The path from lead generation to successful lead qualification
Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2025 6:58 am
So let's recap what defines a lead: We have a person who has shown interest in your product or service and has interacted with your company in some way. But what's the next step after the lead has been acquired?
The next step after lead generation in B2B is qualifying the leads. For this, it's important to know how to assess lead interest. This is usually achieved by evaluating the information you collect and the information your leads provide.
When qualifying leads, qualified leads can be divided into two types: Marketing-Qualified Leads and Sales-Qualified Leads . A Marketing-Qualified Lead has expressed interest in your offer solely as a result of your marketing student data efforts, while a Sales-Qualified Lead has been forwarded by the marketing team to sales for a proposal.
How successful are your lead generation efforts?
The lead evaluation process, also known as lead scoring , involves qualifying leads based on quantitative data and assessing which ones have the highest potential to close a deal. Each lead is assigned a numerical value, or score, to rank them on a scale from "interested" to "ready to close."
Which criteria are used in your evaluation depends entirely on the specific circumstances of your company. However, your marketing and sales teams should use the same criteria to avoid any discrepancies.
The score can depend on the behavior of your leads, the intensity of their interaction with your company , or any other criteria you define. For example, leads might receive a very high score if they frequently interact with your company on social media or if their demographic information exactly matches that of your target audience.
Likewise, leads would receive a slightly higher score if they used one of your vouchers or participated in a competition, as this shows that they have clearly shown interest in your company.
The higher your leads' score, the better the chances of them becoming sales-qualified leads. This puts them just one step away from becoming customers.
It's entirely possible that you 'll need to adjust your criteria and evaluations over time , as experience will tell you what actually works. However, this adjustment process is a very valuable preparatory step that will turn your lead generation into an effective precursor to customer acquisition.
The next step after lead generation in B2B is qualifying the leads. For this, it's important to know how to assess lead interest. This is usually achieved by evaluating the information you collect and the information your leads provide.
When qualifying leads, qualified leads can be divided into two types: Marketing-Qualified Leads and Sales-Qualified Leads . A Marketing-Qualified Lead has expressed interest in your offer solely as a result of your marketing student data efforts, while a Sales-Qualified Lead has been forwarded by the marketing team to sales for a proposal.
How successful are your lead generation efforts?
The lead evaluation process, also known as lead scoring , involves qualifying leads based on quantitative data and assessing which ones have the highest potential to close a deal. Each lead is assigned a numerical value, or score, to rank them on a scale from "interested" to "ready to close."
Which criteria are used in your evaluation depends entirely on the specific circumstances of your company. However, your marketing and sales teams should use the same criteria to avoid any discrepancies.
The score can depend on the behavior of your leads, the intensity of their interaction with your company , or any other criteria you define. For example, leads might receive a very high score if they frequently interact with your company on social media or if their demographic information exactly matches that of your target audience.
Likewise, leads would receive a slightly higher score if they used one of your vouchers or participated in a competition, as this shows that they have clearly shown interest in your company.
The higher your leads' score, the better the chances of them becoming sales-qualified leads. This puts them just one step away from becoming customers.
It's entirely possible that you 'll need to adjust your criteria and evaluations over time , as experience will tell you what actually works. However, this adjustment process is a very valuable preparatory step that will turn your lead generation into an effective precursor to customer acquisition.