You're Getting Leads But They're Garbage, Here's Why

"We're burning money on these campaigns. The issue is we're not getting ROI on the advertising."

This from a firm with a frustrating problem, they were generating leads, but they weren't converting into paying clients.

I see this constantly. Businesses spending thousands on ads, getting "leads" that go literally nowhere, then concluding "online marketing doesn't work for us."

But the problem isn't marketing. It's filtering.

Most businesses treat lead generation like fishing with dynamite. They're happy to get anything that floats to the surface, regardless of quality.

Then they wonder why their sales team is frustrated and their conversion rates are abysmal.

A tax professional told me he was paying $100 per lead from Facebook, but admitted only about 10% of those leads were qualified.

So, his actual cost per qualified lead? $1,000.

The answer isn't more leads. It's better qualified leads.

Most leads are garbage and here’s why

Zero qualification steps. A form asking only for name and email will get you exactly what you deserve: unqualified tire kickers.

Your messaging is too broad. If your ads promise everything to everyone, you'll attract everyone including those who can't afford you or aren't right for your services.

No filtering system. You're relying on your sales team to filter leads after the fact, wasting valuable time and creating frustration.

How to fix your lead quality problem:

On a call with a financial advisor targeting high net worth clients, I recommended something counterintuitive: make it harder to become a lead.

We created a form that asked specific qualifying questions:

"Do you earn more than $500,000 annually?" "Do you have at least $2M in investable assets?" "Are you looking to make changes to your portfolio in the next 90 days?"

Lead volume dropped by 60%, but qualified leads increased by 40%. His cost per acquisition dropped dramatically.

Another client, a medical specialist, added a video on his landing page explaining exactly who was and wasn't a good candidate for his procedure. Lead volume decreased, but his consultation to patient conversion rate doubled.

Think about leads like inventory:

Poor quality leads consume the same resources as high quality leads. Your time, your team's energy, your ad spend.

But they deliver zero return.

The solution isn't to generate more volume. It's to install better filters:

Ask qualification questions in your forms Be specific about who your service is for in your messaging Create content that educates prospects before they become leads Test different lead sources and track quality, not just quantity

A clinic owner told me recently: "I'd rather have 5 leads that convert at 80% than 50 leads that convert at 8%."

That's the mindset shift that transforms marketing from a money pit into a money printer.

Stop celebrating lead quantity and start demanding lead quality.

My Offers:

Content Machine: We’ll create you 90 pieces of short form content and setup/build your Meta Ads (Done For You)

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