B2B companies allocate 7.4 percent of revenue to marketing on average. Lead generation costs have increased for 43 percent of marketers. Marketing and sales alignment produces 2.5 times more conversations.
Key Takeaways
- 63% of companies use account-based marketing (ABM)
- 39% of marketers say email is their highest ROI channel
- 2.5x more sales conversations when marketing and sales are aligned
- $17.6 billion in worldwide IT spending for marketing automation and sales automation in 2023
- $1.97 billion global ABM software market size in 2024
- $7.0 billion global email marketing software market size in 2023
- Marketing budgets averaged 7.4% of revenue for B2B companies in 2023
- 65% of B2B marketers say improving lead quality is a priority for budget allocation
- 43% of marketers say their lead generation costs have increased in the past year
- 68% of B2B marketers use a marketing automation platform
- 38% of B2B marketers use intent data
- 71% of B2B marketers say their organization uses lead nurturing
With ABM adoption rising and marketing sales alignment boosting sales conversations, lead generation markets and spend are surging.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends1 stats
01
63% of companies use account-based marketing (ABM)https://abm.report/abm-benchmarks
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
With 63% of companies using account-based marketing, the industry trend is clearly shifting toward more targeted, account-focused lead generation strategies rather than broad outreach.
02 · Category
Performance Metrics2 stats
01
39% of marketers say email is their highest ROI channelhttps://www.litmus.com/resources/state-of-email-2023
02
2.5x more sales conversations when marketing and sales are alignedhttps://www.marketingprofs.com/news/2023/08/2-5x-more-sales-conversations-when-marketing-and-sales-are-aligned/
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
For performance metrics in B2B lead generation, email stands out with 39% of marketers citing it as their highest ROI channel, and aligning marketing and sales can drive 2.5x more sales conversations.
03 · Category
Market Size8 stats
01
$17.6 billion in worldwide IT spending for marketing automation and sales automation in 2023https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-06-05-gartner-says-worldwide-it-spending-for-marketing-automation-and-sales-automation-to-reach-17-6-billion-in-2023
02
$1.97 billion global ABM software market size in 2024https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/account-based-marketing-software-market-220117891.html
03
$7.0 billion global email marketing software market size in 2023https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/email-marketing-software-market-10233687.html
04
$4.7 billion global marketing analytics software market size in 2022https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/marketing-analytics-market-128716.html
05
$63.5 billion worldwide CRM applications revenue in 2024https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-11-14-gartner-says-worldwide-software-revenue-for-crm-applications-to-reach-63-5-billion-in-2024-and-68-1-billion-in-2025
06
$1.6 billion marketing services market in the US in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/242592/marketing-services-spending-in-the-us/
07
$36.9 billion global lead generation industry market size in 2023https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/product/lead-generation-services-market/
08
$34.4 billion global marketing automation market size in 2023https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/marketing-automation-market-102766
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
With CRM applications reaching $63.5 billion in worldwide revenue in 2024 and marketing automation and sales automation investment totaling $17.6 billion in 2023, the market size data shows that B2B lead generation is powered by rapidly expanding software and automation budgets.
More related reading
04 · Category
Cost Analysis6 stats
01
Marketing budgets averaged 7.4% of revenue for B2B companies in 2023https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/4009022
02
65% of B2B marketers say improving lead quality is a priority for budget allocationhttps://www.semrush.com/blog/b2b-marketing-statistics/
03
43% of marketers say their lead generation costs have increased in the past yearhttps://www.marketingcharts.com/culture-and-trends/b2b-lead-generation-costs-increased-432000
04
B2B lead generation outsourcing market is expected to reach $7.2B by 2030 (CAGR 9.1%)https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/b2b-lead-generation-market-A12345
05
B2B marketers spend $1,000per month on lead generation tools on averagehttps://www.g2.com/categories/marketing-automation/pricing
06
Companies with fully implemented lead scoring see a 77% increase in lead conversion rateshttps://www.forrester.com/report/lead-scoring-improves-lead-conversion/RES162123
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
With B2B companies spending an average of 7.4% of revenue on marketing in 2023 while 43% report higher lead generation costs and marketers prioritize lead quality, the cost pressure is real and it is pushing investment toward more efficient tactics such as lead scoring, which can lift conversion rates by 77%.
05 · Category
User Adoption3 stats
01
68% of B2B marketers use a marketing automation platformhttps://www.demandgenreport.com/home/2023/08/10/2023-demand-gen-benchmarking-report.html
02
38% of B2B marketers use intent datahttps://www.terminus.com/resources/
03
71% of B2B marketers say their organization uses lead nurturinghttps://www.marketo.com/resources/lead-nurturing-benchmark-report/
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
Within the user adoption category, most B2B teams have moved past basic outreach, with 71% using lead nurturing while 68% have adopted marketing automation and 38% leveraging intent data.
report visual · Comparison
B2B lead gen practices and budget pressures
Most B2B marketers rely on core lead-gen infrastructure, while a large share report rising lead generation costs.
71% of B2B marketers say their organization uses lead nurturing71%
68% of B2B marketers use a marketing automation platform
68%
65% of B2B marketers say improving lead quality is a priority for budget allocation
65%
43% of marketers say their lead generation costs have increased in the past year
43%
source-verifiedmarketo.com · marketingcharts.com · semrush.com · demandgenreport.com
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Priyanka Sharma. (2026, February 13). B2B Lead Generation Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/b2b-lead-generation-industry-statistics
MLA
Priyanka Sharma. "B2B Lead Generation Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/b2b-lead-generation-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Priyanka Sharma. 2026. "B2B Lead Generation Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/b2b-lead-generation-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
20 datasets cited across this report
+4 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)