The Sovereign Seller #20: Why (and How) Your Website Should Generate Leads

Welcome to Issue #20 of The Sovereign Seller. In sales, hustle alone won’t cut it anymore. The winners aren’t working harder … they’re using marketing to magnify sales. Each Sunday, I’ll share proven systems from top organizations so you can build predictable growth and win more dream clients.

Sunday

January 18th

Lauderdale By The Sea, FL

7:11 AM

Most sales organizations won’t like this.

Not because it’s wrong.

But because it challenges the way selling has worked for a long time - and many organizations are still living in the past.

I’ve spent most of my career inside sales-led organizations. Companies that depend on field reps. Companies where revenue lives and dies with outbound effort.

And it took me a long time to see this clearly.

Selling Has Changed. Most Organizations Haven’t.

Buyers today are better informed than ever.

They can research anonymously.

They can compare vendors without talking to anyone.

They can block cold calls, filter emails, ignore voicemails, and stay invisible until they decide otherwise.

Salespeople feel this every day.

Leadership often doesn’t.

So the default response is usually the same:

• More activity
• More calls
• More emails
• More pressure on the field

Here's something I believe is happening in 80% + of sales organizations:

Sales teams are being asked to do far more outbound work than necessary … because their own media assets aren’t doing their share.

This Took Me a While to Grasp

When I was in the middle of it, I didn’t think this way.

I was focused on selling.

On hitting my number.

On finding ways to get meetings.

Websites were “marketing’s thing.”

Social media was “branding.”

Conversion wasn’t even a word I understood in terms of business.

But every sales organization already owns media:

• A website
• Social feeds
• Customer lists
• Physical presence
• Search visibility

And most of it just … sits there.

Looking professional.

Explaining what the company does.

Building credibility.

But not helping sales. Why not?

Most B2B Websites Are Digital Brochures

Most B2B websites are built to:

• Explain the company
• Showcase capabilities
• Support recruiting
• Reassure investors

They are not built to:

• Capture demand
• Reduce buyer friction
• Generate leads for sales teams

But rarely do we ask the most important question:

What do we want a visitor to do here?

So visitors arrive.

They look around.

They learn a little.

And then they leave.

Not because they weren’t interested.

But because there was no obvious next step.

The Three Conversion Principles That Matter

I’ve been studying website conversion for the last few years. These books have shaped how I think about this:

• Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug
• Making Websites Win by Karl Blanks and Ben Jesson
• Expert Secrets, Traffic Secrets, and Dot Com Secrets by Russell Brunson

Each approaches conversion from a different angle. But they all agree on three things:

Principle 1: Clarity beats creativity (Krug)

Steve Krug’s entire book can be summarized in its title: Don’t Make Me Think.

Most B2B websites make people think. They use vague headlines like “Innovative Solutions for Modern Enterprises.” They bury the value proposition under corporate jargon. They present 8 different navigation options and no clear next step.

Visitors should land on your page and instantly know: (1) what you do, (2) who it’s for, (3) what to do next.

If they have to work to figure out any of those things, they leave.

Principle 2: Reduce friction, reduce anxiety (Blanks & Jesson)

Karl Blanks and Ben Jesson’s framework breaks conversion into two forces: things that push visitors toward action (motivation, value clarity, urgency) and things that hold them back (friction and anxiety).

Friction is anything that makes it harder for someone to complete the desired action.

Anxiety is the fear or uncertainty that stops someone from taking action.

Most B2B websites drown visitors in friction (long contact forms, multiple competing CTAs, forcing calls when prospects aren’t ready) and anxiety (no proof you’ve done this before, vague offers, high-pressure language).

Every website decision should ask: Does this reduce friction? Does this reduce anxiety?

If not, cut it.

Principle 3: One visitor, one purpose, one path (Brunson)

Russell Brunson revolutionized website thinking with one insight: Your website isn’t supposed to explain everything you do. It’s supposed to move someone from one stage to the next.

Brunson says most businesses build “storefront websites” when they should build funnels. A storefront gives people 15 ways to explore. A funnel gives them one clear path.

Most B2B websites try to serve everyone at once: prospects who don’t know you yet, prospects researching solutions, existing customers, investors, job seekers. That’s five different audiences with five different goals… and one generic homepage with 8 navigation options.

