This article summarizes the key challenges and strategies for successful B2B lead generation. We are glad to present the key takeaways from our recent B2B Lead Generation Webinar. We are featuring two industry experts who shared essential strategies for scaling your business in the coming years.

The webinar was led by two experienced professionals ready to explain the complexity of development and communication in the B2B sector:

The B2B landscape is evolving rapidly, presenting new hurdles for companies looking to scale. Overcoming these challenges will provide a critical competitive advantage in 2026.

• Recruiting the Right Employees: A significant struggle remains in finding and hiring sales staff with the proper skills, leading many companies to shift reliance toward specialized agencies.

• Cross-Border Scaling: Expanding services and products into new countries is difficult, even with digital infrastructure, particularly when complex solutions require in-house local expertise.

• Undermining Digital Marketing Value: Many large companies fail to properly set up or leverage the full capabilities of inbound marketing and online lead generation, missing out on immediate market reach.

• Underestimating Live Events: Businesses often overlook the value of presenting solutions at live events and conferences due to a lack of strategy for handling the outcome and leveraging these channels for new opportunities.

• Single Sales Channel Dependence: Companies relying on only one lead generation channel are losing out on opportunities provided by direct sales and other diversified approaches.

• Hiring an Agency with the Right Skills: As the shift to agencies increases, it is crucial to hire partners who possess relevant, niche-specific knowledge (e.g., in logistics, manufacturing, or IT) to ensure effective outreach.

• Respecting Regional Differences: The Dutch market is not uniform; regional differences in culture and expectations must be understood for long-term B2B relationship building.

• Language Sensitivity: While English is widely spoken, acknowledging and using the Dutch language, terminology, and tone is highly appreciated and speeds up trust creation.

• Clarity and Structure: Dutch business culture values clear, predictable, and structured communication—clear emails, timelines, and expectations with no hidden messages or unnecessary “fluff.”

• Communication Platform: Companies must provide a communication platform that supports this structured style, offering regular updates, transparent documentation, and easy access to information.

• Ready-to-Use Materials: Templates, pre-prepared documents, and practical tools are highly valued. Case studies, especially those with local or regional references (including connections to the Flemish/Belgian market), are expected to demonstrate relevant success.

• Local Partnerships: Building relationships with local Chambers of Commerce provides credibility, network access, and visibility within trusted business communities.

Successful entry into the Dutch B2B market requires a deep understanding of local communication habits and cultural nuances.

Companies that successfully scale in the B2B market implement structured, multi-channel growth strategies:

• Presales Support: Well-developed pre-sales teams excel at prospecting, lead qualification, and outreach, resulting in higher initial engagement by narrowing the focus to the right audience.

• Targeted Lead Generation: Successful companies perform well in targeted B2B campaigns tailored to their specific audience.

• Multi-Channel Strategy: Effective growth involves diversifying channels beyond a single source, utilizing inbound marketing, direct meetings, conferences, and webinars.

• Data Building and Enrichment: Maintaining a clear, enriched database is vital for long-term nurturing, allowing companies to re-engage prospects even after months or a year. This is crucial in industries with long sales cycles.

• Digital Marketing: Creating high-quality content (website, video marketing) and localizing it to address the specific interests and priorities of foreign markets is essential.

• Automation: Utilizing SEO, SEM campaigns, social media, email marketing, and marketing automation is key for small teams looking to scale processes like data collection, surveys, and gated content distribution.

1. Remember the Short Attention Span: Decision-makers are busy. You have about 30 seconds to highlight relevant industry experience and secure interest.
2. Keep a Strong Frame: Approach the call with confidence and self-esteem. Your frame should be one of a value-provider bringing a solution, not a “beggar” making excuses. Believe you are doing them a favor by introducing a beneficial solution.
3. Show Value Through Insights, Not Sales Pressure: Talk about industry problems (e.g., “I know production line X has a three-minute downtime in the food industry…”) rather than immediately pitching your product. Avoid pitching until you have arranged the problem.

• Don’t Send Boilerplate Emails: Sending generic, template-based emails after an initial call often creates a negative impression and allows prospects to bullet your product based on quickly scanned, impersonal text. It is often better to follow up with a call three months later.

• Avoid SMS, Chat, or WhatsApp: Unless explicitly solicited by the prospect, messaging a decision-maker on their personal phone number (SMS, WhatsApp) is perceived as an invasion of privacy and excessive pressure.

Based on the expert insights shared by Paweł Bęś and Michel Belt from The Expler Industries, the future of B2B lead generation hinges on a structured, culturally sensitive, and skill-driven approach.
To succeed in the B2B landscape of 2026, companies must focus on three core areas:

1. Strategic Scaling: Overcoming market challenges by embracing specialized agency partnerships, diversifying sales channels, and actively valuing digital marketing and live events to avoid single-channel dependence.
2. Cultural Fluency (especially the Dutch market): Building trust through structured, clear communication, providing local relevance (e.g., in language and case studies), and respecting regional nuances.
3. Modernizing the Sales Team: Equipping sales professionals with advanced skills—specifically, the ability to uncover genuine pain points, maintain disciplined execution, and build urgency constructively without resorting to pressure tactics.

Ultimately, effective B2B growth is not about pushing a product. So, it’s about becoming a strategic partner who understands the customer’s niche, communicates with integrity, and delivers measurable value.

Leverage our proven expertise in B2B presales, cold calling, and lead generation across manufacturing, logistics, and IT.

Click here to schedule a free 20-minute consultation with Paweł or Michel to discuss how we can become an experienced extension of your sales team and implement the multi-channel, skill-driven strategies necessary for growth.