A low cost per lead can hide expensive delivery. In the illustrative comparison below, two campaigns each cost $6,000 and deliver 100 contacts. One produces 40 accepted records; the other produces 80. The quoted price is identical, but the cost per accepted record doubles in the first campaign.
A B2B demand generation brief should make that difference visible before you approve a proposal. This guide shows what to define, which numbers to request and how to identify the work your budget actually covers.
Choose whether the campaign must build awareness, generate content engagement or identify people ready for a sales conversation. These outcomes need different offers, evidence and reporting.
Ask for a recent comparable campaign baseline showing delivered records, accepted records, rejection reasons, total cost and follow-up completion. Keep market, audience, offer and reporting window visible so the comparison is meaningful. If one proposal reports registrations and another reports completed meetings, their conversion rates answer different questions. Request the underlying counts and definitions before using either rate to set a target. Where comparable data is unavailable, agree a limited pilot and use its results to establish the baseline.
Also define how the campaign builds awareness and captures interest before sales engagement. Content interactions and event registrations can be valuable outcomes. Agree which signals trigger nurture or a sales conversation, then measure each stage against the promised campaign objective.
Define industry, company size, geography, relevant roles and exclusions. For example, an illustrative security campaign might target US manufacturers with 200–1,000 employees and IT directors or above. Replace these sample boundaries with your actual audience.
The distinction between demand and leads helps clarify the outcome before setting volume targets.
Require a response against each deliverable:
Mark every item included, excluded or dependent on a client input. If the agency distributes content but your team must qualify respondents, the proposal buys contact acquisition and leaves qualification work with you. Price that internal work when comparing options.
Test the delivery definition against sample records. An operations manager downloading the security guide fails an IT-only audience requirement. An IT director at a matching manufacturer passes the audience check, but the download alone does not establish a purchasing project.
Specify the qualifying action and its evidence: a content interaction, an agreed callback or a conversation documenting the prospect’s current challenge. Use the level the campaign actually promises.
Agree review deadlines, rejection reasons and replacement eligibility. Track initial acceptance separately from replacements so repeated delivery problems remain visible.
Name the owners for approvals, exclusions, CRM preparation, delivery review and follow-up. Missing inputs delay launch; unworked accepted contacts make campaign performance harder to interpret.
HubSpot’s SLA guidance links shared goals and lead definitions with accountability. Put both delivery and sales responsibilities in the brief.
Request follow-up coverage: accepted records receiving the agreed follow-up divided by accepted records assigned to sales, multiplied by 100. Check this before assuming poor conversation results came from targeting.
Split setup, content, distribution, media and tools. Include internal qualification costs when your team supplies that work. Use the same cost scope for every option.
Then calculate acceptance rate: accepted records divided by delivered records, multiplied by 100. Calculate cost per accepted record: campaign cost divided by accepted records.
The comparison below uses hypothetical figures and identical acceptance rules. It is an arithmetic example, not agency pricing, market research or DemandTech results.
| Measure | Campaign A | Campaign B |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign cost | $6,000 | $6,000 |
| Delivered contacts | 100 | 100 |
| Accepted records | 40 | 80 |
| Acceptance rate | 40% | 80% |
| Cost per accepted record | $150 | $75 |
Both show $60 per delivered contact. Checking acceptance reveals the difference. Accepted records still do not guarantee meetings, opportunities or revenue; inspect conversation quality and later CRM outcomes separately. Apply only the agreed criteria: valid event registrations should not be rejected for lacking an immediate sales request when registration was the promised outcome.
Use rejected-record reasons to choose the next action:
For the illustrative manufacturing campaign, specify:
Add your budget, launch dependencies, review dates and replacement process. Set targets from comparable historical campaigns where available; a different market or offer may require a pilot to establish a baseline.
Request a sample delivery record with sensitive details removed and a report showing the agreed calculations. Resolve unclear definitions before comparing prices.
A useful proposal should explain what reaches sales, what it costs and what happens when records fail the agreed checks.
Planning a demand generation campaign? You can discuss your brief with DemandTech before fixing the scope.
Quick answers to common questions about this topic and implementation strategy.
