10 Best Lead Generation Companies for Small Businesses

Sep 11, 2024
29 minute read

The best lead generation companies offer a combination of inbound and outbound services for generating leads, with scalable plans at reasonable prices. Our evaluation revealed that LYFE Marketing and SEO Discovery are the top lead generation companies for small businesses. LYFE Marketing offers a wide range of and cost-effective packages, while SEO Discovery offers extensive search engine optimization (SEO) services for lead generation.

We evaluated several companies and came up with the best 10 lead generation companies for small businesses.

Best Lead Generation Companies for Small Businesses Compared


ProviderFree Demo, Quote, or ConsultationStarting Monthly Price Our Rating Out of 5
The Lyfe Marketing logo.✓Quote$3504.68
Visit LYFE Marketing
The SEO Discovery logo.✓30-minute consultation$1504.54
Visit SEO Discovery
The WebFX logo.✓Quote$4254.42
Visit WebFX
Apollo.io logo✓Demo$49 per user 4.38
Visit Apollo.io
Martal Group logo.✓30-minute consultationContact for pricing4.37
Visit Martal Group
The SalesNash logo.✓30-minute consultation6 cents per lead4.36
Visit SalesNash
The NerdyJoe logo.✓30-minute consultation$4994.32
Visit Nerdy Joe
The Cleverly logo.✓15-minute consultation$3974.23
Visit Cleverly
The LeadGeneration.com logo.✓ConsultationContact for pricing4.13
Visit LeadGeneration.com
EBQuickstart logo✓Consultation$10,000 4.06
Visit EBQ


LYFE Marketing: Best Overall for Cost-effective Lead Generation Services

When to Use LYFE Marketing

  • You need cost-flexible small business lead generation services: LYFE Marketing is an excellent small business lead generation company because of the wide range of services that suit any budget. Whether you’re trying to bring in new leads through ads, social media, content, or email campaigns, plans start at just $350 per month.
  • You want to leverage video content for inbound leads: Two standout attributes of LYFE Marketing are video production and ad services. With short videos becoming a popular way to connect with customers, it’s good to have a partner offering this type of specialty to help with lead generation for small businesses.

When to Use an Alternative

  • You need cold call outreach services: LYFE Marketing is our best lead generation company on this list. However, its services are limited to digital channels for inbound and outbound lead generation. Outsourced SDR solutions that do cold calling for your business to set appointments are excluded from the company’s service arsenal.
    • Alternative: SalesNash is our favorite alternative specializing in outsourced SDR and cold-calling services.
  • You want a guarantee on appointment results: With lead generation, some small businesses may be weary of paying a large sum for no results. While LYFE Marketing is cost-friendly, there is no guarantee that you will get new leads or appointments as the provider doesn’t set minimums.
    • Alternative: For these concerns, we recommend Nerdy Joe, which, depending on your plan, has minimum appointment goals and refunds your money if they aren’t achieved.

Key LYFE Marketing Features & Services

  • Advertising: Digital ad design, deployment, and tracking through search engines like Google and Bing, as well as social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok to generate leads online
  • Content management: Creation and publishing of post copy and videos for online advertisements or social media for lead generation
  • Email marketing: Mass email marketing services with automated drip options to generate and nurture leads through email campaigns

LYFE Marketing Monthly Pricing Plans*

*Price ranges are based on a monthly breakdown and vary depending on specific service packages within each marketing channel. The costs above exclude advertising dollars and a one-time setup fee for each service. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to verify pricing independently.

LYFE Marketing's email marketing costs calculator.
The LYFE Marketing cost calculator for email marketing services (Source: LYFE Marketing)

Our Expert Opinion

LYFE Marketing is an excellent agency for getting inbound leads using digital channels. We like that its price range options let you adjust your service package based on your budget and strategy. Whether you need short video production, mass email marketing, online ads, social media posts, or a multichannel solution, LYFE is one of the top lead generation companies that can support your next campaign.

