65% Lower Cost Per Lead for a B2B Services Firm
LinkedIn and Meta were generating clicks but not pipeline. We cut cost per qualified lead by 65% by fixing who the ads reached and what they promised.
The Challenge
A B2B professional services firm was running LinkedIn and Meta campaigns that looked busy. Clicks were coming in and budget was moving. But the enquiries were mostly low intent or a poor fit and very few turned into real pipeline.
The account was optimising for the wrong thing. Cheap clicks and form fills, not qualified prospects who could actually become clients.
High cost per qualified lead, low intent enquiries, loose targeting, a weak offer and no step to filter good fit prospects from time wasters.
What We Did
We stopped chasing cheap clicks and started engineering qualified enquiries.
Tightened the targeting
We narrowed audiences to the people who actually fit the firm's ideal client, rather than the broad, cheap reach the account had been buying. Cheap reach is the most expensive mistake in B2B, because you pay to talk to people who will never buy.
Rewrote the offer
We reworked what the ads promised so it attracted serious prospects and quietly filtered out the tyre kickers, instead of inviting everyone to put their hand up.
Fixed the journey and added qualification
We improved the landing page journey and built a lead qualification step, so the enquiries that reached the sales team were already a better fit.
In B2B, the metric that matters is cost per qualified lead, not cost per click. A cheap lead that never buys is the most expensive kind.
The Results
Over 90 days, cost per lead dropped by 65% and the bigger win was quality. The enquiries coming through were better fit prospects who actually moved into the pipeline.
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per lead | 65% lower | |
| Lead quality | Better fit, qualified | |
| Targeting | Tightened to ideal client | |
| Qualification | Funnel filters before sales |
Key takeaways
Cheap clicks are not the goal.
Optimising for click cost gets you a flood of leads that never buy.
The offer does the filtering.
Rewrite what you promise and the wrong prospects opt out on their own.
Qualify before sales sees it.
A qualification step protects your team's time and your pipeline numbers.
Cost per qualified lead is the real number.
Everything above the qualified lead line is just activity.
Notes Client anonymised at their request. Metrics are real and indicative of this engagement. Results vary by industry, competition and starting point. This work spans several years and was delivered by the team now at Elev8d.
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Getting leads that never turn into clients?
Cheap clicks and low intent forms are the most expensive mistake in B2B. We cut this firm's cost per qualified lead by 65% by fixing who the ads reached. If your pipeline is full of tyre kickers, we'll show you where the leak is.