Putting The Cart Before The Horse

Too often in B2B tech land a client will approach a demand generation agency and start the conversation by stating: “We need leads – fast. Can you help us fill the pipeline?”

It’s a fair question. But it’s also the wrong starting point.

The truth is, asking for leads before building awareness is like planting crops in concrete – nothing grows. You can pour budget into LinkedIn ads, ABM platforms, and email comms all day, but if your audience doesn’t know who you are, what you do, or what you make possible, your marketing ROI is inevitably going to disappoint.

The awareness gap: B2B’s silent growth killer

It’s almost a given today that B2B tech buyers are more self-directed and anonymous than ever. But more than that, they typically ‘shop’ with a clear preference in mind.

According to Forrester:

• 92% of B2B buyers begin the purchase process with at least one vendor already in mind

• 41% actually start with a single preferred vendor before even formally evaluating alternatives

What that means in practice is that they complete as much as 70% of their buying journey before talking to sales, and that by the time any lead is actively engaged they have already:

• Searched the category

• Compared alternatives

• Defined internal requirements

• Shortlisted potential solutions
  

Put another way, if you’re not able to shape preferences before that happens, you’re too late. A stark reality that causes many demand gen strategies to fail.

The 3 phases of the modern B2B buyer journey

The importance of building awareness can be seen when applied to the three key phases that broadly define how tech buyers (and buyer committees) actually buy:

1.  Discover

“We didn’t know this company existed. Now we do.”

This phase is about prospects exploring what’s ‘out there’ to help meet a specific problem. Hence the focus on visibility and relevance: the goal of demand gen here is not to sell — it’s to position, to educate, inspire, and earn attention long before a buyer is in-market.

Being absent here, risks being invisible when it really counts.

2. Compare

“Who else offers this? How do they stack up?”

Once buyers are aware of you, they start digging. They explore your messaging, content, and case studies, forming perceptions about everything from credibility to capabilities.

This is the phase where positioning meets proof, which brings with it unique information demands – from comparison guides and demos to peer reviews and analyst evaluations.

3. Select

“Which partner can we trust to deliver?”

Here the decision is made. But even now, it’s not just about features – it’s about risk, support, and confidence. The buying committee wants evidence that you can deliver, you’re easy to work with, and that your impact is measurable.

Asking for leads too soon

The challenge with this 3-stage approach is that clients with an immediate pipeline gap want to focus on the ‘select’ phase, without paying proper attention on either discover or compare.  

It’s like trying to harvest before you’ve planted.

At Quantum, we often meet clients who expect demand generation (including our 4 core disciplines of strategy, data, creative, and demand) to do all the work. The trouble is their brand is unknown, their message isn’t differentiated, and their buyers are cold.

The result:

• Ads get low engagement

• Lead forms don’t convert

• Sales calls go nowhere

• Pipeline quality suffers
  

The solution: build awareness first, then nurture with precision

Let’s now talk success and going beyond performance metrics and pipeline volume, to focus on creating preference before intent. An approach that respects the fact that buyers are beginning their journey with a shortlist, meaning the real opportunity lies not in chasing leads but in earning a place in the buyer’s mind long before the RFP.

Turning preference marketing into a go-to-market strategy requires:

A shift in focus toward brand visibility, thought leadership, and early-stage education.

• Building credibility through analyst mentions and peer validation

• Content that frames problems buyers don’t even know they have yet.

• The use of targeted awareness campaigns to build familiarity, not just clicks.

First sales interactions that help confirm the narrative you’ve seeded.

• Equip outreach activities with insight-led messaging, fast follow-up capability, and proof points that match what buyers already suspect to be true.

The goal: when propensity signals appear, you’re not scrambling for attention – you’re already the vendor they trust. This is the new frontier of go-to-market: becoming the default choice before the conversation even starts.

A final word: demand gen without awareness Is the path of MOST resistance

Every tech firm wants leads but crafting them requires more than media budgets and gated assets – it demands a campaign approach that’s aligned with how modern B2B buyers behave. Without it, you’re at best generating Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) that often emerge with the barest intent. But when such an approach is employed, you’re able to create Sales Ready Leads (SRLs) – actual appointments with active buyers ready and willing to listen.

That’s the Quantum approach, and our pipeline results speak for themselves.

To find out more, get in touch.

Talk to us