SEO Discovery: Best for Search Engine Optimization Services

When to Use SEO Discovery

  • You need SEO services as your primary lead-generating source: SEO Discovery offers several ways to help you generate leads, including SEO and digital marketing. It provides some of the best local SEO services, plus industry-specific SEO and answer engine SEO. You can also hire an SEO specialist or avail of their SEO audit and consultancy services.
  • You need digital marketing services for your new business: SEO Discovery offers different digital marketing services, such as content writing, paid marketing, and web design services. If you are a startup or solo entrepreneur, SEO Discovery can help you promote your brand using these channels while generating leads simultaneously.

When to Use SEO Discovery Alternatives

  • You need an appointment setting service: Unfortunately, SEO Discovery does not offer appointment setting for lead generation. This can be a drawback if you prefer acquiring more leads through this method, especially those with service businesses. These include salon owners, realtors, and lawyers.
    • Alternatives: Martal Group, Sales Nash, and Nerdy Joe are excellent alternatives. These companies offer appointment-setting services through email and cold calling.
  • You need a lead generation company catering services to broader niches: SEO Discovery is highly focused on providing SEO services to service companies like electrical, dental, legal, and plumbing. It also offers digital marketing services to automotive companies and accounting firms. But if your niche is not on the list, you can choose another provider specializing in your industry.
    • Alternative: Martal Group is an excellent choice if you need to connect with decision-makers in cybersecurity, insurance, manufacturing, software, healthcare, IT, logistics, and emerging technology.

Key SEO Discovery Marketing Features & Services

  • Search engine optimization: Local SEO, custom SEO, SEO for ecommerce services, SEO specialist, SEO audit, and app store optimization
  • Digital marketing: Social media optimization, paid marketing (PPC), content writing, web design services, reputation management, influencer marketing, and web analytics
  • Link-building packages: Premium link services (include guest post links and link analysis), guest post service, and link-building experts

SEO Discovery Monthly Pricing Plans*

*Price ranges are based on a monthly breakdown and vary depending on specific service packages within each marketing channel. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to verify pricing independently.

SEO Discovery showing how it can help businesses grow digitally.
SEO Discovery’s six-step process for how it can help you increase your digital reach (Source: SEO Discovery)

Our Expert Opinion

SEO Discovery is our top pick for generating leads through search engine optimization services for small businesses. With its local SEO and custom SEO, startups and small businesses become more visible to their target audiences.

The company offers niche SEO services to ecommerce businesses, contractors, salon owners, healthcare professionals, lawyers, etc. It also provides SEO audit and consulting services, as well as SEO specialists for hire.

WebFX: Best for Account-based Marketing

When to Use WebFX

  • You use account-based marketing for B2B sales lead generation: WebFX leverages AI and ML for customizing ABM strategies with the help of dedicated account managers.Its ABM services include account profiling, target account analysis, and more. These are crucial in engaging high-value targeted companies and prospective customers. With in-depth research, WebFX creates an ideal customer profile (ICP).
  • You want to generate leads through programmatic advertising: One of the most notable lead generation strategies that WebFX offers is digital advertising. It is the best lead generation company that offers programmatic advertising, an automated process of buying and selling digital ads in real time. It targets specific keywords to generate higher-quality leads or audiences likely interested in your product or service.

When to Use an Alternative

  • You need cheaper content marketing services: WebFX offers higher costs for its content services than other providers. Its custom content marketing plans start at $2,000 per month.
    • Alternative: Cleverly is a great alternative to WebFX if you want a LinkedIn-dedicated content marketing service for your business. It costs $997 per month, which includes 10 LinkedIn posts monthly. LYFE Marketing offers social media management ($650 to $1,250 per month) and short video management (starts at $1,000 per month).
  • You need cold calling and appointment setting: WebFX is focused on digital marketing and SEO services. While the company offers tech solutions for cold calling, it doesn’t offer cold calling and appointment scheduling.
    • Alternative: SalesNash, EBQ, and Nerdy Joe are the best alternatives to WebFX if you’re looking for outbound lead generation strategies.