The sovereign move: One page, one audience, one goal.

Not “Look at 10 different things from careers to investing in our stock.”

More like: “Download something that displays our expertise, and helps you buy.”

That’s a funnel. That’s conversion.

A Real Example From the Inside

Let me give you a real-world example … not as a critique, but a recent observation from experience.

I spent seven years working inside Learfield.

It’s a world-class organization selling (mostly) tickets and sponsorships for Division 1 NCAA athletics departments.

They represent some of the biggest brands in sports. From Ohio State to Alabama to Texas to USC.

And they are a field-driven sales organization.

Revenue depends on people in the field building relationships and closing deals.

Their website is polished. Professional. Credible.

It does exactly what it was designed to do (by IT, marketing and the HR department.)

The site was built for branding, not for helping sales. Why not?

If you’re a visitor who isn’t ready to talk to a salesperson yet:

• There’s no low-pressure way to engage
• No educational next step
• No clear path forward

I don’t think anyone did anything wrong.

I just don’t think anyone was looking at the website through a sales lens.

And when that happens, the burden of sales rests entirely on the field.

While one of their most visited media assets (their primary website) goes underutilized.

Every missed inbound opportunity becomes another outbound call someone has to make.

What Could Be Different

Here’s what their homepage looks like today:

When you land on Learfield.com, you’re greeted with a video montage of college sports action - athletes scoring touchdowns, fans cheering, mascots celebrating.

It’s emotionally engaging. It reinforces the brand.

But it doesn’t tell me what to do next.

And more importantly, it’s trying to speak to everyone at once:

• Athletic directors who need revenue solutions
• Brand sponsors looking for fan engagement platforms
• Current partners seeking resources
• Investors evaluating the company
• Job seekers exploring careers

That’s five different audiences with five different goals.

Here’s what Steve Krug would suggest:

Make it clear where to go based on who you are.

Instead of one generic video, imagine two clear buttons below it:

[I’m an Athletic Director] → Routes to /athletic-directors landing page

[I’m a Brand Sponsor] → Routes to /brand-partners landing page

Each path leads to a page with:

• A clear headline specific to that audience
• Proof points relevant to their goals
• A focused next step (download a guide, watch a case study, request a consultation)

That’s Krug’s principle in action: Tell me exactly where to go. No navigation maze. No thinking required.

Here’s what Blanks & Jesson would suggest:

After the impressive stats section (“OUR REACH” — 100 million fan records, 6 billion data points), add a low-threshold offer.

Right now there’s a “CONNECT WITH US” button. That will only convert 1-3% of visitors - the few ready to buy today.

What about the other 97%?

Add something like:

“Download: The College Sponsorship ROI Report—How 12,000 Brands Reach 150M Passionate Fans Through Strategic Partnerships”

Or for athletic directors:

“Download: The Athletic Director’s Playbook—5 Proven Strategies That Generated $10M+ in New Sponsorship Revenue”

Name + Email = Lead captured.

Now you’re not just showcasing reach. You’re capturing prospects who are researching solutions but not ready to meet yet.

Here’s what Russell Brunson would suggest:

Feature thought leadership content on the homepage.

Learfield has 53 years of data. They’ve worked with 1,200+ colleges. They’ve run 12,000+ sponsorship partnerships.

That’s intellectual capital worth capturing.

Instead of hiding insights behind a sales conversation, create a “Latest Insights” section:

• “How NIL Changed College Sponsorships (And What Brands Need to Know)”
• “The 2026 Fan Engagement Report: Digital vs. In-Person ROI”
• “Case Study: How We Generated $5M in New Revenue for a Mid-Major Program”

Each one downloadable. Each one behind a simple opt-in form.

Now the homepage isn’t just a brochure. It’s a lead magnet.

That’s how a legacy B2B can begin using their own media to generate leads and sales.

The Real Cost Shows Up in Sales Effort

This is the part most leadership teams miss.

When your website doesn’t convert attention into leads, sales teams compensate.

With more activity.

With longer days.

With more rejection.

With more burnout.

It’s not a traffic problem.

