Lead Generation is Deceptive. And Smells Like Dead Fish.

I don’t like it when small businesses are lied to. And you people in the digital world have plenty of fraud issues to sort out:
Like this. Like this. Like this. Like this. Like this. Like this. Like this.
It’s not what you’re doing as much as it’s what you’re saying you’re doing.

Lead… Generation.

Generation?

Those words, Lead Generation imply, nay, literally SAY you’re going to generate a lead. Out of thin air. Who are you? Merlin? An alchemist? Free energy devices? Perpetual motion machines? Oil of snake?

“Man. C’mon. You’re playing semantics. Lead Generation is just a shorthand. Ya know. If there are leads out there… we lead ‘em to you. We never said we would create them out of thin air.”

The hell you didn’t. It’s in the damn name. Unintentional or otherwise, you’re putting the idea in the heads of business owners. Not cool.

Let’s put that aside for a minute and talk about the marketplace.
When demand is down, leads are down. There’s little left to “generate.” Hiring is slowing.
Real disposable income rose exactly 0% in August. Interest rates are up. Gas prices are… yuck.

But let’s forget the economy because you people always attach it to your political views… and frankly, I don’t care.
Here’s a more obvious example:

• I want to sell swimsuits in the winter. Generate me some leads.
• I want to sell snow tires in the summer. Generate me some leads.
• I want to stand outside of divorce court and sell wedding photography. Generate me some leads.
• My steak restaurant is missing out on the vegetarian demographic. Generate me some leads.

The shoppers aren’t there. You can’t make them be there.

“It doesn’t work that way. You just don’t understand.”

I understand words. And you’ve put two words together that you can’t live up to.
For the business owners, if one of these carnival barkers comes to town promising to “generate leads” you have every right to ask:
How many?
When?
From where?
How long?

Over the years, experiments have shown many cases where customers would have arrived anyway, regardless of the ad. And the folly of “last click attribution.”
For “lead generators,” are you taking into consideration market demand? Are you being straightforward with businesses?

Call me skeptical. But this all smells like dead fish.