How to scale a lead gen business - EIGENSONNE

EIGENSONNE, a lead generation well-funded startup in the solar energy market, had 40 employees and ambitious growth goals in 2020 when I started working there. The company was at a critical juncture, with a strategic plan to scale over the next 2-3 years and, at the same time, be EBITDA positive (or close to). However, despite the available budget, the business was struggling to effectively scale its customer acquisition and marketing efforts.

EIGENSONNE: Initial Status & Challenges

When I started, the importance of my job was underscored by Moritz, the CEO: "In the next 2 years, either we prove we can grow, or when we run out of money, no one will invest."

Key Challenges:

  • 6-figure monthly investments in Ad Spend but high Cost per Lead and poor scalability.
  • Pressure to achieve growth while reducing the Cost per Order.
  • No clear visibility on lead sources, with flawed reporting that provided inaccurate insights.
  • No clarity on lead performance or conversion metrics.
  • A one-person marketing team (me ^^) trying to handle all responsibilities.

Solution: Strategic Overhaul of EIGENSONNE’s Marketing Framework

Upon joining, I dedicated the first 2-3 weeks to deeply understanding EIGENSONNE’s business, analysing the existing marketing efforts, and identifying gaps. 

This period of observation and analysis led to a prioritised roadmap of initiatives targeting immediate improvements and a long-term strategy.

The key focus areas were:

  • Data Accuracy & Reporting:
    • Developed a robust reporting structure that eliminated inaccurate data, establishing a reliable foundation for decision-making.
    • Created cohort analysis to track leads through the sales funnel and understand conversion dynamics.
    • Implemented geographical lead steering, optimizing conversion rates (CR) by region.
  • Shift in KPI Focus:
    • Aligned the marketing and sales teams on new KPIs, transitioning from general leads to qualified leads, defined by specific quality criteria agreed with sales.
  • Channel Optimization & Marketing Mix:
    • Refined the marketing mix across various channels including search engine advertising (SEA), paid social, affiliate marketing, and email campaigns.
    • Developed a testing framework for landing pages (LP) and A/B testing, leading to an 80% uplift in website registrations.
  • Improved Tracking & Analytics:
    • Enhanced conversion tracking, especially within Google Ads, introducing micro-conversions and off-site tracking.
    • Standardised tracking setups across channels using Google Analytics 4 (GA4), ensuring consistency and better visibility across the customer journey.
  • Building a Team of Experts:
    • As the company grew, I built a dedicated marketing team, including specialists in Performance Marketing, SEO, CRM, and marketing analytics, to sustain and scale our efforts.

Results: Achieving Scalable Growth

The transformation in EIGENSONNE’s marketing operations yielded significant results:

  • 6x Increase in Lead Volume: The optimised marketing efforts resulted in a dramatic 6x increase in qualified leads.
  • 37% yearly decreased Cost per Qualified Lead: While increasing the lead volume, we managed to significantly reduce the Cost per Qualified Lead.‍
  • 12x Revenue Growth: These improvements translated into a 12x increase in company revenue.

"I had the pleasure of working with Matthieu for several years, during which time he set up and ran the Growth Marketing team. He has a very broad range of skills, an analytical, fact-based mindset, and a ton of experience across the whole array of marketing channels. His relaxed, calm, fun attitude make him a pleasure to work with. He was loved by his team and his peers."

Moritz Hau, CEO of EIGENSONNE

Acknowledging External Factors:

It's important to highlight two key points to understand fully these results.

First, while the numbers are impressive, they weren’t the result of my work or the marketing team’s efforts alone. The revenue growth, in particular, was a collective achievement that involved the hard work of the entire company.

Second, external factors played a significant role, especially the impact of the Ukraine-Russia war, which positively influenced the solar energy market in Germany. While these unfortunate external conditions contributed to the improvement of the market, the marketing foundation we built allowed EIGENSONNE to effectively seize these changes.

Without this groundwork, the company might have grown, but not with the same level of scalability and efficiency.

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