Key WebFX Marketing Features & Services

  • Marketing automation: Account-based marketing services, lead nurture email marketing, email marketing management, Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics marketing automation, and employment and recruiting marketing
  • SEO and lead generation: Local SEO services, Google local services ads management, SEO audits, page speed optimization, ecommerce SEO services, social media advertising, PPC management, programmatic advertising, and digital advertising
  • Website Design and Development: Website design, social media design, Shopify ecommerce development, AI and GPT integration
  • Content marketing: SEO copywriting, social media management, infographics and motion graphics, web video production services, and YouTube advertising
  • Tech solutions: MarketingCloudFX, a software developed by WebFX for digital marketing, EmailMarketingFX for email marketing, etc.

WebFX Monthly Pricing Plans*

*Price ranges are based on a monthly breakdown and vary depending on specific service packages within each marketing channel. The costs above exclude advertising dollars and a one-time setup fee for each service. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to verify pricing independently.

WebFX's dashboard for device retargeting, account-based marketing, and lookalike and lead-quality bidding pipeline progress.
WebFX helps build your ICP to create a list of targeted accounts for account-based marketing. (Source: WebFX)

Our Expert Opinion

WebFX is the only provider on this list that offers a comprehensive suite of account-based marketing solutions. It gives you a dedicated account manager to analyze your business and use its research resources to build an ICP for your company.

WebFX offers extensive SEO services and digital advertising, including programmatic advertising to drive high-value prospective customers—rarely found in other business lead generation companies.

Apollo.io: Best for Free Automated Outreach via Sequences

When to Use Apollo.io

  • You need an automated outreach service: We categorize Apollo.io as a sales management provider because it offers free automated outreach capabilities via sequences. Use basic sequencing for semiautomated or fully automated, repeatable processes to reach prospects and close deals. The Organization plan includes account-based workflow automation at $119 monthly for a minimum of three users.
  • You need a buying intent feature: Apollo.io has a buying intent feature that enables users to filter company searches to prospects interested in specific products and services. The free plan includes three intent topics and six for the basic plan at $49 per user monthly. The intent topic limit increases as you upgrade your subscription.

When to Use an Alternative

  • You need more robust digital marketing features: Apollo.io’s marketing features are limited to email marketing and cold calling. The provider doesn’t offer tools for social media marketing, pay-per-click (PPC), and SEO. This is a drawback for businesses wanting to generate marketing qualified leads using these strategies.
    • Alternatives: WebFX and SEO Discovery offer SEO and other marketing services for lead generation. Cleverly has excellent content management services. Moreover, LYFE Marketing offers ads, email, and social media services.
  • You need a lead generation company with phone support: Apollo.io doesn’t have phone customer support. It offers email priority support only on its paid plans (not on its free plan).
    • Alternatives: SalesNash has dedicated customer support. You can book a call directly through its website. LYFE Marketing also provides its contact number on its website.

Key Apollo.io Features & Services

  • Prospect research and filtering: Used to autocreate lead lists based on job title, location, industry, employee count, personas, technology stack, revenue, buyer intent, and other key attributes
  • Email sequences: Used for sending out campaigns and automating follow-ups
  • Built-in meeting scheduler: Book meetings and autosync them to Google and Outlook calendars

Apollo.io Pricing Plans*

Cost:

  • $0

Key Features:

  • Unlimited email credits (10,000 per account monthly)
  • 60 mobile credits per year
  • 120 export credits per year
  • Basic filters and sequence automation (two-sequence limit)
  • Meeting scheduler
  • Buying Intent Filter (three-intent topic limit)
  • AI-assisted email writing (5,000-word monthly limit)
  • Advanced Salesforce and HubSpot integration (bidirectional)
  • Conversations (150-minute recording limit)
  • Track website visitors (up to 10 new visitors daily)

*Pricing is based on per month billed annually. Monthly billing is also available at higher prices. Apollo.io also offers a 14-day free trial for its Basic and Professional plans. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.

