About Sopro
Sopro is a leading B2B lead generation and engagement platform. Their expert teams work with clients to build sustainable campaigns set up for long-term success.
Since 2015, their team of 300 global experts combines genuine human insight with in-house tech and live lead generation data. They design multichannel campaigns that help clients sell more.
Sopro engages ideal prospects with personalised outreach, acts on buyer intent signals, and connects them with clients when they are ready to talk sales.
Their expert-led outreach service engages your prospects to supply a steady lead flow.
The business challenge
Sopro wanted to build a year-on-year report that would position them as market leaders in the B2B prospecting space.
They specifically wanted to understand the challenges faced by senior B2B sales and marketing decision-makers in the industry.
Sopro wanted to lead the discussion on:
- why and how sales outreach is being used and how it has evolved
- what has changed in the market
- the evolution of prospecting trends and behaviours
Our research solution
In 2023, Sopro partnered with Sapio Research to turn their annual report from a data summary into a comprehensive, industry-defining piece of research.
To do so, we brought independent methodology and external market perspective to complement Sopro’s proprietary campaign data. The approach combined:
- Primary research: we surveyed senior B2B decision-makers to shed light on market challenges and buying behaviours
- Data analysis: we integrated and analysed Sopro’s extensive prospecting data (millions of touchpoints) combined with independent market insights
- Multi-team design: we structured the research to serve internal stakeholders from the outset
Our methodology
Each year, the research has expanded in scope and sophistication:
- 2023: Survey of 350 B2B leaders combined with 49.5 million email data points.
Read the report here. - 2024: 377 sales and marketing professionals surveyed alongside 84 million outreach touchpoints. Read the report here.
- 2025: 404 senior B2B decision-makers surveyed with analysis of 97.9 million emails and 21.6 million multichannel touchpoints. Read the report here.
- 2026: 442 senior decision-makers and backed by 151 million real outreach touchpoints, with proven strategies from leading experts. Read the report here.
Recognising the value of thought leadership over lead generation, Sopro made a strategic decision to ungate (no emails or personal details required) the reports.
In an interview with our team, Kit Smith from Sopro’s team explained:
“We decided that the awareness and authority that it could bring us by just putting it out there available to everyone was worth more than collecting email addresses from people downloading it.”
Outcomes
The report has delivered measurable impact across multiple dimensions:
Media coverage and authority building
- 650+ media mentions in 2025 from diverse publications including HubSpot, Evening Standard, and industry competitors
- Established the report as an “annual event” that the market anticipates
- Competitors now reference and link to Sopro’s research, demonstrating industry recognition
The research serves as a powerful sales enabler too, providing multiple conversation points to the sales team. One Sopro sales representative mentioned to Kit, “I was on a call with a prospect recently, who said he downloaded the report…and was very impressed with the findings and the narrative. He was sold on us already.”
Multi-team impact
Sopro’s approach has always been about combining hard data with compelling narrative. Their annual research forms the foundation for their entire content strategy and fuels conversations across every customer-facing team.
To be specific, here’s how Sopro generated value from their research across different functions:
Their marketing team built entire campaigns around the insights, translating research findings into infographics, thought leadership articles, and social content that built brand awareness for months. The data became conversation starters that positioned Sopro at the centre of industry discussions about AI in prospecting, multi-channel outreach, and evolving buyer behaviours.
Customer success teams extracted specific data points and compelling quotes to enrich their client conversations, using the research to demonstrate industry trends and validate strategic recommendations.
The sales team used the findings to amplify their outreach efforts. Prospects arrived at calls familiar with Sopro’s expertise, with the research having essentially pre-sold the conversation. The report became a powerful credibility tool.
Leadership leveraged the insights for strategic planning, using year-on-year trends to inform product development and market positioning decisions.
Beyond supporting individual teams, the research influenced how the entire industry thinks about prospecting best practices, establishing Sopro as the authority shaping the conversation.
Understanding dark metrics and industry narrative
Sopro’s approach reflects progressive thinking about unmeasurable brand impact. Kit noted:
“There is a certain level that you can’t track, you can’t attribute, but we know it’s making an impact. There are associated indicators, but you can see it in the bigger picture.”
This philosophy drove their decision to ungate the reports, prioritising brand visibility, and long-term authority over immediate lead capture.
With AI now providing high-intent search results, the research puts Sopro at the forefront of industry conversations and shapes how their audience discusses prospecting trends. As Kit explained:
“AI has to be part of our strategy, a lot of people are looking for information as part of their research into possible vendors. Original research like this, and the coverage it generates, really helps your visibility in LLMs to become a part of that narrative.”
Working with us
Our partnership with Sopro highlights how strategic research collaboration can transform a company’s thought leadership position. By combining proprietary data with independent research methodology,
the partnership has:
- Established Sopro as the definitive authority on B2B prospecting trends
- Created measurable business impact through enhanced sales conversations
- Built sustainable competitive advantage through ongoing market insights
- Demonstrated the value of ungated, high-quality content in building long-term brand authority
The success of “The State of Prospecting” reports shows how thoughtful research partnerships can deliver value that extends far beyond traditional lead generation, creating lasting market influence and business growth.
Also check out the 2026 edition of, ‘The State of Prospecting’ report.
“Sapio Research have been really helpful in bringing their expertise and
combining it with ours… they’ve been responsive and keen for us to
make a success of it.”
Kit Smith, Content and SEO Manager, Sopro
