Why Your Best Leads are Coming from the Places You Can’t Track
Attribution used to be simple.
A prospect clicked an ad, landed on a website, and converted. Marketers could draw a straight line from lead to sale.
But today?
That line has turned into a messy, untrackable web of interactions across dark social channels, AI-driven search, and private conversations.
After getting tagged in posts, receiving LinkedIn DMs, and seeing the rise of ‘privatized’ groups, I started wondering—how are we supposed to track leads that never leave a digital breadcrumb?
That’s why I invited Connor DeLaney, Lead Sales Consultant at IMPACT onto the InnSync Show, to see if he could shed some light on this growing challenge and help us navigate the murky waters of dark attribution.
The Hidden Sales Pipeline: Dark Social is Winning Deals Behind Closed Doors
“Companies struggle with where leads come from because it’s harder than ever to know where they’re actually coming from,” says Connor. “Fifteen years ago, tracking was easy. Now, so much of the buying experience happens behind closed doors, aka dark social, before the customer ever reaches out.”
Let’s break down what’s happening, why it’s a problem, and how you can adapt.
Why Traditional Analytics Tools Can’t Track Your Best Leads Anymore
Buyers are researching in places you can’t see. They’re DMing industry peers on LinkedIn. They’re getting product recommendations in Slack communities. They’re running AI-powered searches that don’t require clicking through to a website.
“Buyers control more of the journey than ever,” DeLaney explains. “They want to avoid the pushy salesperson. They want to research in peace and only talk to you when they’re ready.”
The kicker?
By the time they do reach out, they’re often 80% through their decision-making process—and you have no idea what influenced them.
By the time they reach out, they’re not looking for a pitch—they’re looking for validation.
Even when dark social tracking tools try to assign credit, they get it wrong.
I’ll see leads come in, and our CRM will say they came from Google Ads… but we don’t even run Google Ads.
Point is, all this focus on attribution could be hindering more than helping.
So what’s the move? Keep chasing attribution ghosts—or adapt to the new reality of buyer behavior?
The Trust Deficit: Why Buyers Avoid Your Sales Team
There’s a bigger issue at play: buyers don’t trust brands like they used to.
“They either want to interact with individuals instead of companies, or they want to get as far as possible in their research before talking to anyone,” says DeLaney.
This is why dark social (LinkedIn DMs, private channels, organic discussions) has become such a powerful driver of sales—it feels more authentic.
A LinkedIn post from a real person? Trustworthy.
A chatbot message from a corporate account? Not so much.
And yet, companies still hoard information behind gated content and vague pricing pages.
DeLaney calls this “ostrich marketing”—burying your head in the sand and hoping buyers will still come to you.
Spoiler: they won’t.
The Friction Factor: Are You Making It Harder to Buy?
“Friction is the F-word of the internet,” says DeLaney. “As soon as you create friction, buyers leave.”
Consider these common mistakes:
- No pricing transparency. If buyers can’t find at least a ballpark figure, they’ll assume it’s out of their range.
- Endless email follow-ups. Spamming prospects doesn’t build trust—it pushes them away.
- Requiring a sales call for basic info. If someone has to “book a demo” just to understand what your product does, they’ll go elsewhere.
Instead of forcing buyers to jump through hoops, give them what they need upfront. If they’re well-informed before reaching out, they’ll close faster—and on their terms.
How to Adapt: Controlling the Conversation (Even When You Can’t Track It)
How do you still win business if you can’t track every touchpoint?
The answer isn’t to double down on outdated attribution models—it’s to rethink how you engage with buyers in the spaces where decisions are actually happening via dark social.
DeLaney offers three key strategies:
1. Ask buyers directly—because your CRM won’t tell the full story.
When a prospect finally books a call, they’ve already done the research. The simple act of asking, “How did you find us?” can reveal more about their journey than any tracking software ever could.
“I’ve had prospects tell me they saw a LinkedIn post, then heard my name on a podcast, then got a DM from a colleague before finally reaching out,” DeLaney says. “None of that shows up in attribution reports—but it’s the real path to conversion.”
While responses won’t be perfect (buyers might only recall their last touchpoint), collecting these insights consistently will help you spot patterns over time.
2. Invest in creating demand, not just capturing it.
Most companies focus on capturing leads already in buying mode—those searching on Google or filling out forms. But the biggest growth opportunities come from creating demand before buyers even know they need you.
Here’s how:
- Be where the conversations are happening. Engage in discussions on social media channels, contribute to industry groups, and join live Q&A sessions.
- Share insights freely. Post thought leadership content, answer FAQs publicly, and let buyers self-educate. If you’re the one helping them learn, you’ll be top-of-mind when they’re ready to buy.
- Think beyond immediate ROI. Content that builds credibility today might not turn into a lead tomorrow—but it will when buyers hit that decision-making stage.
“When you create demand, you become the company buyers already trust before they even start looking,” says DeLaney.
3. Make it ridiculously easy to buy.
Want to lose a lead fast? Make them jump through hoops just to get basic information.
Many companies still hide pricing, require a call just to access product details, or bury FAQs behind a gated form—all in an effort to force engagement and track direct traffic. But today’s buyers don’t play that game.
“Friction is the F-word of the internet,” DeLaney says. “The harder you make it to get answers, the faster buyers will move on.”
Instead, remove unnecessary barriers:
- Publish transparent pricing (or at least a pricing range).
- Clearly answer common questions so prospects don’t have to email you for details.
- Streamline the buying process with easy demo scheduling and self-service options.
When buyers can research freely, they come to you already confident in their decision—making the sales process faster, smoother, and far more effective.
“Most businesses don’t think like their buyers,” DeLaney points out. “But the ones who do? They win.”
The Bottom Line: It’s Not About Attribution—It’s About Trust
Attribution will never be perfect again.
And that’s okay.
The real goal isn’t to track web traffic and every step of the buyer’s journey—it’s to be so visible, so helpful, and so easy to buy from that attribution doesn’t even matter.
And as DeLaney puts it: “If you show buyers the way instead of making them figure it out themselves, they’ll choose you—whether you can track it or not.”
At the end of the day, buyers aren’t looking for another marketing campaign to funnel them through. They’re looking for credibility, clarity, and confidence in their decision. The brands that meet them where they are—without forcing them down a rigid, outdated path—will be the ones that win.
So the question isn’t how you track every touchpoint. The question is: Are you showing up where it matters most?