Apollo.io creating AI-assisted sequences.
Apollo.io automates outreach with AI-assisted sequences. (Source: Apollo.io)

Our Expert Opinion

Apollo.io automates outreach campaigns through sequences to generate more leads. Another key feature is its database, which allows users to filter leads according to specific customer profile criteria and buying intent. By determining the highly interested prospects, sales teams can generate more sales qualified leads (SQLs) and win more sales.

Martal Group: Best for Outbound Lead Generation

When to Use Martal Group

  • You need to generate leads through outbound channels: Martal Group implements a multichannel campaign approach. Its workflow incorporates a minimum of 15 touchpoints through outbound lead generation tactics like email, cold calling, and LinkedIn over three weeks.
  • You want B2B lead gen services with niche specialties: Martal Group is a great B2B lead generation agency for when you need to connect with decision-makers in specific industries. Its team has the experience and resources to deliver quality campaigns in verticals like cybersecurity, IT, logistics, insurance, manufacturing, software, healthcare, and emerging technology.

When to Use Martal Group Alternatives

  • You need broader website management solutions: While Martal offers end-to-end customer management services, it doesn’t offer any web development services.
    • Alternative: LeadGeneration.com is the best alternative for getting inbound leads through your website and even offers web and landing page design services.
  • You want to know your costs upfront: Like a few other business lead generation companies on this list, Martal Group does not provide transparent or clear pricing. Interested clients must contact sales for customized quotes.
    • Alternatives: LYFE Marketing, Nerdy Joe, Apollo.io, and SEO Discovery indicate clear pricing on their website. These are popular business-to-business lead gen companies, offering cold calling, appointment setting, and other digital marketing strategies to acquire excellent, quality leads for sales teams.

Key Martal Group Features & Services

  • Outbound and inbound lead generation: Conduct cold-calling campaigns, manage email marketing, run LinkedIn outreach, and create and deploy content to produce new leads, plus handle nurturing and follow-up activities
  • Appointment setting: Set up sales calls with qualified leads for your business through outreach campaigns, marketing, and cold calling
  • Sales and account management: Manage all activity in the pipeline after a lead is generated, including handling the discovery calls, closing deals, onboarding a new customer, and managing those accounts

Martal Group Monthly Pricing Plans*

*This is the information available at the time of publishing. We encourage our readers to verify pricing independently.

Martal Group's onboarding timeline for lead generation.
Martal Group’s 30-day onboarding timeline for lead generation tracking (Source: Martal Group)

Our Expert Opinion

The end-to-end capabilities that scale to your growth needs are a huge value-add if you choose Martal Group. From lead generation to sales and account management, it can do it all, so you don’t need to worry about recruiting costs. We also can’t ignore how vital it is for a lead generation or marketing agency to have the industry-specific experience needed to craft messaging, marketing assets, and campaigns that can get your audience’s attention.

SalesNash: Best for Outsourced SDR Services

When to Use SalesNash

  • You exclusively need SDR solutions: If you need lead generation for your small business and all you care about is someone doing cold calling and sending email introductions to get appointments, SalesNash is for you. The provider is primarily an outsourced sales team that acts as dedicated SDRs for your business. But it comes with database building and sales strategy services too.
  • You want a scalable service package that adapts to your capacity: Within SalesNash SDR service packages are scalable outcomes that can adapt to your needs. Depending on what you’re willing to spend and how much time you have, you can get anywhere from three to 25 appointments per month.

