Why Measuring B2B Marketing by Leads Fails
The Next Web, Sunday, September 27th, 2026
Lead counts say little about revenue as B2B buyers take complex, digital paths, so marketing should be measured on outcomes.
The Next Web examines why lead-based metrics poorly reflect B2B marketing's impact on revenue, noting that 87% of B2B marketers find long-term impact harder to measure and nearly half must justify spend to CFOs and CEOs monthly.
Gartner found buyers use seven information sources on average, 45% use generative AI in research, 67% prefer rep-free digital buying, and buying groups span five to 16 people.
ScalixAI founder and former Googler Waqas Khokhar argues paid advertising should be judged on qualified pipeline, customers and economic return rather than cost per lead.