It’s not a talent problem.

It’s a conversion problem.

In 2026, it’s a missed opportunity.

Because every day, athletic directors and brand sponsors visit Learfield.com. They’re researching solutions. They’re evaluating partners. They have real budget and real need.

But most of them leave without converting.

Not because Learfield can’t help them.

But because the website provides no easy to navigate (value-adding) bridges to start a relationship.

I Practice What I’m Teaching Here

When I launched my legal leads business, I built the landing page at ArizonaCarWreckHelp.com using these exact principles.

One visitor (car accident victims searching Google). One purpose (help them understand their rights). One path (download the free guide).

It’s B2C, not B2B. But the conversion principles are identical:

• Clarity (Krug): “Arizona Car Wreck? Get the Free Guide That Protects Your Rights” — no confusion about what this page does
• Friction/Anxiety Reduction (Blanks & Jesson): Free downloadable guide, no phone call required, educational content instead of high-pressure legal sales
• One Path (Brunson): Every element points to one action … download the guide

The frameworks from Krug, Blanks, Jesson, and Brunson work whether you’re selling to enterprises or individuals.

The principles don’t change.

What You Can Do This Week (No Developer Required)

Here’s how non-technical people can start improving website conversion. You don’t need to write code. You need to ask better questions and make strategic decisions.

Action 1: Audit Your Homepage for Clarity

Open your website right now. Look at it like you’ve never seen it before.

Ask: What am I supposed to do here?

If the answer isn’t immediately obvious, that’s your first problem.

Good clarity looks like this:

• Headline tells me exactly what you do and who it’s for
• One clear next step (not 8 navigation options)
• Obvious call-to-action above the fold

Bad clarity looks like this:

• Vague headline like “Innovative Solutions for Modern Enterprises”
• Multiple competing CTAs
• Navigation menu with 11 dropdown options

What to do: Write down your current headline. Then rewrite it using this format: “[What you do] that [outcome] for [who].”

Example: “Telecom expense management that finds $50K+ in billing waste for multi-location businesses.”

Action 2: Add a Low-Threshold Offer

Most B2B websites only have high-threshold asks: “Contact Us,” “Schedule a Demo,” “Book a Call.”

Those only work for the 1-3% ready to buy today.

What about the other 97%?

They need something valuable that requires no human interaction:

• A downloadable guide
• A checklist
• A video training
• A quiz or assessment
• An industry report

What to do: Brainstorm one piece of valuable content you could offer. It should help solve a problem your prospects have before they’re ready to buy.

Then brief your web team to add it to your homepage: “Download: [Title of Guide]” with a simple Name + Email form.

Action 3: Show Proof

Look at your website. Do you show:

• Customer logos?
• Case studies with real outcomes?
• Testimonials?
• “Before and after” results?

If not, you’re creating anxiety. Blanks and Jesson call this the trust barrier.

If I’ve never heard of you, I need proof you’ve done this before.

No proof = no trust = no conversion.

What to do: Gather 3-5 customer logos or testimonials. Add them to your homepage near your main call-to-action. If you have case studies with real numbers, feature those prominently.

Action 4: Test on Mobile

Pull out your phone right now and visit your website.

Can you:

• Read the headline?
• Find the call-to-action?
• Fill out the form easily?

In 2026, 50%+ of B2B web traffic comes from mobile devices.

If your site doesn’t work well on mobile, you’re losing half your visitors.

What to do: If your mobile experience is broken, make this your #1 priority with your web team. Everything else can wait.

Most companies already own everything they need.

They just aren’t using it to support sales.

To your success,

Shane

P.S. Next week is week 3 of 5: Social Media Feeds (how to turn your LinkedIn company page into a lead generator). Then we’ll cover your Customer List (week 4) and the Physical Media You Own (week 5). Each one is a lead engine. Most are sitting dormant.

P.P.S. A note for salespeople reading this: If you’re stuck at a company that doesn’t understand conversion, you have two choices. (1) Send this newsletter to leadership and see if they’ll act. (2) Start looking for a company that actually understands modern lead generation. Because in 2026, companies that don’t convert web traffic into leads are burning money and exhausting their sales teams with cold outreach that shouldn’t be necessary.