How Martal Group Transforms B2B Lead Generation

In this interview, we delve into the entrepreneurial journey of Vito Vishnepolsky, the founding director of Martal Group, a lead generation company.

Vishnepolsky shares insights into Martal’s evolution from a consulting firm to a lead generation powerhouse, distinguished by its experienced sales team and unique methodologies. He reveals the secrets behind Martal’s success, including its approach to addressing common B2B challenges, leveraging technology, and adapting to the evolving digital landscape.

This conversation offers valuable perspectives for entrepreneurs and businesses aiming to enhance their lead generation and sales processes, so let’s dive in!

The Story Behind Martal Group

SBS – What inspired the inception of Martal Group?

Vito – Martal was not originally a lead generation company. I have a strong background in strategic consulting for startups and I wanted to utilize those skills on a broader scale. So, I started Martal as a bootstrapped consulting firm back in 2009, just as the recession was winding down. 

Business was fairly good, and I had a decent client base, but building a sustainable revenue model was a challenge. I decided to address this challenge head-on. After interviewing some of my past and present clients at the time, I found that while the guidance my team and I provided was well-received, execution was a common hurdle. 

So that’s where the inspiration for Martal, as it is known today, originated. By addressing the root problem and switching to an outsourced lead generation business model, I was able to develop services that truly resonated with my ideal clients.

Since the switch, we’ve achieved spectacular results for our clients and ourselves. In fact, Martal was recently recognized by the Globe and Mail as one of the fastest-growing companies in Canada after hitting 922% revenue growth over three years. 

Distinctive Aspects of Martal’s Lead Generation

SBS – How do you differentiate your lead generation services from competitors?

Vito – It’s a combination of our people and our processes. 

A common practice in our industry is hiring entry-level SDRs to work in offshore call centers. These individuals are typically college graduates with no prior experience. While bright and motivated, entry-level SDRs are less knowledgeable and skilled in B2B sales than senior sales executives. This is why we hire professionals with an average of three to five years of sales experience, and we don’t limit ourselves to location. We have an international team of remote sales executives with a wide range of expertise. 

When it comes to our processes, our sales executives follow a proprietary workflow proven to deliver ROI-driven results. Just to give you a high-level overview, this involves diving deep into market research, building targeted lead lists based on buyer intent signals, and creating custom campaigns segmented by ICPs. Admittedly, our processes seem pretty standard, but how we’ve streamlined the steps over the past 15 years makes all the difference. 

In addition, while most of our competitors piece these tasks out to various teams, we require that the entire lead-generation process be performed by the same person conducting outreach. In doing so, our sales executives become well-versed in the client’s solutions, creating a more conducive lead nurturing and conversion process for potential clients. 

Showcasing a Successful Client Engagement

SBS – Can you describe a successful client case study and what made it successful?

Vito – In one of our standout collaborations, we partnered with Clickworker, a leader in the micro-tasking marketplace focused on AI projects. 

Clickworker aimed to expand its reach, particularly among companies managing complex AI projects. Our mission was to establish a robust sales pipeline in the United States, a relatively new market for its team. 

What set this partnership apart was our tailored approach. We defined target customer profiles and developed a go-to-market strategy for each segment. A dedicated team, leveraging over three decades of combined B2B sales experience, managed the entire sales and marketing process. This included representing Clickworker at trade shows, creating and running multi-channel outbound campaigns, and nurturing leads to close contracts.

The results were remarkable. We created a new revenue stream from scratch, securing over 60 deals, including master service agreements with three Fortune 50 companies. This engagement generated over $1.2M in annual sales and significantly bolstered Clickworker’s market position in the US, reinforcing existing relationships and forging new ones.

Now, nine years later, we continue to help Clickworker manage its sales pipeline and expand into new markets. 

Tackling Common B2B Lead Generation Challenges

SBS – What challenges do B2B companies typically face in lead generation, and how does Martal address these?

Vito – Long sales cycles and low engagement are two of the most significant lead generation challenges for B2B companies. 

When it comes down to it, our mission is to help B2B companies accelerate their sales cycles. We do this by taking over the early stages, such as researching, contacting, and nurturing prospects into sales-qualified leads. These processes are often time-consuming and resource-intensive. By offloading these tasks to our experts, internal sales teams can shift focus to those opportunities most likely to convert. Since we hire experienced sales professionals, we can ramp up outbound outreach three times faster than in-house teams.

We address engagement by targeting the right prospects at the right time with the right message. I know it sounds a bit cliche, but for us, it’s much more than a mantra. Our entire lead generation process is built around the concept of laser-focused outreach. We don’t just go after decision-makers who match the ICP. We use buyer intent signals to determine who is already engaging in the purchasing process so we can meet prospects where they are in their journey.

Additionally, we match clients with sales executives who have previous industry experience so that the campaign copy aligns with how the prospects think, feel, and communicate. Finally, we incorporate unique strategies to increase booked meetings, like our Lunch and Learn program, which provides a complimentary meal to potential clients during a virtual discovery call. It’s been a perfect solution for scheduling meetings with decision-makers strapped for time. 

Ensuring Lead Quality and Relevance

SBS – How do you ensure the quality and relevance of the leads generated for clients?

Vito – As an outbound lead generation agency, our qualification process starts before outreach begins. As I mentioned, we target decision-makers who match the ICP and display buyer intent signals based on their digital footprint. By adopting this signal-driven prospecting approach rather than the more traditional contact-driven approach, we’re able to ensure the quality and relevance of the leads we generate while doubling our clients’ conversion rates. 