When to Use an Alternative

  • You need a lower-cost provider for appointment setting: SalesNash’s starting price for outbound outreach packages is $3,000 per quarter. The Starter plan includes semiautomated research for 1,000 to 2,000 prospects per month. The prices are relatively expensive compared with other providers on this list.
    • Alternative: LYFE Marketing is the most cost-friendly option if you want to generate leads aside from appointment setting. It offers email marketing for lead generation starting at $350 per month. Cleverly’s starting plan is $397 for LinkedIn outreach services for 500 prospects per month.
  • You want clear pricing for a custom plan: SalesNash’s Custom Plan offers an omnichannel outreach strategy (via email, LinkedIn, phone calls, Facebook, etc.). However, this is the highest-tiered plan with custom pricing (must contact the provider). Other providers in this list provide clear pricing for each service.
    • Alternative: Cleverly lets you customize your plan depending on the services you need. You can start your lead generation with its Gold plan at $397 monthly (LinkedIn outreach services with 500 prospects per month).The same is true for LYFE Marketing with its email marketing service starting at $350 per month. LeadGeneration.com also offers customized plans—a great pick if you exclusively want to leverage your website for inbound leads.

Key SalesNash Features & Services

  • Outsourced SDR services: Acts as an SDR for your business—placing cold calls and deploying introduction emails and email sequences to book appointments for you
  • Database building: Centralized prospect and contact database and research team that generates contact lists of qualified leads
  • Lead generation and sales reporting: Provides weekly meetings with delivered reports on prospects found and appointments set from the SDR and database services, as well as inbound marketing and SEO

SalesNash Monthly Pricing Plans*

Cost:

  • From 6 cents per lead

Features:

  • Volume as per request
  • Free invalid leads replacement
  • Below 2% bounce rate
Standard Research Team*​

Cost:

  • From $1,800

Features:

  • Flexible (daily or weekly) data deliveries
  • Up to 2,000 to 3,000 leads per month based on the ICP complexity
  • All of the software needed
  • 99% accuracy
Extended Research Team​

Cost:

  • From $3,000

Features:

  • Everything in Standard
  • Double the volume of leads
  • Multiple target profiles
  • Scalable research scope

*Pricing is based on quarterly billing. SalesNash also offers packages for candidate sourcing, recruitment, deliverability support, and SEO. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.

SalesNash's case studies showing leads generated.
SalesNash’s case study shows the number of leads generated for its client for tracking purposes. (Source: SalesNash)

Our Expert Opinion

SalesNash is the equivalent of having an SDR department to handle all cold calling and email outreach. Its lead gen services get high praise online for its results. And its database management and sales reporting capabilities give you that real feeling that its team is an extension of yours.

Nerdy Joe: Best for Guaranteed Appointments

When to Use Nerdy Joe

  • You want a guaranteed minimum number of monthly appointments: What we loved most about Nerdy Joe was its appointment guarantee. Depending on your service package, you can get at least 10, 15, 25, or over 50 meetings per month, or you’ll get your money back. This is a huge differentiator for sales lead gen companies that can give you peace of mind knowing you’ll get results.
  • You need access to freemium service options: Nerdy Joe has a knowledgeable free consultant to help create an outreach strategy to book appointments. Additionally, its website comes with free tools such as an email subject line creator and data analytics to help get information on prospects visiting your website.

When to Use an Alternative

  • You want to get inbound sales leads from ads or content: Small businesses looking to get inbound leads through published content or advertisements will need to look for other lead gen companies. Nerdy Joe does not provide any ad or content management solutions.
    • Alternative: Cleverly is our favorite pick for lead gen services that heavily leverage content marketing. LYFE Marketing is also a solid pick that can do content and online advertising services.
  • You need more cost-friendly small business lead generation services: Because of its guarantee of appointments, Nerdy Joe comes at a steep price—starting at $499 per month.
    • Alternative: Apollo.io is another compelling alternative with a free plan. It offers low-cost pricing starting at $39 per user monthly (billed annually) with buying intent filters and AI-assisted email writing.

