How much does B2B lead generation cost in India?
B2B lead generation in India costs ₹300–₹8,000 per qualified lead depending on industry and channel: ₹300–₹1,500 for SMB services, ₹1,500–₹4,000 for mid-market SaaS, and ₹3,000–₹8,000+ for enterprise B2B. Plan a monthly budget of ₹1.5–8 lakh to build a predictable inbound pipeline within 6 months.
Cost per qualified lead (MQL → SQL) by Indian B2B segment: agency/services targeting SMEs ₹300–₹1,200, edtech B2B ₹800–₹2,500, SaaS targeting Indian SMBs ₹1,500–₹3,500, fintech/insurtech ₹2,000–₹5,000, enterprise SaaS / >₹50L deal size ₹4,000–₹8,000+. Cold outbound is cheaper per lead but lower quality; inbound (SEO + content + ads) costs more upfront but compounds.
Channel mix that works for Indian B2B in 2026: SEO + content (40% of budget — slowest but cheapest CAC at maturity), LinkedIn Ads (25% — best for >₹5L ACV), Google Ads on bottom-funnel intent keywords (20%), cold outbound + intent data (15%). Pure cold outbound rarely beats the blended approach past month 6.
What 'qualified' means matters: an MQL (downloaded a guide) costs 3–8x less than an SQL (took a demo). Budget for the funnel stage you actually need — if you're a 6-person sales team, optimise for SQL volume, not MQL count.
Realistic ramp: month 1–2 setup and content baseline (₹2–3L), month 3–4 first leads flowing (₹1.5–3L/month), month 5–6 attribution clarity (₹2–4L/month), month 7+ predictable pipeline at ₹3–8L/month spend producing 40–150 SQLs/quarter for a typical Indian SME.