Fix Off-Target Leads
Get an agent that is returning the wrong people back on profile.
Off-target leads are almost always a brand profile problem, not an agent bug. This is the order to fix them in.
Before you start
Have a day or two of real leads in front of you. Tune from what the agent actually returned, not from a guess.
Steps
Name the pattern
Look at five wrong leads. Are they the wrong role, wrong company size, wrong industry, or the wrong kind of company (agencies, vendors, students)? Pick the single most common problem.
Tighten the matching field
Open the brand profile. If roles are too loose, cut them to the two or three that own the budget. If company size or industry is wrong, narrow it. Change one field. See Defining Your ICP.
Add an exclusion
If the same wrong type keeps appearing (for example, recruiting agencies), add it as an exclusion so it is filtered before it reaches you.
Re-check keywords
If the noise came from the competitor or keyword strategies, the keywords are too broad. Replace category words with phrases buyers actually use. See Brand Info.
Wait one run, then re-check
Look at the next batch. If it improved, fix the next most common problem. If not, revert and try a different field.
You should see
A higher share of leads that match the role and company you sell to, usually with fewer total leads. That trade is correct: fewer, on-profile leads beat a wide net.
Next
- See Tuning Agents for the full reference.
- If a high-warmth lead still looks wrong, drop it so it does not resurface, then tighten the profile.