Key Nerdy Joe Features & Services

  • Appointment scheduling: Outreach to B2B sales leads via cold calls and email to get appointments scheduled
  • Lead research: Will help identify your ICPs and build a contact list to target your niche market for quality connections
  • Strategy and performance updates: Will provide weekly and biweekly reports on lead generation progress, plus conduct strategy calls to make adjustments and ensure you get the best results

Nerdy Joe Monthly Pricing Plans*

Cost:

  • $499

Key Features:

  • Two meetings booked per month
  • Weekly reporting
  • ICP identification
  • Lead research and validation
  • Email deliverability management

*Pricing is based on monthly billing. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to verify pricing independently.

Nerdy Joe’s lead generation process.
Nerdy Joe’s four-step process for lead generation (Source: Nerdy Joe)

Our Expert Opinion

The assurance that teams can make at least 10 appointments per month with Nerdy Joe is a huge asset for anyone skeptical of lead generation agencies. There’s nothing better than a guarantee that what you pay for performs as promised. That’s exactly what you get from Nerdy Joe if you’re willing to pay the price.

Cleverly: Best for Inbound Lead Generation From Content

When to Use Cleverly

  • You want to leverage content marketing for leads: The main thing that stuck out for Cleverly was its content services. It offers cost-effective blogging and SEO capabilities to help you produce inbound leads organically through your website. This service also extends to posting and managing content on LinkedIn.
  • You need a flexible, cost-scalable service for small business leads: Cleverly has a wide range of lead generation services for small businesses, including LinkedIn outreach, blogging and SEO, cold email, paid ad management, and social media posting on LinkedIn. Depending on the package, plans start at just $397 per month with an option to do a white-label service for multichannel outreach.

When to Use an Alternative

  • You need outsourced SDR services for cold-calling campaigns: Cleverly is mostly a marketing service that does inbound and outbound lead generation through channels like social media, email, ads, and content marketing. That said, you can’t use them as an outsourced SDR to do cold calling.
    • Alternative: SalesNash is our top pick for the best outsourced SDR provider for lead generation.
  • You want to get supplemental CRM services from your provider: CRM consulting services are a “nice to have” in a lead generation company as you can get new leads and ensure their data is properly stored and managed in a centralized system. Unfortunately, Cleverly does not have any supplemental CRM services.
    • Alternative: EBQ and Belkins are all great lead gen companies for small businesses that also have CRM implementation and maintenance services.

Key Cleverly Features & Services

  • Digital outreach services: Manages LinkedIn messaging and cold email campaigns for your business to produce appointments and leads on digital channels
  • Ad campaign management: Creates, deploys, and tracks online advertisements via LinkedIn or Google Ads for your business to get more website traffic and produce new leads
  • Content development and marketing solutions: Outsourced content development and SEO for inbound traffic

Cleverly Monthly Pricing Plans*

*Pricing is based on monthly billing, and the provider offers a free consultation before generating a service package. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to verify pricing independently.

Cleverly's lead generation process.
Cleverly’s four-step lead generation process for executing LinkedIn campaigns to target the most qualified decision-makers (Source: Cleverly)

Our Expert Opinion

Cleverly is as much of a content development agency as it is a lead generation company. Its services include inbound marketing strategies to bring in prospects using ads, blog posts, and LinkedIn. It’s also nice for its cost-friendly and scalable options that match solutions with your lead generation challenges and budget.

LeadGeneration.com: Best for Generating Leads via Website

When to Use LeadGeneration.com

  • You want to focus on organic lead generation through your website: One of the best ways to generate leads is through your website—and LeadGeneration.com is a great service if you want to focus primarily on inbound lead generation. It offers expert website development services, content writing, landing page design, paid search advertising, and SEO services—all great for producing organic web traffic.
  • You’d like to use both direct sales and marketing tactics for leads: LeadGeneration.com is a great partner for aligning sales and marketing functions because it offers a complete package for inbound and outbound lead gen. In addition to email marketing, social media, digital advertising, web design, and content development services, it provides cold calling, lead follow-up, and appointment setting.

