense (And When It Doesn’t) 03:00 What ABM Really Is (And What It Isn’t) 04:00 The 3 Decisions You Must Make Before Doing ABM 05:00 Step 1: Define Your Objective 06:00 Why Most Teams Skip Proper Target Lists 07:00 The ICP Trap 08:00 When Your TAM Is Too Small for Paid Ads 09:00 The Real ABM Filter: Deal Size 10:00 Why ABM Fails for Low-Value Products 11:00 Step 2: The Missing Piece – Cataloguing 12:00 Why Marketing Can’t Guess Who’s In-Market 13:00 The 95/5 Reality 14:00 The Contract Problem That Kills Deals 15:00 Real Example: Why Campaigns Fail 16:00 How Cataloguing Changes Everything 17:00 Why Your TAM Might Be Wrong 18:00 Step 3: Not Everything Should Be ABM 19:00 Running ABM + Broad Marketing Together 20:00 Enterprise vs SME 21:00 Why Over-Personalised Ads Don’t Work 22:00 What Actually Works: Real Conversations 23:00 The Problem With AI Personalisation 24:00 Why Buyers Don’t Share Pain Publicly 25:00 The Final Answer: Is ABM Worth It? 26:00 The 3 Rules for Deciding 27:00 Final Takeaways 👥 Are you a B2B marketer in a small team? 💰 Need to bring in more revenue for your company (so sales and your boss love you)? Get the: 🔹 strategy 🔹 templates 🔹 tools So you have everything you need to drive more revenue for your brand. See why other B2B marketers like you love The B2B Incubator Check out: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course S08 E2255 - The B2B Playbook #b2b #b2bmarketing #digitalmarketing #demandgeneration #accountbasedmarketing

#224: Adding $2mill revenue with LinkedIn Ads (step-by-step how-to)

Most B2B marketers run LinkedIn ads… but never turn them into real pipeline. In this video, I break down the exact LinkedIn Ads strategy we used to help a B2B agency client go from zero to $185k a month in just 22 months. 💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency I cover ICP targeting, Thought Leadership Ads, scaling beyond the founder's personal brand, and the feedback loops that keep the whole thing growing. If you are a B2B founder or marketer trying to figure out how to use LinkedIn Ads to stay top of mind with the right buyers and actually turn that into booked calls and revenue, this video is for you. ----------------------------------------------------- 🔗 Links + CTAs ----------------------------------------------------- 💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency 🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course 🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school ----------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/ ----------------------------------------------------- Timestamps: 00:00 How LinkedIn Ads Helped Scale to $185K/Month 01:30 Step 1: Get Brutally Clear on Your ICP 04:00 Step 2: Using Thought Leadership Ads to Grow 09:30 Step 3: Scaling Beyond the Founder Brand 12:00 Step 4: Optimisation & Feedback Loops 14:10 Step 5: Most Buyers Aren’t Ready Yet ----------------------------------------------------- S08 E224 - The B2B Playbook #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #linkedinads #linkedinthoughtleadership #linkedinadsagency