Whatever the form, a lead typically includes the contact details of the consumer who is interested in a product or service, and who has the authority and desire to make a purchase.
Why is lead generation important?
Attracting visitors to your site is one thing, but what really matters is taking that relationship to the next level and converting those visitors into actual paying customers.
In the inbound methodology, lead generation falls within the second stage, “Convert”, which occurs after you’ve already attracted an audience, and are moving them through the individual’s inbound journey to eventually become a delighted customer (and future promoter!) of your business.
So how do you know when a lead is qualified?
In order to define a lead as qualified, you need more than just the consumer’s contact details. Here are a few questions to ask of any lead, to help you determine if they are qualified vs. unqualified:
Unqualified Leads:
- are unsure of your company and your company’s products and/or services
- are unsure of what they want in a solution
- have a budget that doesn’t work with your product or service, or don’t have a budget at all
- do not have the authority or capacity to make the final purchasing decision
- don’t have a timeline that fits with your product or service
Qualified Leads:
- are in control of their own buying cycle process, and are capable and have enough authority to bind a purchase decision
- know and understand their needs and how your product or service can provide a solution
- have a defined budget to work with
- have a defined timeline that your company can deliver to
- have confirmed contact details, such as first and last name, phone number and email address
By collecting answers to these questions at the lead stage of your inbound process, you can prioritize the quality of the leads generated, and focus on those that have the highest likelihood of converting to a sale. Check back in with us later this week to find out more about lead generation, and the top techniques we recommend to increase your lead gen success rate.
In the meantime, make sure your sales process doesn’t clash with your buyer’s expectations by downloading a free copy of our guide, ‘Buyers Speak Out’. Find out how your sales team may need to evolve.