When to Use an Alternative

  • You prefer upfront, transparent pricing: While a solid provider for bringing in new business opportunities, LeadGeneration.com lacks transparent pricing. Everything is quoted and customized per the customer’s budget and marketing needs.
    • Alternatives: If cost transparency is vital in your purchase decisions, we recommend LYFE Marketing, Nerdy Joe, or SEO Discovery, which all have clear upfront pricing. Apollo.io offers a free plan and affordable pricing for paid plans starting at the Basic plan for only $49 per user monthly.
  • You want to use video assets for lead generation: Thought leadership to help build brand awareness and produce can be best exemplified through written assets or videos. While LeadGeneration.com can generate white papers and blog posts, it cannot handle video production.
    • Alternative: LYFE Marketing can produce and distribute video assets for your business.

Key LeadGeneration.com Features & Services

  • Online lead generation: Helps produce web traffic and leads online through social media marketing, SEO, email campaigns, and paid search ads
  • Content generation: Development of marketing assets, such as white papers, landing pages, and social media posts, for content marketing to help generate leads
  • Direct sales services: Appointment setting through cold-calling services plus lead follow-ups and nurturing via email and phone calls

LeadGeneration.com Services*

*Services reflect info available at the time of publishing. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to verify pricing independently.

LeadGeneration.com's real-time lead generation process.
LeadGeneration.com explains how it generates real-time leads via email text and directs CRM integrations. (Source: LeadGeneration.com)

Our Expert Opinion

While LeadGeneration.com has one of the widest ranges of sales and marketing services, it sticks out most for its website management capabilities. Regardless of where you are in the process, LeadGeneration.com can help. From needing a brand-new site to improving landing pages, SEO solutions, or crafting blog articles, this provider has the best capabilities for generating and converting web traffic into leads.

EBQ: Best for Inbound and Outbound Tactics

When to Use EBQ

  • You want a complete package to get leads using all methods: EBQ is an excellent provider of complete lead generation capabilities. It offers inbound strategies like content marketing, ads, and organic web traffic conversions, plus outbound tactics like email and cold calling to get appointments. The provider also has supplemental services like CRM consulting, database management, and data enrichment.
  • You need help closing deals and managing accounts: Another great service feature of EBQ is its extended sales capabilities. For example, you can have reps conduct sales meetings and close deals for your small business. Additionally, the provider’s team of experts will act as outsourced customer service and account management reps

When to Use EBQ Alternatives

  • You need transparent pricing per service from your provider: EBQ states the starting cost is $10,000 per month to build an outsourcing team. However, per-service pricing is not indicated on the website. You must contact the provider for a quote.
    • Alternatives: For transparent pricing, we recommend LYFE Marketing, Nerdy Joe, or SEO Discovery, which all indicate outright pricing on their website. You can also consider Apollo.io because of its free plan and affordable pricing—the basic plan is only $49 per user monthly with annual billing.
  • You only need the minimum of lead gen services: EBQ, according to reviews, gets expensive and is designed to be an all-in-one solution for sales, marketing, and even post-sales activity. That said, it makes much more sense to use another provider if you only want to leverage a specific channel or sales tactic.
    • Alternatives: For just outsourced SDR and cold calling, we recommend SalesNash. LeadGeneration.com can help you create and manage a website for organic lead generation.

Key EBQ Features & Services

  • Outreach and campaign management: Provider will plan, create, and deliver campaigns to prospects on various channels, including social media, email campaigns, content marketing assets, and cold calls to generate leads
  • Pipeline and deal-closing services: End-to-end sales pipeline solutions that will book appointments, handle the sales meetings, and even close deals and manage accounts for your business
  • CRM and data management: Salesforce and HubSpot CRM implementation and maintenance services plus solutions for creating contact lists and keeping CRM data enriched with up-to-date information
  • Salesforce consulting: Setting up and maintaining a CRM for your business
  • Appointment setting: Cold-calling services to set up appointments with qualified leads
  • Customer experience: Customer support for inbound inquiries and outbound customer care

EBQ Monthly Pricing Plans*

*While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing. EBQ also offers three plans for Salesforce and digital marketing implementation.