Responsive Industries to Martal’s Lead Generation Techniques

SBS – What industries do you find most responsive to your lead generation strategies?

Vito – Our team specializes in B2B tech sales. Most tech sectors these days are oversaturated and, as a result, highly competitive, making it extremely difficult to develop productive pipelines in attractive markets like North America. Our lead generation strategies have proven to open doors to new business opportunities in over 50 verticals, including some of the most challenging, such as B2B SaaS, cyber security, and IT consulting. 

Adapting to the Digital Landscape

SBS – How has Martal Group adapted its strategies in the evolving digital landscape?

Vito – At Martal, we’re big on staying ahead of the game by tracking B2B buyer behaviors and trends. It’s why we’ve been using buyer intent signals for over four years now, and we continue to lean into advancements in analytics, ML, and AI. 

It’s also why, at the onset of the pandemic, we recognized the shifts occurring in the overall sales process early and adjusted our strategies to complement the emerging remote-first environment. Now, the tools and tactics we implemented then have become a standard part of our processes.

As I mentioned previously, we’ve also gotten creative with engaging prospects by introducing programs like the Lunch and Learn Meetings to break through the digital noise with a personal touch. This strategy not only adapts to the remote work trend but also offers a memorable experience for potential clients.

Technology’s Role in Martal’s Lead Generation

SBS – What role does technology play in your lead generation processes?

Vito – We employ a robust tech stack that includes some of the most advanced lead-generation tools on the market today. These platforms aid our sales executives in executing nearly every step in our workflow, from market research to lead management. 

Measuring Lead Generation Campaign Success

SBS – How do you measure the success of your lead generation campaigns?

Vito – This really just depends on the client’s goals. In some cases, we are developing go-to-market strategies for scaling startups. At this point, we are gauging interest through responses and the number of marketing-qualified leads generated. 

When it comes to more established organizations, success is often measured by the number of sales-qualified leads generated and meetings booked. 

Our team takes client success seriously and makes it a priority to set goals and expectations upfront. 

Future Trends in B2B Sales and Lead Generation

SBS – What trends do you foresee in B2B sales and lead generation in the near future?

Vito – I foresee a couple of key trends that will shape strategies going forward. 

Firstly, shifting from mass-blast approaches to hyper-personalization and signal-driven prospecting is paramount. This evolution is a necessity as the modern buyer becomes increasingly informed and discerning.

We’ll also see a greater emphasis on utilizing a mix of psychographic, technographic, and firmographic data to segment our prospects more accurately. At Martal, we use this detailed segmentation to craft targeted campaigns that resonate deeply with the intended audience, driving higher engagement and conversion rates.

Tailored Services for Startups and Established Companies

SBS – How do you tailor your services for startups versus more established companies?

Vito – For startups, the focus is often on rapid market entry and scaling. We understand that startups are looking for quick wins and a fast path to revenue to prove their business model and attract further investment. To support this, we emphasize building a sales pipeline quickly and efficiently. Our strategies for startups include identifying high-potential leads with a higher likelihood of conversion, leveraging quick and effective outreach tactics, and focusing on short-term goals that drive immediate results. 

For more established companies, the priorities shift towards sustainable growth, market expansion, and increasing market share. Our services for these clients often involve deeper market segmentation, account-based marketing strategies, and a focus on long-term customer relationships. We help established companies penetrate new markets or verticals with comprehensive market research, strategic planning, and multi-channel engagement strategies. Our approach includes nurturing leads through a longer sales cycle, focusing on creating value and trust to foster long-term partnerships.

Overcoming Martal Group’s Key Challenge

SBS – Can you discuss a significant challenge Martal Group has faced and how it was overcome?

Vito – I would say that the transition from a consulting model to a full-fledged lead generation agency was a significant challenge, with some great lessons learned along the way. 

Embracing this new model required a complete 180 in our operational focus and company culture. We had to become more agile, continuously adapting to the evolving needs of the tech market and the specific goals of our clients. This also included ensuring we could deliver measurable results that directly impacted our clients’ growth.

Overcoming this challenge helped us solidify our position in the market and set the stage for our future growth. By focusing on providing actionable, results-driven services, we’ve helped our clients achieve their sales and growth objectives, driving our own success in the process. This experience taught us the value of adaptability, customer focus, and the importance of offering solutions that directly contribute to our clients’ success.

Advice for Entrepreneurs on Lead Generation and Sales

SBS – What advice would you give to entrepreneurs looking to improve their lead generation and sales processes?

Vito – First and foremost, I’d emphasize the importance of data-driven decision-making. It’s crucial to base your strategies on solid data about your target audience’s behavior and preferences. This approach allows for more effective and personalized outreach.

Secondly, I’d advise focusing on the quality of leads rather than sheer quantity. It’s more beneficial to have a smaller pool of highly interested prospects than a large number of lukewarm leads. This is where signal-driven prospecting can really make a difference, helping you identify leads that are not just a good fit but are also ready to engage.

Building genuine relationships with prospects is also something I can’t stress enough. Sales is, at its core, about forming trust and credibility. It’s about listening, understanding, and being patient as you guide prospects through their decision-making process. Focus on educating your prospects. Today’s buyers are well-informed and appreciate when you provide valuable insights and solutions rather than a hard sell.

Finally, continuously optimizing and testing your strategies is critical. The market is constantly changing, and staying adaptable is how you stay ahead.