What is a Qualified Lead?

When it comes to a business’s sales process, lead generation is an important starting point. Lead generation is the process of identifying and developing potential customers to lead to a sale. But it’s crucial to remember that a lead differs from a qualified lead. A lead refers to anyone interacting with your business, whether visiting your website or calling your brick-and-mortar store.  

 

However, a qualified lead refers to someone who hasn’t just engaged with your business but is ready to buy, which is determined through qualifying criteria. Qualifying leads will help streamline the overall sales process by weeding out disqualified leads and discovering patterns that will help inform future marketing strategies.  

 

 

Disqualified leads refer to leads that have proven to be unqualified as suitable potential customers. This could include spam messages on social media or test form submissions from a coworker. In cases like that, it’s best to remove them from your sales pipeline because they aren’t worth the extra time and effort it would take to nurture them. Plus, that way, you can focus on nurturing your qualified leads. Other ways to deal with disqualified leads include:

 

1. Offer other viable solutions

 

In cases where a lead has been disqualified but could still benefit from something else your business offers, try offering them a better solution.

 

2. Nurture the lead

 

In cases where the lead has been disqualified but still has the potential to become a customer in the future, nurture that lead toward a sale by sending them relevant content and building a relationship with them.

 

3. Keep them in your database

 

Even though it’s a disqualified lead, keep their information in your database so that you know to instantly remove them without having to go through the process over again.

 

With so many different marketing tasks, it’s best to streamline the overall process by determining how to qualify those leads. Every business’s strategy is different, but, at the end of the day, all that matters is that it works for your business needs. Lead generation is a great asset for businesses to build credibility, drive website traffic, and increase overall sales, but remember to focus your efforts on nurturing qualified leads.