EBQ’s sales development process.
EBQ’s four-step sales development process (Source: EBQ.com)

Our Expert Opinion

EBQ is one of the top lead generation companies that puts comprehensive solutions to a whole new level. Its complete arsenal of marketing, sales, outsourced customer support, and CRM consulting services makes it a great pick for small businesses that need it all. Another benefit is that even after leads are generated, the provider can do sales meetings and close deals on your behalf.

How We Evaluated the Best Lead Generation Companies for Small Businesses

To determine the best small business lead generation services, we evaluated the specific capabilities of each provider regarding producing, qualifying, and researching leads. For example, we wanted to see services like producing niche prospect data, conducting outreach via email or cold call, and setting up appointments. We also evaluated supplemental marketing services, such as social media, and looked at the cost of each company.
Methodology weights
General Features and Services 30%
Niche Features and Services 25%
Pricing 20%
Help and Support 15%
Expert Score 10%
We first looked at overall features and services we felt were must-haves in a lead generation company. Accessing a robust lead database, filtering niche-specific prospect lists, and scheduling appointments for your business, for example, are vital capabilities. We also looked deeper into the service quality and whether the provider could help plan and deliver outreach or marketing campaigns and provide expertise on lead generation strategies.
We looked at the advanced capabilities of lead-generating companies considered “nice to have.” We considered features like whether the provider could verify lead data and had the reporting and analytics to help you evaluate outreach performance and provide lead insights.We also evaluated features such as email and marketing automation, social media management services, and whether customer relationship management (CRM) software was part of the packages.
Pricing considered the total costs and affordability of each agency and online lead generation service, along with the value included in the service package. We also evaluated whether the provider came with a free trial or consultation and the billing options where clients could save by paying annually.
Extensive support ensures clients get the best possible experience with these lead gen companies in addition to quality leads. We wanted the providers to be available during extended hours or even 24/7 on various channels like live chat, phone, and email. We also looked at whether self-service resources, such as knowledge base, case studies, community forums, or resource guides, were available to clients.
In addition to first-hand experience with these small business lead generation services, we evaluated what actual clients say about each provider. We considered how customers felt to gain insight into the quality and comprehensiveness of the service package and whether it delivered quality leads. We also considered the general popularity of each provider.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is lead generation in small business?

Lead generation is the process of triggering or stimulating consumer interest in a product or service to convert that interest into a sale. In small businesses, lead generation involves efficient utilization of software, implementation of inbound and outbound strategies, and/or a combination of both.

What are the three qualities of a good lead generation company?

A good lead generation company has a rich database, a unique niche or standout feature, and a suite of digital marketing services. It has verified B2B contacts and excellent niche or industry-specific services or features you can customize to fit your lead generation needs.

How do I find a good lead generation company?

To find a good lead generation company, first determine your budget. Then, search for provider comparison roundups or read online reviews and forums to evaluate services from different providers. If you’re still unsure, consider talking to other business owners in your niche or network. Finally, your local or state Small Business Administration (SBA) office may counsel you or connect you to other business community groups.

Bottom Line

The best lead generation companies for small businesses offer different inbound and outbound strategies with dedicated managers and technology solutions to help you generate top-quality leads.

We considered costs, services, and portfolios to differentiate each provider. While LYFE Marketing was highly rated for its cost-flexibility and excellent marketing solutions, other companies like SEO Discovery and WebFX could be better for your business needs.

Lorraine Daisy Resuello

Lorraine Daisy Resuello

Staff Writer at Fit Small Business

Lorraine Daisy Resuello is a specialist at Fit Small Business who focuses on Sales and Customer Service topics and she has experience in customer service in business process outsourcing (BPO). At present, she uses her decade-long writing experience to provide FSB readers with the best answers to their questions.

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