Twenty One Twelve Marketing just landed our first Forbes article.
When Forbes asked us to publish an article on the future of lead generation we had to think carefully. We could have fixated on the abundance of AI agents being used to automate sales outreach and the fact that you can send exponentially more outreach than you ever have before. But is that a good thing?
Most senior decision makers are sick of cold outreach, it's impersonal, uninspired and often irrelevant. You know those emails. "Hey {FIRSTNAME}, want 1 million qualified leads by tomorrow?" Delete. Straight to trash. Never to be seen again.
The truth is, most B2B outreach today is lazy. It's automated. And it's failing spectacularly.
In our Forbes piece, I break down why traditional cold outreach is dead and explain what actually works in 2025. Here's the short version:
The average decision-maker gets bombarded with 120+ emails daily. They're overwhelmed, tired, and frankly sick of generic pitches. Even "personalised" messages have lost their charm – we've all seen those cringeworthy LinkedIn messages about "potential synergies."
But here's the real kicker for B2B businesses: only 5% of your target audience is actually ready to buy at any given time. And what are the odds they'll respond to a cold pitch from someone they've never heard of?
When everyone else is focused on producing more, we used our article to suggest people pursue a more laser focused and personal approach to outreach. One way to do this is to focus on strategic partnerships.
Rather than going direct to your prospects, who are being bombarded, establishing strategic partnerships is about cultivating relationships with people who already have the trust of your ideal prospects. These partners can spot when someone needs your solution and make a warm introduction.
Think about it: 84% of B2B decision-makers start their buying journey with a referral. Not a cold email. Not a LinkedIn message. A referral.
Want to dive deeper? Check out the full article on Forbes here. We cover:
Why most lead generation tactics are failing in 2025
How to identify and approach the perfect strategic partners
Practical ways to build a referral system that actually works
Tips for expediting partnership growth
This isn't just theory – it's exactly how we help our clients land high-value deals consistently.
Let me know what you think. Have you noticed cold outreach becoming less effective? What's working for your business right now?
P.S. Yes, we're pretty excited about being in Forbes. But we're even more excited about helping businesses like yours crack the code on predictable growth. Let's chat if you want to learn more.
Comments